Pulse vs Continuous flow oxygen concentrators for torch work

Jewelry Discussion
1

Does anyone here have sufficient experience with O2 concentrators to comment on pulse vs continuous flow machines?

My wife recently bought a 20LPM machine from china, The specs all looked good and even with shipping and import duties to Croatia it was still a good value, especially here in Europe. We both have lived in China so are not intimidated by the very different way of doing business, seemed like a good idea.

It arrived yesterday and turns out to be a pulse flow model, it delivers pulses when the “patient” breathes in rather than a continuous flow. Not being in the medical industry, I didn’t even know such a beast existed.

It’ll be a few days before I can collect all the parts to gang all 4 output channels into the single torch input, but listening to it run it seems like it can’t possibly provide more than a fraction of what I was expecting.

Anyone have experience with these? Are they even suitable for torch needs? I found nothing about the topic online in a search.

I’m finding that in the jewelry and glass industries, there is a reasonable knowledge of a very narrow set of use cases and it’s easy to step off that path. Perhaps we can flush the knowledge base out a bit here on Orchid.

-Lawrence

2

There must be a sensor that allows O2 to flow when it sees a vacuum or reduction in pressure. Since you are likely not going to be able to return the unit, I guess you are safe tinkering with it. Sorry this happened. Good luck…Rob

1 Like
3

On closer inspection of what little literature came with the machine, it has an AI management system to delivery O2 with the breath. It’s not called pulse dose and the 20LPM rating is for a continuous delivery type. Pulse dose types use ml/breath as a metric.

We’ll see if it can be returned. If not, maybe I can disable the AI or just gut it for parts and build my own continuous delivery device. Sigh. The adventures of an expat continue…

-Lawrence

4

Hook it up and try it.

Turn the fuel gas on, which you should do first anyway. Maybe stronger than usual to start. There may be enough of a venturi effect to start drawing the oxyegen, just as air flow draws gasoline out of the fuel jets in a carburetor.

Neil A

2 Likes
5

We’ll see what it does. I’m hunting down parts for that this week.