SIIC IIT Kanpur organized ‘Oxygen Plant Refresher Training’ under the Mission Bharat O2 initiative in collaboration with the American India Foundation (AIF)

Kanpur : Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), the technology business incubation center at IIT Kanpur, in collaboration with the American India Foundation (AIF) and Acquafront Infrastructure (AIPL) facilitated a 7-day long virtual ‘Oxygen Plant Refresher Training’ workshop for Oxygen Plant operators. The workshop was organized to educate and train the oxygen plant operators for the smooth operation of the facilities under the Mission Bharat O2 initiative.
The workshop included instructional sessions by Prof. Malay K Das and Prof. Sameer Khandekar, IIT Kanpur and Mr. Ankit Patel, CEO, AIPL, and Mr. Himanshu Sahu, Engineering Consultant, AIPL. The sessions by Prof. Das elaborately covered the basics of thermodynamics, properties and storage of Oxygen, processes involved in gas production and its usage, while Prof. Khandekar discussed the fundamentals, operations, maintenance and troubleshooting of Air Compressors and Air Dryers with the participants. Team AIPL enlightened the participants with a complete explanation of the PSA plant maintenance and troubleshooting processes. The sessions included live demonstration of the installed oxygen plants for impactful and cogent learning.
Commenting on the successful completion of the training workshop, Prof. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay, Professor-in-Charge, Innovation & Incubation said, “The joint efforts channeled towards preparing ahead of the time to meet the critical requirement across the country is indeed a great initiative. I’m honored and happy to be a part of the ecosystem that facilitates such trainings.”
Highlighting end-to-end facilitation and capacity building as the cornerstone of AIF’s COVID relief efforts, Mr. Mathew Joseph, Country Director, American India Foundation (AIF) said, “Building the capacities of hospitals’ staff is a decisive aspect of oxygen plants’ readiness and effective usage. Technically trained staff is a valuable resource and will contribute in strengthening the oxygen generation and supply not only during the pandemic but in the long term as well, reaching out to millions in the years to come”.
Expressing his thoughts on the successful completion of the workshop, Mr. Ankit Patel, co-founder AIPL, said, “The Refresher training emphasized on training and up-skilling of operators across the county. As a beneficiary and engineering partner for the Mission Bharat O2, we understand the crucial need to maintain the plants at optimum efficiency and hence the workshop comes at an opportune moment. I’m glad to be a part of the initiative and thank SIIC and AIF for their unparalleled support.”
As part of COVID relief response, AIF installed more than 50 oxygen generation plants across the country during the second virulent wave of COVID-19 through different manufacturing partners. AIPL emerged as one of the primary manufacturing partners for AIF, supported by the nation-wide Mission Bharat O2 initiative of SIIC IIT Kanpur. Anticipating another wave of the deadly COVID-19 variant-Omicron, the team decided to take on early measures to prevent another bout of critical shortage of medical grade oxygen around the country and ensure steady and ample supply when needed.
The 7-day training workshop attracted participation from certified Oxygen plant operators across the country. More than 60 participants from 53 hospitals took part virtually in the workshop. The workshop acted as a platform to discuss the key aspects of operating an Oxygen Plant, with live demonstrations.