Compressors meet medical standards

CompAir compressors carry a warranty for up to 44,000 operational hours, provided maintenance work is carried out by an authorised dealer.

Compressors supplied by CompAir are now a key component in Penlon's medical gas delivery systems, which are installed in healthcare facilities throughout the UK and overseas.

The company won the business by demonstrating its ability to understand the dynamics of an OEM supply relationship.

Penlon manufactures and distributes products and systems for anaesthesia, intubation, oxygen therapy and suction and medical gas.

Penlon Medical Gas Solutions designs, manufactures and installs systems for medical gas pipelines, part of which involves the delivery of medical air for both patient support and to drive air-powered medical instruments.

Compressors are used in the systems to draw in ambient air from the atmosphere which is then compressed, cleaned and dried as it passes through the filtration systems.

Systems designed for the UK healthcare market are required to comply with the relevant Hospital Technical Memorandum (HTM).

Changes introduced in 2006 to HTM 2022, regarding the control systems for medical gas installations, meant that the compressor design previously used by Penlon would no longer comply.

This led Penlon to review its supply situation and key considerations were flexibility of approach and the ability of the compressor manufacturer to provide after-sales services in overseas markets which choose to adopt the HTM standard.

Ian Gil-Rodriguez, director of Penlon's Medical Gas Pipeline Division explains: "We needed a compressor manufacturer who was prepared to operate as an OEM supplier".

"Traditionally, these manufacturers supply a stand-alone product to the end user which is ready to fulfil its required function".

"For us, the compressor is a component which has to be modified in order to be integrated into our own system".

"When we talked to CompAir we found that they were able to offer this crucial flexibility that we demand: they are prepared to build to our specification and even paint and badge their units to comply with our system design".

"It was a different attitude and as an OEM it seemed to us that CompAir was the perfect partner".

The units supplied by CompAir to Penlon are rotary screw compressors with a soft-start system for maximum durability.

They range in size from 4 to 37kW in 7, 10 and 13bar.

Penlon's standard ranges start with a duplex format, which has one duty compressor and one standby to produce up to 3000 litres/minute of air.

For between 3000 and 8000 litres/minute, a triplex format is supplied, which has two duty and one standby compressors and for 8000 plus litres/minute the configuration is based on three duty and one standby compressors.

Penlon can also customise the system to specific needs: for example, as the sole supplier to Vanguard Healthcare, a manufacturer of mobile hospitals, Penlon has designed systems to fit into the restricted space of their self-contained trailer units.

Penlon International Operations Manager Martin Berry explains: "The previous standard required only one standby compressor".

"The latest HTM has increased this requirement so that, for example, a triplex format requires each standby compressor to supply 100% of the system's capacity".

"Under normal circumstances, it is highly unlikely that the second standby would ever come into play, which potentially gives us a problem with build up of condensate".

"Having discussed this with CompAir, we have designed a solution whereby the control system is configured to operate the compressors on a cascade system so that each one runs for part of the system's operational cycle".

With a customer base that extends across 90 countries, with particular strength in the Middle East, Penlon also needed a supply partner with sufficient global reach.

Ian Gil-Rodriguez: "Our export business is handled via sole agencies who are responsible for installation and maintenance in their respective territories".

"That means that we need to assure them of on-site support from the compressor manufacturer".

"CompAir has that global infrastructure in place through its international network".

As part of the supply partnership, CompAir is also providing training to Penlon's own maintenance technicians, which will give Penlon a key commercial advantage as Ian Gil-Rodriguez explains: "CompAir compressors carry a warranty for up to 44,000 operational hours, provided maintenance work is carried out by an authorised dealer".

"With our team trained by CompAir, we are able to pass on that warranty to our customers, which is a major attraction for a hospital's purchasing authority and gives us a significant advantage in the UK market".

As well as handling turnkey projects for the manufacture, supply and installation of systems, Penlon also supplies systems for installation by third parties.

A number of new PFI hospitals now have systems that use the CompAir compressors, one of the most recent being the Manchester Royal Infirmary, which has two systems capable of producing 11,000 litres/minute of medical air, the largest ever built system in the UK.

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