Targeted oxygen delivery at high altitudes: Multiobjective optimization and sensitivity analysis of a wall-attached oxygen supply system

Abstract

Hypoxic environments at high altitudes can pose significant risks to human health. To address these issues and alleviate the discomfort, restricted mobility and low efficiency levels associated with existing oxygen supply methods, a wall-attached oxygen supply device specifically designed for breathing zones is presented. On the basis of data from full-scale experiments and numerical simulations, a four-dimensional performance evaluation system is established: 1) the effective oxygenation volume index (EOVI), 2) the target oxygen supply concentration (TOSC), 3) the oxygen uniformity coefficient (OUC), and 4) the dimensionless oxygenation efficiency index (OEI). The oxygen enrichment characteristics of the device are quantitatively assessed, and a sensitivity analysis of the parameters is conducted to provide optimization guidelines for the oxygen supply system. The results demonstrate that the oxygen supply velocity is globally the most dominant parameter. The oxygen supply concentration has the highest sensitivity for the OUC. However, this parameter has a critical threshold, below which the OEI decreases as the concentration increases. Thermal differentials and environmental pressures exhibit weak sensitivity across all the metrics. The optimization guidelines suggest that, in practical applications, positive oxygen supply temperature differentials should be reduced to prevent jet trajectory deviation. Furthermore, the adverse effects of low ambient pressure can be mitigated through adjustments in the oxygen supply velocity and oxygen concentration.