Medical Gas Design Guide

Chapter 1 - Design Process

Continuing Education Publication
TM
Notes on Using this Pamphlet:
This pamphlet is presented as a service to systems designers working with piped medical gases in medical
facilities. The design process used in this booklet is detailed in this chapter.
This Guide is not in any way intended to be a substitute for a properly qualified engineer, and any pretence to being
alone sufficient for the proper design of any medical gas system is explicitly disclaimed.
It is BeaconMeds intent that this book should only be used as one tool among many by properly qualified engineers
who are in a position by training and experience to know its applications and limitations.
You will find in using the Guide that there are innumerable decisions, judgement calls, and subtleties in the design
of medical gases which cannot be incorporated in any book, but serve to dramatically emphasize the value of the
engineers expertise.
Second Edition February 2006
Replaces earlier edition August 2005
Notes
This Pamphlet in both print and electronic versions is Copyright 2006 BeaconMeds. All Rights are Reserved, and
no reproduction may be made of the whole or any part without permission in writing. Distribution of the Electronic
version is permitted only where the whole is transmitted without alteration, including this notice.
Comments on this booklet or on any aspect of medical gases are welcome and encouraged.
Please send to mallen@beaconmedaes.com
Page 3
Rev C 2/2006
Introduction
Welcome to the BeaconMeds Design Guide for medical
gas systems.
This Guide has become for many engineers their standard
reference for medical gas design. However, the copy on
their shelf may actually be under any of several names and
they may not recognize they are working with the same
document.
The Medical Gas Design Guide was first published in
1991 by Ohmeda Medical Engineering. The Guide was
reissued under the Meds name around 1998, and then
again revised and reissued by Hill Rom in February 2001
with a second edition in May of 2002.
In all those reissues of course the products inside changed,
but the document also suffered other less desirable
changes as well. Above all, the Guide lost some of its
clarity of mission. Originally conceived as a cook book,
where even an inexperienced engineer could manage the
basics of a medical gas layout, the Guide became more
coarse and less clear. The cook book concept became
diluted, whole sections were dropped, and the book lost
touch with a coherent design flow. Its primary value was
reduced to having everything you need in one place -
provided you already knew how to use it.
Through chance the Guide has now fallen back into the
hands of some of those who originally conceived and
drafted the 1991 edition, and we hope that we will have
succeeded in restoring some of that original flavor to this
release.
This new edition is entirely written around a specific
design-management model which we believe to be the
most practical and tested way to ensure the completeness
and integrity of the final design. The process is detailed
in this chapter and repeated as one follows through the
Guide. To continue the cook book metaphor, this is the
recipe on which this particular cook book is written.
Unlike earlier editions of the Guide, this edition includes
Chapter 1
Design Process
parts of the design process for which BeaconMeds itself
makes no products. While this may seem a pointless thing
to do from a commercial standpoint, we recognize that
it is essential to achieve the final product, an integrated
delivery system for medical gases and vacuum which
places these essential utilities at the clinicians immediate
service, safely and reliably.
There are also any number of updates to various charts,
tables and graphs which reflect additional experience of
our own and which has been reported to us. We have not
tried to call attention to these changes, but please note that
there are many, and users familiar to the earlier versions
may find they require some updating to design worksheets
or other materials based on earlier Guides.
Note to the user
This Guide is not in any way intended to be a substitute for
a properly qualified engineer, and any pretence to being
alone sufficient for a proper design of any medical gas
system is explicitly disclaimed.
It is BeaconMeds intent that this book should only
be used as one tool among many by properly qualified
engineers who are in a position by training and experience
to know its applications and limitations.
You will find in using the Guide that there are innumerable
decisions, judgement calls, and subtleties in the design
of medical gases which cannot be incorporated in any
book, but serve to dramatically emphasize the value of the
engineers expertise.
BeaconMeds Medical Gas Design Guide
Chapter 1
Page 4
The Design Process
Overleaf is the design process around which the Guide has
been constructed. As you proceed through the Guide, you
will find the respective icons for each of the phases there as
a reminder of the process.
There are four major phases, which may proceed concurrently
or in sequence: Discovery, Design, Engineering, and
Specification. Each of these phases calls for different skills,
and therefore are often divided among several individuals
in a firm.
Discovery, the first and most important stage,
is where the client lays out their needs and
wishes. During these discussions you need a
clear understanding of what you need to know.
The forms included in this section are for your
use as a starting point for development of your own more
detailed interview guide. We suggest these forms be filled
out during interviews with those people on the clients site
who are most knowledgeable about the existing systems
and the intent of the new construction. A common mistake
made by engineers is ignoring or curtailing the Discovery
phase and relying instead on simple compliance with
standards. There are no standards in the world which can
substitute for an understanding of your client.
Alongside the strictly medical gas segment of the Discovery
section we have included two activities which are not strictly
engineering responsibilities, but which may have the greatest
impact on the final work of the engineer. These are the
detailing and specification of the architectural products
and the medical convenience products (headwalls, ceiling
pendants, lab benches, etc.) which contain medical gases
but are typically selected by the medical professionals or
the architect. The decision process for these products
frequently has little or nothing to do with the engineering of
the systems as such. Nevertheless, the medical gases must
connect to them and be sized to serve them, so it is essential
that the engineer understand the clients choices and is aware
of the details of these products. The number and placement
of outlets and the details of how they are connected to
the piping will vary from design to design. There are also
specific issues regarding how this equipment connects to
other work which will impact the final verification of the
systems.
Policies vary on how the discovery process should close,
but we advocate a final memorandum signed by the
relevant parties which constitutes the agreed requirements
for the project. While it is obvious that things may have
to change as the project design and construction proceeds,
such a document gives the engineer a degree of confidence
that they have captured the intent of their client before they
spend a lot of the clients money on design and engineering.
The forms included here may be most useful in solidifying
agreement on the memorandum.
The Design phase is all about roughing in the
various big elements of the system. It is
during this phase that issues such as wall space
for valves, sight lines for alarms, floorspace
for source equipment and other problems
which would later derail the project can be identified. This
phase should be completed as quickly as possible in the
design process to ensure conflicts can be resolved prior to
construction.
Engineering is the next segment of the process,
and probably will represent the largest time
commitment. This is when equipment and
systems are sized, equipment selected and
final locations determined.
Numerous interfaces with other designers must occur in
this phase, such as interface with the electrical engineers
for power and signal wiring for medical air or vacuum plant,
alarms and manifolds. Information systems planners must
be informed what medical gases requirements to include
in their networking requirements and on the Building
Management Systems. HVAC may be required to ensure
ventilation and possibly air conditioning for air cooled
equipment. Site preparation may be required for liquid
oxygen systems or manifolds located outdoors. Even your
landscaping architects may need to get involved to dress
up outdoor equipment.
Finally, with all the above in hand, the
Specification can be completed. We need
not repeat all that has been said about the
importance of spec writing, but we have
provided a detailed guide specification which
may help. Specification should be the easiest portion of the
process particularly if you have followed the Guide to that
point. Specification should not be neglected, as it is second
only to the Discovery phase in ultimately ensuring that the
final result is what you and your client expect.
There is one more phase not discussed here because it
is not part of the design process as such. Done properly,
your work product from this Guide is an integrated system.
It is not and should not be thought of any longer as a
collection of components. An engineer or owner who
foolishly allows a contractor to re-engineer their work by
submission of components which have no virtue other
than being cheaper has failed utterly. We do not argue
that substitutions should never be allowed, nor that value
engineering cannot be a useful contribution to the design
process. We do argue that without reference to the
knowledge gained during the discovery process, the many
original design assumptions, and the original calculations,
acceptance of such submissions is simply destructive. Any
submitted alternate should receive the same scrutiny that
the specified components will have received through this
process. Acceptance of the 11
th
hour submittal of a just as
good and cheaper product is simply not engineering.
?

