Where do hospitals get their oxygen from? Is it finite and does it have to be refilled like gas, in a tank? Assuming we grow the number of ventilators available for hospitals do we need to worry about an oxygen shortage?
In: Chemistry
I walked past a hospital in upper Manhattan this morning and there was a tanker truck out front with a big oxygen sticker/sign on it. I’m not sure if that’s what you mean by “where” though
Modern hospitals will often times have a central tank of oxygen running to all the rooms. The oxygen they have on hand is functionally infinite.
To go into greater detail. The central tank will take normal air like you’re breathing rn. It will compress it and cool it until the air becomes a liquid (because anything cold and compact enough will become a liquid or solidify) then they add just enough heat so that the nitrogen which makes up a vast majority of air will boil off. since nitrogen and oxygen boil at different temperatures this leaves behind the oxygen at a concentration of nearly 97%. At which point it can be released from the tank and the drop in pressure will convert it back into gas and allow it to flow to the rooms.
It’s in a tank. Large hospitals have large tanks that are refilled by a semi tanker but they may also use smaller cylinders to. Praxair is a large supplier, they have a process that separates out the gases. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are also frequently used.
At my mom’s hospital, it’s delivered in tanks. They have to sign for it, since it’s apparently considered a drug.
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