Medical Gas Pipeline System Components, From Source Equipment to the Patient

Source equipment

Every service begins with a source. Oxygen may come from a liquid tank, a cylinder manifold or an on-site concentrator plant; medical air from compressor stations; vacuum from pump plants. Standards such as HTM 02-01 and ISO 7396-1 expect a primary supply, a secondary supply and, for oxygen in many designs, a reserve, with automatic changeover between them.

MZ Liberec's MIL's programme covers three plant types. The oxygen concentrators use molecular sieves and give 93–95% oxygen-enriched air, from 3 to 48 Nm³/h of O₂. The compressor stations deliver medical air from 2.2 to 608 Nm³/h, and the MIL's vacuum stations cover 6.4 to 632 Nm³/h with an antibacterial filter and a secretion trap.

Manifolds, regulators and the plant room

Cylinder manifolds hold duty and reserve banks of cylinders, with pressure regulators that reduce cylinder pressure to the line pressure and an automatic changeover when the duty bank empties. Plant rooms also contain receivers, dryers, filters, and the control cabinet that manages duty and standby machines.

Good plant room design provides ventilation, access for maintenance and separation of gases that should not be stored together. Maintenance planning is covered in medical gas pipeline maintenance.

Pipework and valves

Distribution pipework is normally degreased and cleaned copper, installed with brazing under inert gas flow and supported at defined intervals. It runs in risers, corridors and ceiling voids to each department. Isolation valves are placed at the plant, at each riser and at every branch to a floor or ward.

The area valve service unit (AVSU) is the zone valve for emergencies and maintenance. The Digital AVSU from MZ Liberec isolates the supply to a zone, shows pressures on an LED display for up to six gas lines and has a break-open emergency lock. A detailed look at this component is in the area valve service unit, and the product page is Digital AVSU.

Alarms and monitoring

Alarm systems warn staff of abnormal pressure or loss of supply. Source alarms show the state of plants and manifolds; area alarms sit near wards and theatres and are usually linked to the AVSU; master alarms are placed in a continuously staffed location such as the switchboard or the engineering office.

The MZU II is a touchscreen unit that displays pressure and flow for between one and twelve gases, gives light and acoustic alarms and can be built in or mounted on the wall. Alarm conditions are described in medical gas alarm system.

Terminal units and bed-side distribution

Terminal units are the final link: wall outlets, bed head units, medical beams and ceiling pendants. They include the gas-specific socket, sometimes a flowmeter or regulator, and often electrical sockets, lighting and nurse call. Choice depends on room type, which we compare in vertical and horizontal bed head units.

Check that the outlet standard matches the equipment used in the hospital, because the connection types differ between regions.

A simple diagram, in words

For a deeper design logic see medical gas pipeline design. If you need a component list for a specific building, Beckfinity specialists can prepare it with you; get in touch.

• Source (plant, manifold, tank) feeds a main line with isolation valve.
• The main line rises through risers to each floor with zone valves (AVSU).
• Branches run to rooms and end in terminal units.
• Pressure sensors on the main line and in zones report to alarm panels.
• Vacuum runs in the opposite direction: terminal units collect, pipework carries to the pump plant, exhaust is filtered.