BeaconMeds Medical Gas Design Guide

Design Process
Page 5
Project Start
Agreed
Requirements
Document
Specify
Architectural
Products
Specify
Medical
Convenience
Products
Discovery
Client
interviews
Site Visits
Design
Place Outlets
Rough Locate
Sources
Place Zone
Valves
Route Piping
Place Alarms
Specication
Schedule
Sources
Specify Other
Pipeline
Specify Outlets
Schedule
Alarms
Specify
Interfacing
Methodology
Products &
Services
Quality
Assurance
Submittals
Verication
Specify Verier
Qualications
Specify Alarms
General
Conditions
Extent of Work
Coordination
Installer
Qualications
Specify
Sources
Specify
Installation
Technique
Specify
Verication
Technique
Specify Electrical
Responsibilities
Engineering
Size Sources
Select Source
Equipment
Conrm
Source
Locations
Detail Sources
and Complete
Pipe Routing
Size Piping
Detail Alarms Interface
Alarms with
BAS / other
Detail and size
Intakes/Exhausts
& vents
Detail Electrical
requirements
Place Other
Valves
?

Detail 1.5
The Design Map
BeaconMeds Medical Gas Design Guide
Chapter 1
Page 6
Graphical Table of Contents
?
3.4-3.15
3.4
3.7
Chapter 3
Engineering
Size Sources
Select Source
Equipment
Confirm
Source
Locations
Detail Sources
and Complete
Pipe Routing
Size Piping
Detail Alarms Interface
Alarms with
BAS / other
Detail and size
Intakes/Exhausts
& vents
Detail Electrical
requirements
Chapter 11
Chapter 5,6,7,8,9
Chapter 5,6,7,8,9
Chapter 5,6,7,8,9
Chapter 5,6,7,8,9
Chapter 10
10.18
Chap.11
Chap. 5,6,
7,8,9,10
Chap. 5,6,
7,8,9,10

Design
Place Outlets
Rough Locate
Sources
Place Zone
Valves
Route Piping
Place Alarms
Place Other
Valves
Chapter 4
4.5
4.7, Chapter 5,6,7,8,9
4.9
4.9
4.10
4.12,
Chapter 10
BeaconMeds Medical Gas Design Guide
Design Process
Page 7
Chapter l2
l2.5
l2.8
l2.9
l2.23
l2.25
l0.l8
Chapter l0
Chapter 5,6,7,8,9
Chapter 5,6,7,8,9
Chapter 4
l2.7
l2.24
l2.25
TM
13325 Carowinds Blvd Charlotte, NC 28273 Phone 1 888 4 MED GAS Fax 704 588 4949
www.beaconmedaes.com