AIRSTANDBYDRYERSTANDBYABPSA O2A STANDBYB STANDBYO2 --BOOSTERSTANDBY
Swipe to see the whole plant · Click a machine or a stage below · values are illustrative
—

Air to oxygen, step by step

Atmospheric air is compressed, dried and filtered, then buffered in the blue receiver. The PSA generator separates oxygen from the nitrogen in it, the oxygen receiver steadies the product flow, and a booster compresses the oxygen into high-pressure cylinders. Press Play to run the process, or pick a stage below.

Compressed airOxygen-enriched productZeolite holding nitrogenO₂-enriched gas in the bedNitrogen-rich exhaustA PSA plant does not make oxygen: it separates it from air. Zeolite holds nitrogen more strongly than oxygen while it is under pressure, so oxygen-enriched gas leaves the top of the bed that is on line, while the other bed is vented to atmosphere and purged with a little product gas to release its nitrogen. The two beds swap every cycle. Pressures, timings and fill levels in this figure are illustrative only.