A Novel Liquid Oxygen Recharger for Home Oxygen Therapy

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的具体目标是开发和演示一种低成本的液态氧（LOX）生成系统，以支持使用家庭氧气治疗（HOT）的门诊患者。目前在美国，每年用于HOT的支出接近20亿美元。由于婴儿潮一代的老龄化，这些支出将在未来十年急剧增加。由于人口统计、患者和临床医生的偏好以及HOT作为一种治疗方案的普遍成功，预计基于LOX的HOT系统的使用将继续增加。基于液氧的系统的主要缺点是操作成本高，因为这些系统的储存罐必须经常用液氧重新填充。Creare的创新是一种小型化液氧生成系统（MLGS）。这种新颖的装置是一种小型、低功耗、低成本的系统，可以从大气中产生液氧。创新的基础是我们为军方和NASA开发的液氧系统的小型化。我们的新系统将直接重新填充便携式液氧装置，消除了对储罐和液氧再供应基础设施的需求。因此，我们的创新将大大降低基于lox的HOT的成本，同时提高便利性、安全性和合规性。在第一阶段，我们通过设计、演示和优化一个高度紧凑的概念验证系统，清楚地证明了我们创新的可行性，并超越了我们的技术目标，该系统可生产超过原始设计流量的高纯度（>99%）LOX。我们还完成了一个原型的初步设计，该原型将用于商用便携式液氧装置的再填充。我们已经与一家领先的基于LOX的HOT系统供应商达成了协议，以销售和营销我们的创新。在第二阶段，我们将设计、制造和测试MLGS原型，并将我们的创新转化为我们的合作伙伴进行商业化。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The specific aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate a low-cost, liquid oxygen (LOX) generation system to support ambulatory patients using Home Oxygen Therapy (HOT). Currently in the United States, yearly expenditures on HOT are nearly two billion dollars. These expenditures will increase dramatically over the next ten years due to the aging baby-boomer generation. The increase in use of LOX- based HOT systems is expected to continue due to demographics, patient and clinician preferences, and the general success of HOT as a treatment regimen. The primary drawback of LOX-based systems is the high-operational cost, because the storage reservoir for these systems must be frequently refilled with LOX. Creare's innovation is a Miniaturized LOX Generation System (MLGS). This novel device is a small, low-power, low-cost system that generates liquid oxygen from atmospheric air. The basis of the innovation is the miniaturization of the liquid oxygen systems we have developed for the military and NASA. Our novel system will directly refill the portable LOX unit, eliminating the need for the storage reservoir and the LOX re-supply infrastructure. Thus, our innovation will substantially reduce the cost of LOX-based HOT, while improving convenience, safety, and compliance. During Phase I, we clearly demonstrated the feasibility of our innovation and exceeded our technical objectives by designing, demonstrating, and optimizing a highly compact proof-of-concept system for the production of high-purity (>99%) LOX in excess of the original design flow rate. We also completed the preliminary design of a prototype that will be used for the refilling of a commercially available portable LOX unit. We have reached an agreement with a leading supplier of LOX- based HOT systems for the sales and marketing of our innovation. During Phase II, we will design, fabricate, and test the MLGS prototype and transition our innovation to our partner for commercialization.