Medical Gas Design Guide Chapter 9 - Nitrogen Gas Sources

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Continuing Education Publication

Notes
Notes on Using this Pamphlet: This pamphlet is presented as a service to systems designers working with medical gas and vacuum in medical facilities. The design process used in this booklet is detailed in Chapter 1 - Design Process. This Guide is not in any way intended to be a substitute for a properly qualified engineer, and any pretence to being alone sufficient for the proper design of any medical gas system is explicitly disclaimed. It is BeaconMeds intent that this book should only be used as one tool among many by properly qualified engineers who are in a position by training and experience to know its applications and limitations. You will find in using the Guide that there are innumerable decisions, judgement calls, and subtleties in the design of medical gases which cannot be incorporated in any book, but serve to dramatically emphasize the value of the engineers expertise.

First Edition July 2005 No Previous Editions

Comments on this booklet or on any aspect of medical gases are welcome and encouraged. Please send to mallen@beaconmedaes.com

This Pamphlet in both print and electronic versions is Copyright 2005 BeaconMeds. All Rights are Reserved, and no reproduction may be made of the whole or any part without permission in writing. Distribution of the Electronic version is permitted only where the whole is transmitted without alteration, including this notice.

Chapter 9 Medical Support Gas Sources

  

Introduction


must be rented. Initial cost is low, but operating cost is high. There are also various source options with nitrogen which can change the equation. Nitrogen can be delivered by cylinder or as a cryogenic liquid. Using a nitrogen bulk cryogenic system will entirely eliminate the labor component of a nitrogen system, but the cost of purchasing the gas and the cost of the equipment must be considered, whether the equipment is leased or purchased. If you are interested in more detailed evaluation of a specific facility, please contact your BeaconMeds representative. Nitrogen : Source Types Nitrogen can be delivered from any of several source types: A gas cylinder manifold, drawing gas from high pressure (e.g. 2,200 psig {15.1 MPa}) cylinders. A liquid container manifold, drawing from portable containers containing nitrogen in cryogenic liquid form. A bulk cryogenic station, drawing from large permanently mounted containers containing nitrogen in cryogenic liquid form. Manifolds are far and away the most common source type, and only a small number of facilties use liquid containers of any type. Historically, this has been for a number of reasons, not the least of which has been ignorance of the options, but it is likely to continue true since the larger the demand, the more the economics slant in favor of instrument air. Nevertheless, all these are valid options with nitrogen sources. There are two primary criteria for choosing between them: 1. Cost. If it is practical for a facility to use more than one option, the primary consideration should be cost of operation. Liquid is almost universally less expensive than gas in cylinders, but cannot be stored for extended periods. Remote facilities or facilites with very uneven Rev C 11/2005

This Chapter takes you through the process of sizing, selecting and laying out source equipment for Nitrogen. These systems are primarily used for driving tools, but we will allow for other uses as we proceed through the design process. Process Flow. Manifold and cryogenic systems are intimately related to Patient Gas Sources as covered in Chapter 8 of this Guide, and the user will require both chapters to complete the design. Choosing a Gas The first issue in design of a medical support gas system is to determine which gas your facility would prefer to use. Since 1999 NFPA has permitted either Nitrogen or Instrument Air, and the rest of the world has long used air and never considered nitrogen in the first place. It is very unusual and certainly unnecessary to have both. These gases are used primarily for pneumatic power. They drive tools, lift booms, operate sterilizers and a host of other applications which require gas which is reliably clean and very dry. Support gases are typically operated at relatively high pressures 1,276 kPa (185 psig). They are never directly respired. In the 2005 edition of the NFPA 99, the use limitation which the standard had (erroneously in most opinions) imposed on these gases was lifted, and now Nitrogen may be piped anywhere there is a medically related application. It would still be inappropriate to fill tires from a medical support gas, but using it for example to dry glassware, run sterilizers or operate booms is now clearly acceptable. In the design of these systems, this variety of uses must be considered and factored in. The primary factor to consider when deciding which gas to select is economics. There is a strong tradeoff between initial capital cost and long term operating cost. A manifold will require constant cylinder changes, the gas in the cylinders must be purchased, and the cylinders Page 

BeaconMeds Medical Gas Design Guide usage may find this a particular restraint. 2. Practicality. The requirements for a bulk system are far more complex than those for a simple manifold, and the facility may find the cost and site requirements for a bulk unit too onerous. Any facility which is able to find a place for a manifold can choose between a container manifold and a cylinder manifold (the requirements being very similar). 3. Usage. Is there enough usage and is that usage sufficiently steady to operate a liquid container without excessive waste? All liquid containers have a certain base rate (the Normal Evaporation Rate (NER)) which must be consumed or it will be wasted. The NER constitutes a floor under which use of a liquid container is undesirable and may actually be dangerous (nitrogen is an axphyxiant). To evaluate the points above, it is important to understand how the various cylinders, systems and containers operate. While the detailed operation of containers is outside the scope of this Guide, in summary it is important to understand one basic fact. Gas cylinders in good condition can hold their contents indefinitely, whether used or unused. In contrast, any liquid container will go empty over time, even if never connected to the system. This is true of all liquid containers, whether in portable or permanent form. (To obtain a briefing on the operation of cylinders, containers and source equipment, request a copy of the BeaconMeds Applications Guide for Liquid Manifolds ) Therefore, as a practical method of storing and delivering gas, cylinders have no floor under which they cannot be used, but do have a ceiling because of their limited size. Portable liquid containers have a floor and a ceiling. Bulk stations also have a lower limit and an upper limit, but the upper limit is so high that it can be ignored for medical systems. See Detail 9.5 for guidance on these limits. Nitrogen : Assessing anticipated usage The sizing done in this section will suffice for any manifold system, but if bulk systems are being considered, the gas supplier should be consulted. They may advise adjustments in system size in order to assure the facility nitrogen supply under all conditions. As an example, if the facility is

