BBC report on CDP’s Lightweight Oxygen Concentrator

“The Ministry of Defence has asked the Cambridge Design Partnership to ready the technology for the battlefield” reports the BBC.

Research conducted by DSTL concluded that ‘technological advances will need to be made to solve the logistical and safety issues relating to forward deployment of oxygen’. Oxygen cylinders that need to be carried by the military are both heavy and dangerous in certain situations so CDP have responded by designing an integrated oxygen concentrator with a lightweight engine to create a highly efficient and extremely compact oxygen source

Watch the BBC report about the integrated oxygen concentrator.

Oxygen concentrators are routinely used to provide oxygen to patients with a chronic illness. By cycling the air pressure in chambers filled with a gas absorbing substance, atmospheric oxygen can be concentrated to 95% purity.

This unit can be run on a range of fuels, including standard diesel. As well as being suitable for powering oxygen concentrators, CDP’s engine could be an attractive electrical power source for the dismounted soldier.

CDP’s development to date has involved:

1. Working with expert military users to understand the requirements for the system

2. Creating a laboratory demonstrator capable of producing high purity oxygen to be produced using both butane and diesel fuels

3. Defining a feasible technical specification for a developed system

CDP presented this technology at the Centre for Defence Enterprise Showcase in London earlier this year and are now working with the MOD to further develop the engine technology.