Gas Supply System and Method of Gas Supply

Abstract

A valve arrangement (10) adapted to be coupled to, and to provide a gas flow from, a gas cylinder (20) containing a pressurized gas (21), the valve arrangement (10) comprising a blocking valve (1) with an obturator (11) movable by an actuator (12) from an opening position permitting a flow of the pressurized gas (21) through the blocking valve (1) into a closing position blocking the flow of the pressurized gas (21) through the blocking valve (1) is provided. Temperature sensing means (4) are provided which are adapted to provide at least one signal, the at least one signal being indicative of one or more temperatures of, in, and/or in vicinity to, the valve arrangement (10), and the actuator (12) is adapted to move the obturator (11) from the opening position into the closing position if the one or more temperatures indicated by the at least one signal are above a predetermined threshold value. A gas supply system (100) and a corresponding method of gas supply is also part of the invention.

Claims

1. A gas supply system (100) comprising a gas cylinder (20) containing a pressurized gas (21) and a valve arrangement (10) coupled to, and adapted to provide a gas flow from, the gas cylinder (20), the valve arrangement (10) comprising a blocking valve (1) with an obturator (11) movable by an actuator (12) from an opening position permitting a flow of the pressurized gas (21) through the blocking valve (1) into a closing position blocking the flow of the pressurized gas (21) through the blocking valve (1), the valve arrangement (10) further comprising temperature sensing means (4) adapted to provide at least one signal, the at least one signal being indicative of one or more temperatures of, in, and/or in vicinity to, the valve arrangement (10), and by the actuator (12) being adapted to move the obturator (11) from the opening position into the closing position if the one or more temperatures indicated by the at least one signal are above a predetermined threshold value, characterized in that the valve arrangement (10) further comprises a flow-regulating valve (4) arranged downstream the blocking valve (1), and in that at least the blocking valve (1) and the flow-regulating valve (4) is arranged in a common housing of a valve integrated pressure regulator.

2. A system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the actuator (12) is adapted to move the obturator (11) towards the closing position by exerting a moving force upon the obturator (11).

3. A system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the actuator (12) is adapted to move the obturator (11) towards the closing position by reducing a holding force exerted upon the obturator (11).

4. A system (100) according to claim 3, wherein the obturator (11) is biased towards the closing position by a biasing force and held in the opening position by the holding force acting against the biasing force.

5. A system (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the actuator (12) comprises an electro-mechanic element (121, 122).

6. A system (100) according to claim 5, wherein the actuator (12) is adapted to move the obturator (11) towards the closing position upon a power failure of the electro-mechanic element (121, 122).

7. A system (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the actuator comprises a pneumatically operable element (123).

8. A system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blocking valve (1) comprises a refractory material.

9. A system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising indication means (7) adapted to indicate a pressure, a flow rate, a remaining gas volume, a remaining usage time, and/or a temperature of the pressurized gas (21) in the gas cylinder (20).

10. A method of gas supply from a gas cylinder (20) containing a pressurized gas (21), characterized in that a gas supply system (100) according to claim any one of claims 1 to 9 is used.

Description

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0037] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a gas supply system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0038] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates details of a valve arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0039] In the figures, like elements are indicated with identical reference numerals. A repeated explanation is omitted for reasons of conciseness.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0040] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a gas supply system 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The gas supply system 100 comprises a valve arrangement 10 and a gas cylinder 20, the gas cylinder 20 containing a pressurized gas 21, especially oxygen, at a pressure of e.g. 50 or 200 bar.

[0041] The valve arrangement 10 comprises, in the exemplary embodiment shown, a blocking valve 1 and a flow-regulating valve 2. The blocking valve 1 and the flow-regulating valve 2 may be enclosed in a housing 3. The blocking valve 1 and the flow-regulating valve 2 may be embodied with obturators known from a prior art and may e.g. be realised as gate valves, globe valves, piston valves, diaphragm valves, ball valves and butterfly valves. In the following, the function of the blocking valve 1 is explained in more detail while for the function of the flow-regulating valve 2, reference is made to e.g. WO 2012/164240 A2. For reasons of generality, an obturator of the blocking valve 1 is shown in simplified form and referred to with 11. The valve arrangement 10 may be coupled to the gas cylinder 20 by suitable coupling means 22, e.g. via a screw or bayonet connection including suitable gaskets.

