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What are plumbing systems?
Published in Samuel L. Hurt, Building Systems in Interior Design, 2017
The most common piped medical gases are oxygen and vacuum (seen in all hospitals and virtually all operating rooms), but medical compressed air, nitrogen, and nitrous oxide are also very common. Medical gases must be piped using only drawn copper (medical gas grade) with brazed joints. There are extensive regulations and only qualified professionals should design such systems. Liquid nitrogen is also used occasionally in medical (or laboratory) environments, but the piping is very similar to the conventional medical gas piping, except that it is insulated. The most important points about medical gases for interior designers is that the rooms that contain them must be rated and carefully ventilated, so most such rooms are located along an exterior wall to make ventilation simpler and to allow for cylinder delivery without going into the building.
Fire Hazards of Materials and Their Control
Published in Peter M. Bochnak, Fire Loss Control, 2020
Finally, gases can be classified by use. Fuel gases refer to flammable gases burned with air to produce heat. The most widely used are natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. Industrial gases include the range of gases used in chemical processes; i.e., heat treating, chemical processing, welding and cutting, etc. Medical gases are specialized in the area of medical treatment; i.e., anesthesia, respiratory therapy, etc.
Correlation Analysis Between Observed Loss of Function in Health Facilities and Seismic Actions
Published in Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 2023
Alicia Rivera-Rogel, Albert Albareda, David García, Rodrigo Retamales
The classification of non-structural components and systems of hospitals is mainly based on the criteria described in FEMA E-74 (FEMA 2012a) and the document “Hospital safety index: guide for evaluators” prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO/PAHO 2015) as cited in (Rivera-Rogel 2020). In consequence, the non-structural components are classified as architectural components, building utility systems, medical equipment, and building contents. Figure 1 illustrates conceptually the four categories of non-structural components and systems in hospital facilities. The four categories are detailed as follows: Architectural components. Correspond to non-structural elements and systems that intrinsically belong to the building, including cladding, glazing, partitions, appendages, parapets, ceilings, veneers, gates, doors, stairs, and fences, among many others. They are classified as interior and exterior, depending on their location in the building.Building utility systems. This category includes critical equipment and distributed systems. Critical equipment corresponds to electrical and communications equipment, elevators, and air conditioning systems (boilers, furnaces, pumps, chillers, and other HVAC equipment). Distributed systems include plumbing, fire extinguishing systems, and other elements such as piping (drinking water, wastewater, etc.), cable trays (electricity, communication, etc.), and ductwork.Medical equipment. Correspond to all the equipment intended for medical use. This category includes functional units and medical gas. Functional units include: i) Assistance services (ICU Intensive Care Units, hospitalization, day hospital, emergency, operating theatres, etc.); ii) Central diagnostic and treatment services, image-based diagnosis (X-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound scan, endoscopy, dialysis, radiotherapy, etc.); iii) Analysis and medication service (laboratories, pharmacy, refrigerated storage (blood banks and medicines); and iv) General services (sterilization, morgue and autopsies, kitchen, laundry, etc.). Medical gas supply systems include oxygen, medical air, medical vacuum, nitrous oxide, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, among others.Building contents. This category includes non-medical elements located permanently in the building, including furniture, fixtures, ornaments, appliances, bookshelves, and cabinets, among others.