Source Ranges, Nitrogen

(Tool use only) 4-8 4-7

Bulk (N2) MiniBulk (N2)

21-42 11-31 31-62

8- 7-156

Stationary Containers (N2)

2x2 1x1

21-42

42-280 62-140

11-31 5-10 15-31

2x 1x

31-62

62-140 31-70

Container Manifolds, Portable Containers (N2)

7-14 14x14 6-13 13x13 6-12 12x12 5-11 11x11 5-10 10x10 4-9 9x9 Cylinder 4-8 8x8 Manifolds 3-7 7x7 6x6 3-6 5x5 2-5 4x4 2-4 3x3 1-3 2x2 1-2

Source Type Legend

Note: The ranges given here reflect a low and a high estimate. The high estimate applies if all locations are of the general O.R. type, the low estimate applies if all are of the specialty O.R. type. Factor your selection based on the proportion of each in the project.

10

20

30

40

Number of Locations piped with Nitrogen

Detail 9.5 Source Ranges for Nitrogen Medical Support Gas Sources Page 

BeaconMeds Medical Gas Design Guide convenient for the supplier, and frequent deliveries are easy, a smaller source may be recommended. A comparable facility located more remotely may receive a larger system so the supplier need deliver less frequently. There are two methods to estimate source size. The most used is the rule of thumb method, and there is also a calculation method. The rule of thumb method is only valid for tool use. Additional users of nitrogen (ie. central sterile supply) must be estimated using the calculation method below. To apply the rule of thumb method: 1. Determine the number of operating rooms to be served. (all rooms which will be piped with nitrogen) 2. Calculate: 1 (one) cylinder per week for standard O.R. and 2 (two) per week for heavier use O.R. (e.g. neuro, orthopedic, major surgery O.R.s). Total the number of cylinders per week. 3. Use Detail 9.5 to select appropriate source types. To use the calculation method: 1. In consultation with the medical staff, estimate the daily usage of each piece of equipment which will be used with the system. This can be quite difficult to accurately estimate, so it is wise to estimate high. For tools, if actual usage is not known, a rough estimate can be calculated using 300 lpm (10.6 cfm) as estimated tool usage, and a tool can be estimated to run for perhaps an aggregate 45-60 minutes per week. Thus, each tool can be estimated to require at least 13,600 L (477 ft3) per week. 2. Use Detail 9.5 to select appropriate source types. Nitrogen : Sizing Secondary and Reserves Other details specific to the design. When the main supply has been sized, it is necessary to size the secondary and reserves as needed for compliance with standards. In the case of cylinder manifolds, the secondary is always the same size as the primary. For instance a facility requiring a 4 cylinder manifold will have 4 cylinders on the primary and 4 cylinders on the secondary. In the case of container manifolds with container secondaries, the secondary is always the same size as the primary. For instance a facility requiring a 1 container manifold will have 1 container on the primary and 1 container on the secondary. These manifolds must also have a separate cylinder reserve, which must be sized for Page  Chapter 9 an average 24 hours of demand. This size can be calculated by dividing the consumption per week obtained earlier by 7 days per week and dividing the result by the contents of an H cylinder (232 ft3), rounding up to the nearest whole number. The reserve can be this size or three cylinders, whichever is larger. In the case of container manifolds with cylinder secondaries and Minibulk installations, the secondary cannot practically hold as much gas as the primary, so it will be the subject of a separate calculation. The secondary must be sized for at least an average 24 hours of demand. This size can be calculated by dividing the consumption per week obtained earlier by 7 days per week and dividing the result by the contents of an H cylinder (232 ft3), rounded up to the nearest whole number to ensure an adequate secondary supply. This product or 2 (two), whichever is larger, will be the minimum number of cylinders required on the secondary header. These manifolds must also have a separate cylinder reserve, which must be sized for an average 24 hours of demand. The reserve can be the same size as the secondary or 3 (three) cylinders, whichever is larger. Secondaries and reserve for Bulk installations for nitrogen should be sized with the assistance of the gas supplier. Proceed to Locating The Source on page 13 of Chapter 8. Finishing Up Schedule on the plans (Detail 9.11 is an example): Source Type Source size (i.e. compressor size, voltage, horsepower and capacity, number of cylinders on secondary header.) Alarms to be provided at the master panels (see Chapter 10 for more specifics on alarms)

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Medical Support Gas Sources

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