1,250 patients are treated per day thanks to 54 oxygen plants of Seralt and PUCP

One of the main difficulties of the pandemic that continues to plague our country is not being able to provide oxygen to all COVID-19 patients who require it. At the end of April this year, the Vice-Minister of Public Health, Gustavo Rosell, announced that the medical oxygen deficit in Peru reached 70 tonnes per day . He also pointed out that the Ministry of Health (Minsa) estimated that 240 tonnes a day would be needed between April and September 2021. The 54 plants already produced and installed by the PUCP and the company Seralt S.A.C. are key in this fight. since the Minsa authorised their manufacture and use, which provide 19.44 tonnes of oxygen per day.

"Our motivation, as a university, has always been to be able to contribute to the well-being of society," says Fernando Jiménez, lecturer in the D.A. of Engineering and general coordinator of the project. At the beginning, he says, they thought that the need would be temporary while the oxygen market was regulated. However, in view of the country's needs, it has grown in size and continuity. Today, it is essential to close the existing gap and be prepared for an eventual third wave of the pandemic.

Air for all of Peru

The 19.44 tons of medical oxygen generated by the 54 plants installed by the PUCP and Seralt are equivalent to 1,440 10 m3 balloons per day and the attention of 1,250 simultaneous patients using 8 litres per minute . In addition, 16 more units, which will provide 5,832 tonnes of oxygen per day, are in the process of being manufactured for the period May-June. This means 432 10 m3 balloons per day and 375 patients per day.

A look at the national map shows that the plants are located in Santa María de Nieva, Juanjuí, Chimbote, Callao, Jaén, Cerro de Pasco, Paita, Huarmey, Urubamba, Lima, Loreto, Trujillo, among other places. "The aim of the project is to reach those who really need it. We realised that the greatest demand for oxygen was in remote areas that were underserved," says Jiménez.

Of the messages he has received for his work and that of the team, our teacher recalls that they told him how happy they were in the district of Pangoa, located in the VRAEM area, after the installation of the plant. "They feel they have the backing and support to meet the demand for oxygen not only in this pandemic but also for future medical purposes," he says.

Adaptable, inclusive and affordable

Having been developed in the country, the PUCP and Seralt oxygen plants are able to adapt to the different climates and geographies of Peru. Thus, they have been able to operate in the high altitude of Pasco, the humidity of Amazonas or the dry climate of Arequipa. "Imported plants do not take into account the different conditions we have here," says Jiménez.

The modular design of these oxygen generating plants has three different capacities: 5, 10 and 20 cubic metres (m3) per hour. In this way, it is suitable for the needs of a large hospital, such as the 20 m3/h equipment operating at the Daniel Alcides Carrión in Huancayo, as well as for a locality requiring a smaller amount.

The fact that they are developed in Peru also means that the price is lower and the delivery time is only two weeks, unlike imported equipment, which takes around 120 days. " The investment in these oxygen plants costs between half and a third of the price of the imported ones on the market," says Jiménez. "The know-how on how to set up an oxygen plant is only available to us in Peru," emphasises David Chávez, lecturer in the Department of Engineering and coordinator of the project.

Innovation at the service of the country

Since the beginning of this project, the PUCP team has been constantly researching and innovating. Proof of this is the 10 m3/h plant installed on our campus, which provides service to the university community, and which, through improvements in its hardware and software, was able to produce 14m3/h. "The plant we have installed at PUCP will also function as a kind of laboratory where we will test the improvements that will later be standardised in the other units we will produce," said Chávez.

Jiménez says they have recently defined the test protocol for improvements in the development of oxygen plants. "We are in the optimisation stage in the sense, for example, of being able to reduce components and costs. We hope, within a month, to have results and transfer them immediately to the next plants to be built," he says.

All these optimisations will ultimately result in a better service for our community and the country. "Instead of importing, we bet from the beginning on developing and designing technology. We show that our university is not a bubble, but that it can get involved in national issues and contribute to the well-being of society," Jiménez emphasises.