MEDICAL GASES
SHELDON FERGUSON – TECHNICAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE, AIR LIQUIDE MEDICAL, CANADA ALEX SAGATOV – DIRECTOR OF SALES, WESTERN CANADA, AIR LIQUIDE HEALTHCARE, CANADA
Resilient and reliable bulk oxygen supply systems
Sheldon Ferguson and Alex Sagatov of Air Liquide in Canada explain the importance of ensuring oxygen systems operate reliably during times of average consumption and have the ability to ramp up quickly in case of a significant demand spike – such as during a pandemic.
Over the past two years, many discussions have centred on the critical supply of oxygen to healthcare facilities in light of the increased demand due to COVID-19. Can all the additional respiratory support equipment, such as ventilators and high-flow therapy devices, be supported with the existing hospital infrastructure? As new facilities are planned and
existing sites are renovated or expanded, project teams now look to resilient design principles to determine bulk oxygen supply systems and the piping infrastructure required to accommodate such demands. By definition, resilient systems offer
flexibility to cover both immediate and long-term needs, including significant prolonged surges in demand. It takes careful planning to ensure oxygen systems operate reliably during times of average consumption and have the ability to ramp up quickly in case of a significant demand spike. It is critical to consider not only the size of the bulk oxygen equipment but also the diameter of the piping within the hospital walls and the piping network to the bulk system pad. The very nature of a
bulk oxygen system incorporates many aspects of resilient design principles. Installed on a facility site, the day-to-day supply is inherently local, and by building to the requirements of CSA Z7396.1, Medical Gas Pipeline Systems, the redundancy factor is covered. All healthcare bulk facilities have a large main tank with vaporiser (main subsystem), and either a reserve tank with vaporiser or a high- pressure cylinder backup (reserve subsystem) ready to
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assist or take over in the case of increased demand, flow interruption or failure of the main system. A control cabinet is the set of mechanical valves and regulators intended to automatically switch the supply of oxygen from the main subsystem to the reserve and back again
Sheldon Ferguson Sheldon Ferguson is a technical sales
representative at Air Liquide Medical in Canada. Sheldon has been in the medical gas industry since 1991, specialising in medical and lab gas source and piping systems for the past 21 years. He has sold, serviced and assisted
consultants with medical and lab gas systems, and bulk medical gas installations design for countless projects throughout western Canada.
Alex Sagatov
Alex Sagatov is sales director of medical gases in Western Canada for Air Liquide Healthcare. During his time with Air Liquide Healthcare, Alex has overseen high-profile medical gas
projects such as the Surrey Memorial Hospital Critical Care Tower, Penticton Regional
Hospital Patient Care Tower, the Lions Gate Hospital Acute Care Facility, and multiple resilient bulk oxygen system installations.
in case of a failure or to relieve excess head pressure in the tank instead of losing it to the atmosphere. In case of a more serious event that may impact the integrity of the infrastructure around the tank, hospitals are required to have an emergency oxygen inlet. This inlet should be located away from the bulk installation and allow an emergency supply. The principles of cryogenic bulk tank system operations are simple. Liquid oxygen is contained within a cryogenic vessel and flows to the vaporiser where the phase changes from liquid to gas and supplies the healthcare facility.
It is critical to maintain
uninterrupted oxygen supply so there are no components in a bulk installation that require electricity to deliver oxygen. Even in the case of a total power outage, liquid oxygen still flows to the vaporisers, changes to gaseous form and continues to the hospital pipeline. That, plus robust design makes the system extremely reliable. Bulk oxygen systems very
IFHE DIGEST 2022
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