A Brief History of the Development of Oxygen Machines

From 1930 to 1950, apart from Germany and France, the Soviet Union, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries also began producing oxygen generators. During this period, with the development of production, the application fields of oxygen generators continued to expand, promoting the development of large-scale oxygen generators. Due to the use of large oxygen generators in smelting gold and synthetic ammonia industries. After 1950, in addition to the aforementioned countries that produce oxygen generators, there were also Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Italy, etc. Due to the development of the steel industry, nitrogen fertilizer industry, and rocket technology, the consumption of oxygen and nitrogen increased rapidly, prompting the development of larger oxygen generators. Since 1957, oxygen generators with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per hour have successively appeared. Since 1967, according to incomplete statistics, large-scale oxygen generators with capacities over 20,000 cubic meters per hour have continuously emerged, reaching a total of 87 sets, with the largest unit having a capacity of 50,000 cubic meters per hour, and even larger units are currently under research and development. Over the past 20 years, the variety of products has rapidly increased and gradually formed a series, such as the typical products of large oxygen generators produced by Linde Company in West Germany ranging from 1,000 to 40,000 cubic meters per hour, Kobe Steel in Japan with OF type, Hitachi in Japan with TO type, Japan Oxygen Company with NR type, and the UK with all low-pressure series of 50-1,500 tons/day, etc. Meanwhile, large-scale oxygen generators basically adopt the all-low-pressure process. In summary, the development of oxygen generators is a process of continuous improvement, with equipment evolving from small and medium-sized to large scale; processes developing from high pressure (200 atmospheres), medium pressure (50 atmospheres), high and low pressure to all low pressure (6 atmospheres), thereby reducing the unit electricity consumption and metal material consumption of oxygen generators, and continuously extending the operation cycle.