Air Compressors

What's the context? I've used and bought a bunch of medical compressors and those names don't seem exactly right. Can you fill us in? Are you talking about a ventilator?

"medical breathing air compressor" supplies "breathing" air.

"medical air compressor", supplies dentists, doctors and some industries with compressed air, not for breathing.

That's my take, anyway. I get my air the natural way.

Lynlynch you have hit the nail on the head I could not have given a better reply.

You gave a GA from me.

Medical air compressors for breathable air must meet strict standards, so not oil or smell or dust gets into the air. It usually has an expander that produces a relative humidity and temperature the doctor dials up. Even air for non breathing in a medical area must meet standards.

For standards look here.

http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&safe=off&q=medical+%2B%22air+compressors%22+%2Bstandard+%2Bbreathing&meta=&fp=233058d4db52b29d

http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=hp&q=medical+%2B%22air+compressors%22+%2Bstandard&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=medical+%2B%22air+compressors%22+%2Bstandard&fp=233058d4db52b29d

Without knowing the context there is no answer. However, I will add that within the context of NFPA 99 - 2005, The Standard for Health Care Facilities, a widely accepted standard in the US, Medical Air IS breathing air.

To take this a step further, within the same context, "Medical Air is air supplied from cylinders, bulk containers, medical air compressors, or it has been reconstituded from oxygen USP and oil free, dry nitrogen".

A Medical Air Compressor is "a compressor that is designed to exclude oil from the air stream and compression chamber and that does not under normal operating conditions or any single fault add any toxic or flammable contaminants to the compressed air".

Medical Air has NO use except for human respiration.

Agan, within the context of NFPA 99, air that is used for any purpose other than human respiration CANNOT be termed Medical Air.

I believe the breathing air compressor is very similar if not exactly like a compressor used for SCUBA Diving. The lubricant (oil) in the compressor needs to be a food grade and have some special vapor characteristics to reduce inhalation. I am sure the air leaving the tank is filtered to remove most airborne particles.

A medical air compressor, if not used for breathing, does not have these restrictions. I am sure the lubrication may be of a higher quality providing a longer life to the compressor. It is just not acceptable for breathing.

Regards,

Jim

Additional research on SCUBA Compressors from http://www.deep-six.com/page21.htm

A brief bit of information about compressors: It is extremely important to be certain the air leaving the compressor used for human consumption meet the minimum standards for Grade E.

It must have an oxygen content of 20 to 22%. The level of carbon monoxide (CO) must be less than 10 parts per million (ppm), and the limit for carbon dioxide (CO2) must be less than 500 ppm.

Oil and oil products must be less than 5 milligram per cubic meter, and the amount of water vapor must be less than 67 ppm.

The owner of a compressor must use the type of oil recommended by the manufacturer. Substitute oils may not be able to take moisture from the air, may burn in the compressor creating CO, and can overwhelm the air purification system quickly.

The oil and the purification systems must be changed periodically. Not changing either may lead to contaminated air which is an extreme hazard when breathed under pressure. Divers' air must be very pure because pollution is concentrated as one dives deeper!

I would think the standards for SCUBA Diving may be at least the same as that used for medical breathing compressors. Because of being compressed, your lungs are exposed to more ppm of anything in the tank at any given time. I am sure the medical industry has some standards that will stipulate the given impurities in the air.

I really meant what is the difference in air quality. The general view is that medical air compressor should not be used for medical breathing air quality. I would like to know the reason.

You didn't answer my first post, so I'm about to sign off, but..

You seem to be using trade names that have different meanings for different manufacturers. Can you give a context (a specific example)?

Because Medical Air is for people whose bodies are already weak from sickness. Look on-line to the Medical Gas Professional Health Care Organization (MGPHO) or the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for guidance based on US experience. I am a ASSE 6020 Certified Medical Gas Inspector. ASSE is the American Society of Sanitary Engineering. I do not express my opinion, nor do I accept the "General View" when I address issues which fall within the context of my certification. Please be careful, if you are not qualified to be dealing with this. Medical Air is introduced into people's bodies. There are very strict standards that apply because someone's life could depend on it.

Dear engineermanmayer

Since you are licenced in this field please be so kind as to inform us of the differences as requested by the OP. We might suppose that the information is not top secret.

Chas

In the US, Licensing is a higher legal standard than Certification. I am not Licensed, I am Certified. Also, please recognize that I have no official status regarding interpretation or application of any of the citations to which I make reference. I am engaging in this blog as any other interested participant. I hope that readers who find the info that I present to be interesting or useful, will be stimulated to pursue additional info on the subject matter from the official sources recognized in my responses.

Let me again make the point that the Criteria I list is not of my making, and is applicable where NFPA 99 is recognized as the governing Standard.

Acknowledging that other countries/jurisdictions may have alternate levels of criteria,I hope my response provides insight to the issue as it is dealt with in most of the USA.

I quote from the 2005 Edition of NFPA 99.

"Quality of Medical Air. Medical air shall be required to have the following characteristics:

1. Be supplied from cylinders, bulk containers, medical air compressor sources, of be reconstituted from oxygen USP and oil-free, dry, Nitrogen NF.

2. Meet the requirements of medical air USP.

3. Have no detectable liquid hydrocarbons

4.Have less than 25 ppm gaseous hydrocarbons

5. Have equal to or less than 5 mg/cubic meter of permanen particulates sized 1 micron or larger in the air at normal atmospheric pressure."

...and one clarification, Medical Air is "used only for air in the application of human respiration, and calibration of medical devices for respiratory application".

I do not want to seem USAcentric, but I am not familiar with the Standards in other regions of the world. I will add that a lot of thought by a lot of caring people much smarter than me has gone into the formulation of these Standards. They are not "Top Secret", yet application should be by appropriately credentialed people in Health Care and Life Safety.

Hi...I have an high pressure air compressor. What measures I should take for it's maintenance ? Looking forward for your reply.