A summit known as the Oxygen Standardisation Coordinating Group discussed several elements surrounding the need for oxygen on the battlefield, specifically the design and manufacturing of oxygen solutions for soldiers.
Attended by military forces and industrial leaders from around the world, new technology in the field of mobile oxygen production was revealed at the summit, including electrochemical oxygen systems.
With current pressure swing/vacuum swing adsorption (PSA/VSA) systems having to use compressed air and a molecular sieve to extract oxygen from air, the new electrochemical system makes use of an electrical charge that transmits across a thin inorganic membrane.
According to Bill Sovitsky, Supervisory Equipment Specialist, US Army Medical Logistics Command (AMLC) Policy & Analysis Directorate, this technology has the ability to greatly enhance sustainment on the battlefield.
In addition to reducing repairs and maintenance training, he said, “they will run quieter, reduce fire danger and potentially reduce or eliminate the need for oxygen cylinders on the battlefield. This reduces transportation and refilling requirements.”
Held virtually in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting emphasised the necessity of an adequate supply of oxygen in all areas.
Sovitsky added, “The pandemic rapidly increased the demand for oxygen and, in some areas of the world, outstripped supply with dire consequences.”
He also said that with the recent focus on large-scale conflict with adversaries emphasising the potential for increases in oxygen demand, the military must be ready to supply the modern soldier with safe and effective oxygen systems.