PSA medical oxygen generators for hospitals: the complete guide.
How Pressure Swing Adsorption produces hospital-grade oxygen on site, why hospitals worldwide are switching from cylinders, and how to choose the right system for your facility. Engineered in Lisbon since 1981, deployed in 80+ countries.
Hospital oxygen, produced from the air at your facility.
For decades, hospitals depended on external oxygen supply chains: cylinders delivered by truck, liquid oxygen tanks refilled on schedule, and the constant anxiety of running out. Today, hospitals, ministries of health, and healthcare organisations worldwide are making a different choice. They produce their own medical oxygen on site, at the point of care, continuously and reliably, using Pressure Swing Adsorption technology.
From ambient air to medical-grade oxygen.
PSA stands for Pressure Swing Adsorption. It is a proven industrial and medical process that separates oxygen from the surrounding air. Unlike oxygen produced in a factory, bottled, and transported, a PSA system generates oxygen continuously from the air available at your location.
Why this matters for hospitals
The entire process operates automatically, around the clock, without requiring the presence of an operator. Modern systems like the ULTRAOX include continuous gas monitoring, automated failover to a backup oxygen source if parameters drift outside specification, and remote diagnostics for real-time oversight. ULTRAOX was the first PSA oxygen production plant to be certified as a medical device under the European Directive.
Once installed, a PSA generator gives a hospital permanent supply chain independence. As long as the facility has electricity and air, it has oxygen.
O₂
Four stages, one uninterrupted output.
The PSA process operates in continuous cycles measured in seconds. Two zeolite columns alternate between adsorption and regeneration so the supply to the hospital pipeline never stops.
Ambient air intake & oil-free compression
Filtered ambient air containing 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and trace gases is drawn in and compressed by an oil-free compressor. The air is dried to remove moisture, oil vapour, and particulates. Oil-free compression is non-negotiable for medical oxygen.
Oil-free compressionNitrogen adsorption in zeolite columns
Compressed air enters one of two columns filled with zeolite molecular sieve, a porous material that selectively adsorbs nitrogen molecules under pressure. Oxygen passes through to the buffer tank, reaching purity of up to 95%, exceeding pharmacopoeia minimums.
95% purity outputRegeneration cycle & continuous output
While one column produces oxygen, the other depressurises and vents nitrogen to atmosphere. The cycle alternates every few seconds, providing uninterrupted Oxygen 93 grade output to the EN ISO 7396-1 hospital pipeline. Output never stops, even during regeneration.
EN ISO 7396-1 readyContinuous monitoring & auto-failover
Onboard sensors continuously track O₂ purity plus residual CO, CO₂, and water vapour levels. If any parameter drifts outside specification, the system automatically alarms and switches to the cylinder backup source. Zero operator intervention required for normal operation.
Auto-failover · zero operator
