Silicone Rubber Heater Adds Moisture To Oxygen For Patient Comfort

Problem:

Moist oxygen is critical for patients requiring respiratory therapy. Humidity helps the lung absorb life-giving oxygen and greatly aids patient comfort. A problem arises with oxygen storage. It must be dry to prevent corroding the high-pressure tanks, and to prevent condensation from forming and freezing during use. To get around this "dry oxygen" problem, a medical equipment manufacturer was developed a fail-safe way to put moisture back into the oxygen by employing an electrically heated humidifier.

Solution:

Watlow engineered a flexible heater with holes to accommodate a thermostat, high-limit control and support framework. Vulcanizing the heater to the humidifier's base was recommended to improve performance by eliminating a layer of mastic that would otherwise act as a thermal barrier. This complete sub-assembly, with UL^® and CSA approvals, saved the manufacturer the added cost and labor associated with producing the part in-house.

 UL^® is a registered trademark of the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.