Teams from the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam today were able to repair two major oxygen plants in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore and Srikalahasti regions. The development will push up the production of medical oxygen in the state significantly and will do much to resolve the ongoing supply crisis.
After the Jagan regime appealed to the Eastern Naval Command to help it repair the aforementioned oxygen plants, the command airlifted teams of specialists from the naval dockyard at Visakhapatnam using a special naval Dornier aircraft. The teams were then able to successfully repair both the plants this morning by overhauling the compressors and replacing certain parts and accessories sourced from the dockyard.
The Krishna Teja Oxygen Plant at Nellore is a big cryogenic one that is capable of refilling 400 jumbo cylinders daily. However, it has been non-functional for the past six years. The naval team repaired the plant and managed to achieve the requisite cryogenic temperature, of -186 C, and enough output pressure to fill containers as well. The oxygen at the plant meets all the requirements of medical-grade oxygen.
The plant at Srikalahasti, near Tirupati, also a massive one, uses VPSA technology and can generate 16,000 litres of oxygen per minute. The specialists undertook repairs of the plant to help it achieve the requisite output of medical-grade oxygen. They made the necessary adjustments to the moisture absorption mechanism in the plant to ensure this.
The specialists were led by Commander Dipayan. They worked tirelessly for seven long days alongside teams of personnel from the engineering wing of the AP health department.