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Oxygen Generators

Oxygen Generators In South Australia & The Northern Territory

An oxygen generator makes oxygen on site from the air around you, rather than relying on delivered cylinders or bulk liquid. For any operation that uses oxygen every day, producing your own is often the more cost effective solution. It removes delivery delays, gives you a steady supply you control, and lowers the environmental footprint that comes with carting gas to site. 

At Mobile Compressed Air, we understand how oxygen generators work, the main types on the market, where they earn their keep across industry, and the safety points you can’t afford to skip. Since most industrial oxygen generation runs on compressed air, it sits squarely within the work we do every day. 

Oxygen Generators

How an oxygen generator works

Most industrial oxygen generators use a process called pressure swing adsorption, usually shortened to PSA. The principle is simple once you break it down. 

Ordinary air is roughly 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with a small amount of other gases. A PSA oxygen generator separates the oxygen from the rest. Compressed air is fed into a vessel packed with a zeolite molecular sieve. Under pressure, the zeolite material holds onto the nitrogen molecules from the incoming air while the oxygen molecules pass straight through as the product gas. When the sieve fills up with nitrogen, the pressure is released, the nitrogen is vented off, and the bed is ready to go again. Two vessels run in turn so the air intake never stops and the oxygen output stays continuous. 

A PSA unit produces high purity oxygen in the range of 90 to 95%, which suits the vast majority of industrial use. With extra refinement, output can be pushed beyond 99% pure oxygen where the application calls for it. 

The quality of the oxygen depends heavily on the quality of the compressed air going in. Clean, dry, correctly sized air is what keeps a generator producing to spec and protects the zeolite from contamination. Get the compressed air right and the rest of the system follows. 

The main types of oxygen generator 

Not every oxygen source works the same way. There are three approaches worth knowing. 

PSA oxygen generators are the workhorse of on site generation. They run on compressed air, deliver 90 to 95% oxygen continuously, and scale from small skid units up to plant supplying large quantities. For most industrial and commercial sites, this is the reliable, cost effective choice. 

Membrane oxygen generators use semi-permeable membrane materials to separate the gases as air passes through. Different gases move through the membrane at different rates, which concentrates the oxygen stream. Purity is generally lower than PSA, but the units are simple and steady, which suits applications that do not need very high purity oxygen. 

Chemical oxygen generators take a different path entirely. Instead of separating oxygen from air, they produce oxygen through a chemical reaction. An oxygen candle, for example, releases oxygen when ignited and burns at around 600 °C (1,100 °F). These devices are compact, have a long shelf life, and supply oxygen the moment they are activated, which makes them suited to emergency and standby use such as aircraft and submarines. The trade off is that a chemical oxygen generator typically supplies oxygen for only 10 to 20 minutes, and the units can reach operating temperatures of 260 °C (500 °F).  

Oxygen generators and oxygen concentrators 

The terms get used loosely, so it helps to be clear. 

An industrial oxygen generator is a fixed system built to produce oxygen continuously for a process or facility. An oxygen concentrator is the medical or home version of the same PSA technology, scaled down for personal use. Concentrators provide a continuous supply of oxygen without needing cylinder refills, and they come in two forms: portable oxygen concentrators for mobility, and larger stationary concentrators designed for home use. 

Oxygen concentrators are used in supplemental oxygen therapy for people with lung conditions or breathing difficulties. Better blood oxygen saturation can mean improved sleep and higher energy levels for users. These devices are measured by their flow rate in litres per minute, and continuous flow models hold a fixed flow for home use. Because they rely on a consistent power source, an emergency plan for power outages matters, and the filters need regular cleaning to prevent contamination. Oxygen for therapeutic use must be prescribed by a physician. 

That medical side is not our field. Our domain is industrial oxygen generation and the compressed air systems that drive it. We mention concentrators only so the distinction is clear, because the underlying PSA technology is shared.

Where industrial oxygen generators are used 

On site oxygen generation pays off anywhere a process consumes oxygen regularly. A few of the common ones: 

  • Gold mining, where oxygen improves recovery rates in leaching processes. 
  • Sewage and wastewater treatment, where oxygen is essential for breaking down waste efficiently. 
  • Fish farming and aquaculture, where generators oxygenate water to keep stock healthy and stocking densities viable. 
  • Steel manufacturing, where oxygen is used in decarburisation during production. 
  • Pulp and paper manufacturing, where oxygen plays a part in bleaching and processing. 
  • Medical facilities, which need a dependable oxygen source on hand. 

In every one of these settings, the case for generating on site is the same. You stop paying for delivered gas, you stop waiting on it, and you control your own supply. 

Oxygen and fire the safety you cannot skip 

Oxygen does not burn, but it makes everything else burn faster and hotter. That single fact drives all oxygen safety. 

Increased oxygen levels raise fire risks significantly. An increase of just 2 to 3% in the oxygen content of the air can cause flash fires from materials that would normally be hard to ignite. Oils, greases, fabrics, and even some metals behave differently in an oxygen-enriched space. This is why industrial oxygen generators require safety alarms, why work areas need proper ventilation, and why any equipment near oxygen must be kept clean and rated for the duty. 

These are not optional extras. Correct system design, monitoring, and clear procedures are what keep an oxygen installation safe over its life. It is the same disciplined approach we bring to every compressed air system we install and service. 

Why work with Mobile Compressed Air

PSA oxygen generation lives or dies on the compressed air feeding it. That is our trade. With over forty years working across South Australia and the Northern Territory, we understand uptime-critical environments, air quality, and the safety and compliance that go with them. 

As South Australia’s authorised Kaeser and Novair distributor, we give you access to world-leading equipment, parts held in stock in Adelaide, and qualified technicians who install, commission, and service on site. We size the system to your real demand, build in the filtration and drying that protect purity, and back it with clear maintenance schedules and tracked response times. One team handles the lot, from the first enquiry through to sign-off and ongoing support, so you deal with a single accountable partner rather than juggling several. 

If you are weighing up on site oxygen generation, or you need the compressed air behind it sorted properly, talk to us. We will set out the capacity, the running costs, and the inclusions in plain terms, with no surprises. 

Everything compressed air. One partner.