Method for operating an on-site medical gas production plant and associated plant
AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorsVincent Sommier, Peter Neu, Hartmut Franken, Karsten Bongers, Kais Maamar
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method for operating a plant (100) for on-site production of medical gas, such as air or oxygen, comprising a main gas line (10) comprising, in series, a first vessel (A) for storing gas and a second vessel (B) for storing purified gas, and a secondary line (20) fluidically connected to the main line (10), downstream of the first vessel (A) for storing gas, and comprising a third vessel (C) for storing gas, the main gas line (10) and the secondary line (20) each supplying at least one gas consumer site (30), in particular a network of pipes in a hospital.
Claims16
An on-site medical gas production plant (100), comprising:
- a gas purification unit (50) adapted to produce a purified gas from a supply gas,
- a main gas line (10) supplied with a gas by the gas purification unit (10) and comprising, in series, a first vessel (A) for storing a purified gas and a second vessel (B) for storing the purified gas, and
- a secondary line (20) fluidically connected to the main line (10), downstream of the first vessel (A) for storing the purified gas and comprising a third vessel (C) for storing the purified gas,
- a downstream gas analysis device (D2) arranged so as to determine the level of at least one given impurity in the purified gas, downstream of both the second vessel (B) and the third vessel (C),
- a first solenoid valve (V1), arranged on the main gas line (10) between the first vessel (A) for storing the purified gas and the second vessel (B) for storing the purified gas,
- a second solenoid valve (V3), arranged on the secondary gas line (20) between the first vessel (A) and the third vessel (C) for storing the purified gas,
- a third solenoid valve (V2), arranged on the main gas line (10) downstream of the second vessel (B) for storing the purified gas,
- a fourth solenoid valve (V4), arranged on the secondary gas line (20) downstream of the third vessel (C) for storing the purified gas, and
- an operating device (4) which controls the opening or closing of the said solenoid valves (V1 to V4) in response to at least one impurity level measurement signal received from the downstream gas analysis device (D2).
A method for operating an on-site medical gas production plant (100) comprising a main gas line (10) comprising, in series, a first vessel (A) for storing a purified gas and a second vessel (B) for storing the purified gas, and a secondary line (20) fluidically connected to the main line (10), downstream of the first vessel (A) for storing the purified gas, and comprising a third vessel (C) for storing the purified gas, the main gas line (10) and the secondary line (20) each supplying at least one gas consumer site (30), comprising the steps of:
- a) supplying the said at least one consumer site (30) with the purified gas having a desired composition coming from the third vessel (C),
- b) supplying the second vessel (B) with the purified gas coming from the first vessel (A) for storing the purified gas,
- c) stopping the supply of the second vessel (B) with the purified gas coming from the first vessel (A) when the second vessel (B) is filled with the purified gas,
- d) analyzing the composition of the purified gas stored in the second vessel (B) to determine whether the composition of the purified gas stored in the second vessel (B) is compliant with a desired composition,
- e) as a function of the result of step d), sending the purified gas stored in the second vessel (B):
- i) either to the atmosphere when the analyzed composition is not compliant with the desired composition,
- ii) or to the said at least one consumer site (30) when the analyzed composition is compliant with the desired composition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.