Constant flow rate O2 regulator

[beldridg]

Hi,

My dog ended up in the ICU over the weekend and it turns out he has pneumonia. They actually had him in a closed area which was essentially a rebreather.

You could set the percentage of oxygen being delivered and the flow rate and then it also had a label for when the sodalyme was last changed. Kinda crazy.

We took him home yesterday and he responds pretty well to O2 therapy. His PulseOx when he left was 94 so not real low but he is also a French Bulldog so not a ton surprising either.

I put him in his crate last night for a little bit of time and fed Nx50 into it just to see what would happen and he seemed to respond well. I think it will help with his recovery if I give him an hour or two a day of O2 treatment.

Last night I just removed the second stage and then cracked open the tank to limit the flow.

But, obviously, the "right" way to do this would be to get a constant flow rate regulator so I can control the flow to somewhere between 0.5L/min and 1.0L/min.

Does anybody have any good suggestions other than buying a $600+ DAN emergency kit?

I've got plenty of tanks I can fill with Nx50/Nx70/O2, etc. all with DIN but I just need the regulator and flow rate adjustment piece (along with tubing but that is easy).

Thanks,

- brett

 

[ps444mike]

maybe set up a reg for a o2 welding tank..

 

[Wibble]

Needle valve required.

I bought a little adapter which has a BCD style nipple with a needle valve. Connect a BCD LP hose to it and a face mask to the output. A flow meter measures.

 

[tursiops]

Oxygen Tank Regulator Model 0-15 LPM. Barb Outlet NEW 822383141169 | eBay

You can also get them with the end that goes on the tank simply threaded, and get a DIN-to-thread adapter.

 

[RyanT]

@beldridg, I don't have an answer for you but, best wishes for your pup's speedy recovery. I remember thinking about this very thing a few years ago when my dog had to be kept overnight on O2. I'd much rather build a system that would allow me to keep them at home with me in the event that supplemental O2 was the primary medical need.

 

[beldridg]

@beldridg, I don't have an answer for you but, best wishes for your pup's speedy recovery. I remember thinking about this very thing a few years ago when my dog had to be kept overnight on O2. I'd much rather build a system that would allow me to keep them at home with me in the event that supplemental O2 was the primary medical need.

Exactly. Thanks, Ryan. I appreciate your post.

 

[beldridg]

Oxygen Tank Regulator Model 0-15 LPM. Barb Outlet NEW 822383141169 | eBay

You can also get them with the end that goes on the tank simply threaded, and get a DIN-to-thread adapter.

Thanks! I appreciate the quick response.

- brett

 

[tursiops]

Thanks! I appreciate the quick response.

- brett

I found the links about DIYing one.
question on conversion of DAN medical regulator to DIN

 

[MichaelMc]

What about the RescuEAN? Home (Desktop)

It connects to the LP inflator hose and provides metered flow. The flow rate may be what you want. They list: "controls the airflow between 0, 15 and ‘Purge’ (25 LPM)". But shipping time may be too long.

£62.50 (excluding local taxes)

 

[broncobowsher]

A flow regulator, not pressure regulator. Standard oxy-fuel torch runs pressure regulators.
MIG or TIG uses a flow regulator. Output will be listed as a flow number, not a pressure number.

So how to rig one quick and cheap from what you have at home or can pickup locally?
Going off a scuba tank, use an old/extra/sacrificial low pressure hose. Regulator or wing, doesn't matter, you will never dive with this hose again. Cut the end off and go to the local hardware store and get a brass hose barb to pipe thread fitting, and a hose clamp. The flow regulator can also be found in the tool section of many hardware stores, if not any welding supply shop will have them. Home brew shops also have them. The inlet is almost always 1/4NPT (pipe thread), so unscrew the tank adaptor and screw in the barbed nipple. The flow regulator will step the 150 PSI intermediate pressure down and give a steady flow. The flow regulator will run O2 or Nitrox just fine as you are not really feeding high pressure O2 into it. Just a fairly low pressure O2 and in a mix.
If you don't already have some, you will need a some Teflon tape for the pipe thread fittings (and only the pipe threads).

Something you can piece together and have running in a few hours. Parts can be sourced in that time in cities and rural areas just about as fast.