50 years of experience
Medical Oxygen Production Technologies
A leading French manufacturer of medical gas systems
At NOVAIR, we develop and have mastered several technologies for on-site medical oxygen production, enabling all types of healthcare facilities to secure their supply of medical gases.
Each technology meets specific needs in terms of purity, production capacity, energy efficiency, service continuity, and scalability. With nearly 50 years of experience in medical oxygen generation, NOVAIR provides hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities with reliable, high-performance solutions that meet international medical standards.
Innovation at the heart of NOVAIR Technologies
Comprehensive expertise in technologies
For nearly 50 years, NOVAIR has been designing, developing, and refining various medical oxygen production technologies, including PSA, DS-PSA, MPSA, RPSA, and ionic technology. This expertise enables NOVAIR to offer the most suitable solution for each project, based on requirements for flow rate, purity, redundancy, scalability, and energy efficiency.
Research for performance
Every NOVAIR technology is the result of decades of research and development. From the optimization of PSA processes to the development of the first ionic oxygen generator in collaboration with NASA, every innovation aims to improve performance, reduce energy consumption, and simplify plant operations.
Technologies tailored to every need
Every project has specific requirements for medical oxygen production. Purity level, capacity, service continuity, installation constraints, and scalability: these criteria guide the selection of the most appropriate technology to provide a high-performance, reliable, and sustainable solution for every facility.
100+
Installations worldwide
150
Countries covered
24/7
Technical support
PSA - Pressure Swing Adsorption
The most widely used technology for producing medical oxygen
PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) technology is currently the industry standard for on-site medical oxygen production. It enables healthcare facilities to produce their own oxygen directly from ambient air, thereby reducing their reliance on deliveries of oxygen cylinders or liquid oxygen.
The process relies on separating the components of air using an adsorbent material called zeolite. After being compressed and treated to remove particles, moisture, and contaminants, the air passes through two adsorption columns that operate alternately. Under pressure, the zeolite selectively traps nitrogen molecules while oxygen is recovered to supply the medical gas network. When the first column reaches its maximum adsorption capacity, it automatically regenerates while the second column takes over, thereby ensuring a continuous and stable supply of medical oxygen.
Although the PSA technology has been in use for several decades, its performance depends on the precise control of numerous parameters, such as the quality of the compressed air, the selection of molecular sieves, the sizing of the adsorption columns, the management of regeneration cycles, and the continuous monitoring of oxygen purity.
As a pioneer in on-site medical oxygen production in Europe, NOVAIR has been mastering and refining this technology for over 30 years. Thanks to its expertise in the design, automation, and optimization of PSA processes, NOVAIR is able to guarantee medical oxygen production that offers stable purity, consistent performance, and long-term reliability, meeting the requirements of even the most demanding healthcare facilities. NOVAIR’s research and development efforts have optimized the PSA process to produce medical oxygen of high and exceptionally stable purity (up to 95% ±1%), while ensuring long-term performance and high operational reliability.
This technological expertise is incorporated into the ModulO2® and PREMIUM® generators, designed to deliver high-performance, reliable medical oxygen production that complies with the requirements of major international regulations.
DS PSA - Double Stage Pressure Swing Adsorption
Enhanced purity and stability
DS PSA (Double Stage Pressure Swing Adsorption) technology is an advancement of the PSA technology developed by NOVAIR to produce very high-purity medical oxygen while ensuring exceptional production stability. By adding a second separation stage to the conventional PSA process, it achieves oxygen purity of up to 99.5%.
As with a conventional PSA generator, ambient air is first compressed, treated, and then directed to a first separation stage, where molecular sieves trap nitrogen to produce an initial oxygen stream. This stream is then sent to a second separation stage, specifically designed to remove residual impurities and further increase the oxygen concentration. This dual separation process produces medical-grade oxygen of very high purity with excellent stability, regardless of fluctuations in flow rate or consumption.
Drawing on nearly 50 years of expertise in air separation technologies, NOVAIR has optimized this system architecture to ensure controlled purity, consistent performance, and long-term reliability. This technology meets the demands of the most demanding medical applications, where oxygen quality and service continuity are essential.
DS PSA technology is used in the PREMIUM PLUS® generator, designed for healthcare facilities seeking a medical oxygen production solution that combines very high purity, stability, and performance.
RPSA - Rotary Pressure Swing Adsorption
Compact, high-efficiency technology
RPSA (Rotary Pressure Swing Adsorption) technology is an evolution of the conventional PSA process, developed to produce medical oxygen with a purity of 93%. Unlike traditional PSA systems that use adsorption columns operating alternately, RPSA relies on a continuous rotary mechanism that integrates the various stages of air separation within a single system.
Thanks to this design, the adsorption, depressurization, and regeneration phases occur continuously, which speeds up the separation cycles while reducing the equipment’s footprint. This architecture also optimizes energy efficiency and improves the system’s responsiveness to fluctuations in demand.
RPSA represents a promising advancement in on-site oxygen production technologies for applications requiring compact, high-performance systems, where available space and energy efficiency are key criteria.
The ONE® generator incorporates RPSA technology within a patented architecture developed by NOVAIR.
Ionic Technology
The Technology of the Future for Oxygen Production
Ionic technology represents a revolutionary approach to on-site oxygen production. Developed by NOVAIR in collaboration with NASA, ION—the first ionic oxygen generator—is based on an innovative electrochemical process that uses a solid, non-porous ceramic membrane to separate oxygen from ambient air.
The Earth’s atmosphere, composed of approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% argon, represents a virtually inexhaustible source of oxygen. Ionic technology directly harnesses this resource through an electrochemical process that converts oxygen molecules into oxygen ions.
Upon contact with the ceramic membrane, these ions are drawn toward a solid crystal capable of transporting only oxygen ions. A very low direct current voltage, less than 1 volt, causes them to migrate through the membrane. Upon exiting, the ions instantly recombine to reform oxygen molecules of very high purity.
Unlike conventional PSA technologies, which rely on adsorption and regeneration cycles, ionic technology uses a continuous electrochemical process to separate oxygen. This technological breakthrough enables the production of ultra-pure oxygen (nearly 100%) with a compact, virtually maintenance-free design.
Which technology is best suited for your project?
The choice of a medical oxygen production technology depends on several factors: the required purity level, the necessary flow rate, installation constraints, future growth prospects, and regulatory requirements. NOVAIR experts will help you select the solution best suited to your facility or project.
| Criterion | PSA | DS PSA | RPSA | Ionic Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principle | Zeolite adsorption | Optimized two-stage PSA | Rotary PSA | Electrochemical separation |
| Oxygen Purity | 93 to 95 % | 96 to 99.5% | 93% | 99.99% to 99.9999% |
| Main advantage | Autonomy |
Autonomy Very high purity |
Autonomy Plug & Play / Compact Design |
Autonomy Ultra-high purity Virtually no maintenance Quiet operation |
| NOVAIR Solutions | PREMIUM and MODULO2 | PREMIUM PLUS | ONE | ION |
| Flow Range / Indicative Healthcare Facility | PREMIUM: 2 to 105 Nm³/h (2 to 350 beds) and ModulO2: 10–20 L/min (approximately 4 beds) | 2 to 54 Nm³/h (6 to 180 beds) | 60 LPM Module (14 to 96 beds) | 3 LPM module — Targeted applications; capacity depends on the number of modules |
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