Time Technoplast Ltd had successfully developed in the past Composite Cylinders for LPG and later Carbon Fibre Reinforced Type-4 CNG Composite Cylinders for Cascade and 'On Board' applications for the first time in India. The company has adapted its successful Composite Cylinder technology for developing Carbon Fibre reinforced Composite Cylinders (Type3) for Oxygen.

The cylinder essentially is made out of aluminium in-liner (instead of polymer in-liner for CNG cylinders), fully wrapped and reinforced by Carbon Fibre together with epoxy resin, hardners and other additives. The first prototype has been developed in 10 ltr capacity at 200 bar pressure can carry sufficient medical grade Oxygen to serve for 7 hrs to a patient @ 5 ltr per minute. The fully filled feather weight Composite Cylinder weighs approx. 6 kgs with valve and regulator as against conventional Steel Cylinder of equivalent capacity weighing approx. 18 kgs. It is also provided with a top handle to safeguard its valve and broader base for free stable standing next to the patient.

Such feather weight portable composite cylinders for oxygen are used by fire fighters, scuba divers & mountain climbers overseas. Being non-corrosive, non-rusting in-liner, these composite cylinders can serve patients with high quality non-contaminated Oxygen. Being much lighter in weight, these portable composite oxygen cylinder could easily carry almost X3 QO in the same size truck. These cylinders conform to ISO standards and offer long service life without rusting and corrosion.

Once the present crisis for oxygen cylinder is over, company would offer these composite oxygen cylinders for other major areas of applications for high altitudes, fire fighters and Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

These composite cylinders shall now undergo extensive tests / trials by third party inspection agency and PESO. The company plans to launch these cylinders for emergency use in August 2021. It is also working parallelly on a similar Composite Cylinder of 20 ltr capacity which can serve oxygen for 14 hrs at 5 lpm and offer weight reduction of approx. 70% compared to steel cylinder.