4L DOT Cryogenic Liquid Cylinders - Age Coding

Client X has a few dozen liquid cylinders that they are considering repairing and want to be sure that they aren’t too old to be worth the trouble. So- Their very good question:

“Is there any way to tell from the data plate what year a DOT 4L- class vessel was manufactured?”

I’ll give you what I got from some quick targeted research and will appreciate any information you might have to share with the rest of us:

TAYLOR-WHARTON- The last letter in the serial number identifies the year of manufacture.
A=1985 to H=1992
J=1993 to N=1997
P=1998 to X=2005
BB=2005 to FF=2009

UCAR- Purchased by Taylor-Wharton in 1985 so anything UCAR is 1985 or before

CHART/MVE- Beginning in 1995 the Year of Manufacture was inserted right in the middle of the serial number. So this is the most obvious… 97, 99, 02, etc. If the unit is before 1995 then the only way to know is to call the number and ask.

CSI- Purchased by Chart in 1995 (?). No defined date code system.

CYLTEC- No date code imbedded in the serial number, but virtually all are 2005 or newer.

Cryogenic Fill Hose Safety Reliefs- An absolute necessity

Why are safety reliefs installed on all cryogenic liquid oxygen, nitrogen, argon or carbon dioxide fill hoses?

In fact- safeties are not only to be installed on all fill hoses. They are also installed on any cryogenic line that is sealed on both sides. This is because cryogenic liquid trapped in a line will vaporize and expand exponentially creating tremendous pressure in hoses, piping or tubing. This expanding liquid nitrogen, oxygen, argon, or CO2 can easily build enough pressure to cause the line or hose to explode with great force.

This is a danger that is easily overlooked and one that is not obvious to someone without prior knowledge or training. And- it is something that can be missed by even the most experienced personnel who are hooking up a new line out of necessity or otherwise in a hurry.

Whether you are filling medical oxygen bases, transfilling liquid from one DOT4L vessel to another or otherwise filling from a bulk source it is essential to have a relief for expanding vapor. So- never forget to be sure the hose you are using to fill has a properly rated safety relief installed somewhere between the valves or other connectinos that could trap liquid.

MedTrade Day 3

Clare Ulik of Cryovations sent these photos from Day 2 that tell the tale..... lots of folk with great attitudes.

Of course.... as always... Day 3 didn't have nearly the number of people, but moods were still great. And- the reduced activity allows for some more in depth discussions so all was good.

In the world of medical liquid oxygen delivery there are obviously still opportunities for operational improvements and optimizing gains from improved efficiency. And then there is also the situation presented by those with smaller client bases. For those with 5-25 or so patients with no real expectation of growth the option of subcontracting liquid delivery can often make a lot of sense.

How is it that an Airgas Puritan Medical or a Lifegas or others can turn a profit where a smaller company can't? Consolidation.

Trying to be profitable delivering to two or three patients in a given area can be almost impossible. Add them to a route that already has 10-15 patients and all the sudden they offer a great return as all the real cost of getting into the territory has been covered and everything extra is where the real return is made. It might seem obvious, but is still not universal knowledge.

MedTrade Day 2

Don't talk with your hands. I've heard it many, many times and still haven't learned.

Oh, and what a great day today at MedTrade. The good news/ bad news is that we'll be back next year. It was great to see a goodly number of client friends and new friends that we would not have seen otherwise. Also encouraging was the presale of booth space for next year's show.

And then there was the neat little information tidbit related to the BPR Medical FireSafe TM device for respiratory oxygen cannulas. This link http://www.lifegas.com/files/firesafeV2.htm will get you to a little video showing how it works.

MedTrade Day One 2009

Color me surprised and pleasantly so.

I was told that attendance at this year's MedTrade is down significantly and would have plenty of reason to believe this is true. Nonetheless, activity today was by no means the worst I've experienced at a trade show and the quality of discussions was was superior.

The ability to really converse with people and have in-depth visits about the needs and challenges of their business is one of the collateral benefits of this year's downturn. And- people have an interest in considering options that would reduce their costs of operations. One new introduction today was eTankPro (Roger MacClellan) and he seems to be one of those businesses keyed in on really helping clients reduce costs through improved efficiencies.

And a goodly number of people that might previously have brushed past or just quickly introduced and grabbed a card had a chance to consider how maybe 3 trucks with 290 gallon vessels delivery medical liquid oxygen could be a world more productive than 5 with 119s. This was especially true for one fellow who goes 30 miles everyday to fill a 119 and then only has enough liquid to fill 8-10 patient bases. This was a real case in point for what a difference a 290 gallon UltraSeries vessel could make. Just cutting trips to the bulk fill by 50% is huge without even taking into account the ability to make 5-15 more stops per week with the larger volume of liquid and time he'd have available.