On-site medical gas production plant and associated operating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694151-B2
Application number	US-201414489511-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 27, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to an on-site medical gas production plant ( 100 ) comprising a unit ( 50 ) for purifying gas, such as air, a first compartment (A) for storing purified gas, and a main gas line ( 10 ) fluidically connecting the gas purification unit ( 50 ) to the said first storage compartment (A). It furthermore comprises a three-way actuated valve (VA) arranged on the main gas line ( 10 ) upstream of the first storage compartment (A), and furthermore connected to the atmosphere (at 12 ) via a vent line ( 11 ), as well as an operating device ( 4 ) which controls at least the three-way actuated valve (VA), and at least a first gas analysis device (D1) of which a first measurement line ( 29 ) is fluidically connected (at 28 ) to the main line ( 10 ), upstream of the three-way actuated valve (VA), and which is electrically connected to the said operating device ( 4 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An on-site medical gas production plant ( 100 ), comprising:
a gas purification unit ( 50 ) configured to produce a purified gas from a less pure supply gas source,
a first compartment (A) for storing the purified gas, and
a main gas line ( 10 ) fluidically connecting the gas purification unit ( 50 ) to the first storage compartment (A) so as to supply the said first storage compartment (A) with the purified gas coming from the gas purification unit ( 50 ),
wherein the main gas line furthermore comprises:
a actuated valve (VA) arranged on the main gas line ( 10 ) between the gas purification unit ( 50 ) and the first storage compartment (A), and furthermore connected to the atmosphere (at 12 ) via a vent line ( 11 ),
an operating device ( 4 ) which controls the at least one actuated valve (VA),
at least a first gas analysis device (D1) of which a first measurement line ( 29 ) is fluidically connected (at 28 ) to the main line ( 10 ), upstream of the actuated valve (VA), and which is electrically connected ( 200 ) to the operating device ( 4 ),
and in which the operating device ( 4 ) is designed and adapted to act on the actuated valve (VA) in response to a signal received ( 210 ) from the gas analysis device (D1), so as to divert a gas present in the main pipe ( 10 ) to pass to the vent line ( 11 ) when the signal received ( 210 ) from the gas analysis device (D1) corresponds to a contamination signal based on an analysis of the gas in the main pipe ( 10 ), and simultaneously to prevent the gas present in the main pipe ( 10 ) from being sent to the said first storage compartment (A), and wherein the on-site medical gas production plant further comprises a valve controlled ( 110 ) bypass line ( 120 ) arranged to allow the purified gas from the gas purification unit ( 50 ) to bypass the main line ( 10 ) actuated valve (VA) and create a fluid communication directly from the gas purification unit ( 50 ) to the first storage compartment (A).

2. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein a gas compression unit ( 31 ) is configured to supply the gas purification unit ( 50 ) with a gas to be purified at a pressure of more than 1 bar absolute.

3. The plant according to claim 2 , wherein the gas compression unit ( 31 ) comprises at least one screw, piston, scroll, rotary, or diaphragm compressor.

4. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the gas purification unit ( 50 ) comprises at least one dehumidifier device optionally selected from one or more of an adsorber ( 1 , 2 ) containing at least one bed of at least one adsorbent material, a desiccant dryer, a deliquescent dryer, a refrigerant dryer or a membrane dryer.

5. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the gas purification unit ( 50 ) comprises at least two adsorbers ( 1 , 2 ) configured to operate alternately.

6. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the gas purification unit ( 50 ) comprises at least two adsorbers ( 1 , 2 ) configured to operate alternately, and the operating device ( 4 ) is designed and adapted to act ( 220 ) on the gas purification unit ( 50 ) and/or a gas compression unit ( 31 ) so as to stop any production of gas by the adsorber ( 1 , 2 ) which was in operation at the time when the gas analysis device (D1) transmitted the contamination signal to the operating device ( 4 ).

7. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the gas purification unit ( 50 ) comprises at least two adsorbers ( 1 , 2 ) configured to operate alternately, and the operating device ( 4 ) is designed and adapted to act ( 220 ) on the gas purification unit ( 50 ) and/or a gas compression unit ( 31 ) so as to start production of gas by the adsorber ( 1 , 2 ) which was not in operation at the time when the gas analysis device (D1) transmitted the contamination signal to the operating device ( 4 ).

8. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the operating device ( 4 ) is designed and adapted to act on the actuated valve (VA) in response to a signal received from the gas analysis device (D1), so as allow gas to be sent to the first storage compartment (A) again.

9. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the vent line ( 11 ) comprises a valve (VB) configured to open and close the vent line ( 11 ) to the atmosphere (at 12 ).

10. The plant according to claim 9 wherein the vent line ( 11 ) valve (VB) is a manual valve.

11. The plant according to claim 9 wherein the valve (VB) is a actuated valve.

12. The plant of claim 11 wherein the actuated valve (VB) is also is electrically connected ( 200 ) to the operating device ( 4 ) and in which
the operating device ( 4 ) is designed and adapted to further act ( 200 ) on the actuated valve (VB) in response to a signal received ( 210 ) from the gas analysis device (D1) so as to open the vent line ( 11 ) actuated valve (VB) to the atmosphere (at 12 ) when actuated valve (VA) is closed to prevent the gas present in the main pipe ( 10 ) from being sent to the said first storage compartment (A) and to divert a gas present in the main pipe ( 10 ) to pass to the vent line ( 11 ) when the signal received from the gas analysis device (D1) corresponds to a contamination signal based on an analysis of the gas in the main pipe ( 10 ).

13. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the actuated valve is a three-way value configured to open gas flow through main line 10 , close gas flow, or divert gas flow to vent line ( 11 ).

14. The plant according to claim 12 , wherein the operating device ( 4 ) is further designed and adapted to monitor the signal received from the gas analysis device (D1) during a first defined period of a purge operation to determine if the contamination signal persists for longer than a specified period of time and wherein, if the contamination signal persists for less than the specified period, the operating device ( 4 ) closes the vent line ( 11 ) actuated valve (VB) to end the purge operation is and reopens the main line ( 10 ) actuated valve (VA) to resume delivery of gas from the gas purification unit ( 50 ) to the first storage compartment (A).

15. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the purified gas is medical air meeting the following criteria:
19.5% to 23.5% oxygen, with predominant balance nitrogen
Carbon monoxide: <10 ppm
Carbon dioxide: <500 ppm
Nitrogen dioxide: <2.5 ppm
Nitric oxide: <2.5 ppm
Sulfur dioxide: <5 ppm.

16. The plant according to claim 1 , further comprising a second source of purified gas ( 140 ) in fluid communication with the main line ( 10 ) and configured to supply purified gas to the main line ( 10 ) when the gas present in the main pipe ( 10 ) is diverted to pass to the vent line ( 11 ).

17. The plant according to claim 9 wherein the purified gas remains in fluid communication with the vent line ( 11 ) and valve (VB) is open to the atmosphere (at 12 ) such that first gas analysis device (D1) is capable of continued monitoring of the purified gas while the bypass line ( 120 ) is open.

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• L'Air Liquide Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude

Inventors

• Edwards Paul

Classifications

• B01D53/0446

  Means for feeding or distributing gases · CPC title

• B01D2257/404

  Nitrogen oxides other than dinitrogen oxide · CPC title

• B01D2257/50

  Carbon oxides · CPC title

• Y02C20/10

  of nitrous oxide (N2O) · CPC title

• B01D2257/702

  Hydrocarbons · CPC title