Medical Gas Manifold

• US 20170108134A1
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: BeaconMedaes, LLC (Atlas Copco AB)
• Original Assignee: BeaconMedaes, LLC (Atlas Copco AB)
• Inventors: Conner, Timothy Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/393,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20170108134A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/46 Attachment of sealing rings
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/066 with a plurality of valve members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/003 Housing formed from a plurality of the same valve elements
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/025 having the pressure as the parameter
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/045 Automatic change-over switching assembly for bottled gas systems with two (or more) gas containers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0335 Check-valves or non-return valves
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0338 Pressure regulators
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/03 Mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/038 Refrigerants
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/02 for medical applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 16/107 with a spring-loaded piston in combination with a spring-loaded slideable obturator that move together over range of motion during normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 16/166 using pistons within the main valve
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6851 With casing, support, protector or static constructional installations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7793 With opening bias [e.g., pressure regulator]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7922 Spring biased
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8326 Fluid pressure responsive indicator, recorder or alarm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87829 Biased valve

Abstract

A gas pressure regulator is disclosed that includes a reciprocating piston that engages and disengages from a seat to open the higher pressure and lower pressure sides of the regulator to one another. The regulator includes an elastomer seal between the seat and the piston that has an ignition rating sufficient to avoid combustion in the presence of oxygen at pressure differentials that are a factor of between 5 and 10 between the higher pressure and lower pressure sides of the regulator.

Claims

1. A gas pressure manifold that is particularly suitable for medical industry applications, said manifold comprising:

at least one pair of bank regulator bodies for supporting regulators that moderate the flow of high-pressure gas from a gas source while providing redundancy for continuous gas flow through at least one regulator at all times;

at least one pair of line regulator bodies for holding line regulators in gas communication with bank regulators; and

said bank regulator bodies and said line regulator bodies being joined by at least one brace bar.

2. A manifold according to claim 1 wherein said bank regulator bodies are part of a first common forging and said line regulators are part of a second common forging, and said brace bar is fixed to each of said first and second forgings.

3. A manifold according to claim 2 wherein said common forgings comprise respective metal bridging webs between said bank regulator bodies and said line regulator bodies, and said brace bar is fixed to each of said respective metal bridging webs.

4. A manifold according to claim 2 wherein said regulator bodies and said brace bar are formed of metal.

5. A gas pressure manifold according to claim 1 further comprising a bank regulator in each said bank regulator body and a line regulator in each said line regulator body

6. A gas pressure manifold according to claim 1 wherein:

said bank regulator bodies are formed in a common forging;

said line regulator bodies are separate; and

said brace bar is fixed to said common bank regulator forging and then individually to said line regulator bodies.

7. A gas pressure manifold according to claim 6 wherein said common forging for said bank regulator bodies includes a metal bridging web, and said brace bar is attached to said metal bridging web and individually to each said line regulator body.

8. A gas pressure manifold according to claim 5 in which each said regulator includes a regulator body;

a piston assembly with a piston in the regulator body;

a spring chamber;

a spring in the spring chamber;

a cup shaped piston diagram in the spring chamber and surrounding the portions of the spring adjacent the piston assembly; and

a seat with an elastomer seal between the piston and the seat.

9. A gas pressure manifold according to claim 8 in which said elastomer seal that has an ignition rating sufficient to avoid combustion in the presence of oxygen at pressure differential that are a factor of between 5 and 10 between said higher pressure and lower pressure sides of said regulator.

10. A gas pressure manifold according to claim 9 wherein said elastomer seal avoids combustion at temperatures of between about 250°

and 450°

F. under adiabatic compression of oxygen.

11. A gas pressure manifold according to claim 9 wherein said elastomer seal comprises hydrogenated nitrile butyl rubber.

12. A gas pressure manifold according to claim 9 wherein said elastomer seal is an O-ring on said piston assembly.