Replacing bottled oxygen with an on-site oxygen generator from
Atlas Copco has delivered significant environmental, cost and safety benefits for a leading animal hospital and veterinary centre. The hospital is one of the first referral centres in the country to use in-house oxygen generators for 100% of its core delivery, dramatically reducing the carbon footprint associated with multiple weekly deliveries and freeing staff from the physical dangers of moving heavy bottles around the site.
As one of the world’s leading specialist small animal referral centres, the staff at this ‘state of the art’ animal hospital in the UK are committed to providing the very highest standards of veterinary care. Oxygen of at least 90% purity plays a vital role in the hospital’s regime. It is used in therapy and during operations, as well as in the preparation and treatment rooms. On average, the veterinary centre uses around 33m
3 of high-purity oxygen every day. To keep up with this demand, four deliveries of bottled oxygen were generally required each week. For a practice with a strong commitment to sustainability, 150 lorry journeys per year represented an unacceptably high carbon footprint.
Safety was another concern. The lorries had to unload the heavy gas bottles by accessing the public car park, presenting a potential risk to the hospital’s animal patients and their owners. Each oxygen bottle weighs around 80kg, so there was also a risk to the staff who needed to move the bottles from the storage area to where they were required within the hospital complex. The fact that the hospital was totally reliant on a single supplier was a further concern. While the supply had not been interrupted by the recent global pandemic, it did highlight its supply chain vulnerability. Even a remote risk of the oxygen supply running out during treatment was unacceptable. Guaranteeing continuity of supply while maintaining purity levels was therefore essential.
In exploring solutions to meet the environmental, budgetary, and safety requirements of the facility, consideration was given to switching to liquid oxygen, with a new tank positioned away from public access areas. While this option would have reduced delivery frequencies and public safety risks, it was deemed insufficient in addressing environmental impacts. Additionally, concerns arose regarding the guarantee of purity levels using this method. Ultimately, the decision was made to opt for on-site oxygen generation as the best solution.
High-purity oxygenThe practice had been using Atlas Copco compressors for more than a decade, both for producing medical-grade air and for powering pneumatic medical tools. Following an assessment of the veterinary centre’s requirements, Atlas Copco recommended its OGP2-200 to meet the on-site oxygen generation needs as it delivers a reliable supply of high-purity oxygen 24/7. It uses Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology to isolate oxygen molecules from other molecules in compressed air to leave high-purity oxygen at the outlet of the generator. The minimum requirement was 90% purity — the OGP2 can achieve 97% purity, giving medical staff reassurance that the oxygen supplied will always meet the required standard.
The OGP2 is very energy efficient. Oxygen is generated initially to fill the storage tank, but the generator will then remain on standby until demand dictates that more oxygen is required. This lower energy consumption has contributed to the hospital’s wider sustainability targets. In addition, the OGP2 is backed by a full-service agreement, which means that, in the unlikely event of a breakdown, Atlas Copco engineers will be on-site within 24hr. A small reserve of bottled oxygen is available to cover any temporary shortfall, ensuring that the highest levels of patient care can be maintained at all times.
After using the on-site generator for just over one year, the benefits are clear. The new oxygen generator eliminates the carbon footprint associated with multiple bottle deliveries and is extremely efficient to run. The cumulative carbon savings have helped the facility attain the highest possible environmental ranking within the Investors in Environment certification scheme, boosting its sustainability credentials.
The new generator has also removed the risks associated with lifting and transporting heavy bottles from the delivery lorries to the storage area and around the practice. The maintenance team are now free to focus on practical maintenance tasks, rather than being distracted by the need to move heavy oxygen bottles around, sometimes at short notice.
The OPG2 also supports the future-proofing of the hospital by ensuring it is no longer reliant on external suppliers for deliveries of oxygen. Furthermore, thanks to the reliable supply of high-purity oxygen available on demand, the practice has been able to increase the number of oxygen cages it has on-site, which means it can offer even better care. The practice estimates that they will achieve payback on their investment in the OPG2 on-site generator within three years.