[0042] In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the blocking valve 1 of the valve arrangement 10 comprises an actuator 12, as explained above, adapted to act upon the obturator 11 of the valve 1. Details of actuators 12 suitable for use in the present invention are also explained with regard to FIG. 2.

[0043] The valve arrangement 10 of the gas supply system 100 furthermore comprises temperature sensing means 4 adapted to provide at least one signal at least indicative of on or more temperatures of, in and/or in vicinity to the valve arrangement 10. The temperature sensing means 4 may, to that purpose, be equipped with one or more sensors, as already explained above. Individual sensors of the temperature sensing means 4 are omitted for clarity. According to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1, the temperature sensing means 4 may be coupled to the actuator 12 via suitable couplings, e.g. via a lead 21.

[0044] The sensing means 4 and the actuator 2, if an electronically or electrically operated actuator 12 is provided, may be coupled to a common energy source 5, e.g. a battery, via suitable leads illustrated as dotted lines.

[0045] The valve arrangement 10 is adapted to provide a regulated gas flow of the pressurized gas 21 contained in the gas cylinder 20 via a lead 6. The lead 6 may e.g. be coupled with a patient oxygen supply device, e.g. a nasal cannula (not shown) or with an industrial gas consumer.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the valve arrangement 10 and/or the gas supply system 100 may also comprise indicating means 7 adapted to indicate e.g. a pressure, a flow rate, a remaining gas volume, a remaining gas usage time and/or a temperature of the pressurized gas in the gas cylinder 20. To that purpose, that indication means 7 may comprise and/or may be coupled with control and/or measuring means which are not displayed in FIG. 1. Also the indication means 7 may be coupled to the energy source 5.

[0047] In FIG. 2, different embodiments of actuators 12 of the blocking valves 1 are schematically illustrated and referred to with reference letters A to D. The actuators 12 are shown in part and in highly simplified form.

[0048] According to a first embodiment, referred to with A, the obturator 11 of the blocking valve may be coupled with an actuator 12 comprising an electric motor 121. The electric motor may 121 comprise a motor control unit (not shown) which is operated on the basis of a signal provided via the signal line 41.

[0049] The electric motor 121 may for example rotate a rotating obturator 11 of the blocking valve 1 and/or displace a linear moving obturator 11 correspondingly, if the motor 121 is embodied as a linear motor. A shaft 125 may be rotated around its longitudinal axis and/or displaced parallel to its longitudinal axis by the motor 121.

[0050] According to the embodiment referred to with B, the actuator 12 may comprise an electric magnet 122 which may be activated dependent of the signal of the temperature sensing means 4. In the specific example displayed in FIG. 2 according to B, the electric magnet 122 may attract an anchor 124 coupled to the shaft 125 and thus cause e.g. a linear displacement of the obturator 11 of the blocking valve 1.

[0051] According to a modification referred to with C, an anchor 124 of the actuator 12 is spring-biased towards a closing position of the obturator 11 by pull springs 128 and held in an open position via an electric magnet 122. If the electric magnet releases the anchor 124 due to a specific signal and/or a power failure of the electric magnet 122, the anchor 124, together with the shaft 125 is moved to a closing position of the obturator 11 by the pull springs 128. Obviously, instead of pull springs 128, and including an inverse arrangement as immediately evident to the skilled person, also push springs may be used in this context.

[0052] According to a further embodiment, referred to with D, an actuator 12 may comprise a pneumatic element which is, in the example shown, embodied as a pneumatic cylinder 123. A piston 126 arranged in the pneumatic cylinder 123 may be displaced by a pressurized gas introduced into the pneumatic cylinder 123 via a gas inlet 127. The gas inlet 127 may especially be coupled with the gas cylinder 20 and/or supplied with gas 21 under pressure provided in the gas cylinder 21.

[0053] Further embodiments are possible as well, e.g. a pneumatic element 123 and/or an electric motor 121 may also be coupled with biasing springs 128.