Miniaturized Plant for Producing Gas Mixtures

Abstract

The invention relates to a plant for filling gas cylinders with pure gases and/or mixtures of pure gases or special gases, said plant including: a device for selecting gas and/or for making mixtures of gases to be fed into a gas cylinder; apparatuses for analyzing the composition of said mixtures or said pure gases; characterized in that the following measures are implemented: the plant is integrally contained in a transportable container having a ground surface lower than 45 m 2 , said ground surface preferably being between 34 m 2 and 40 m 2 ; the devices contained in said container are attached to the walls of the container and can be connected to gas sources outside the container; the arrangement thus obtained enables the users to access said devices and apparatuses from the inside of said container and to fill the cylinders inside said container.

1 - 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . A plant for filling cylinders with gas using pure gases and/or mixtures of pure gases or of special gases, comprising:
 a) equipment capable of selecting gases and/or of producing mixtures of gases intended to be introduced into a gas cylinder, and   b) an apparatus capable of analyzing the composition of said mixtures or of said pure gases;   wherein the plant is wholly contained in a transportable container, the footprint of which is less than 45 m 2 ;   wherein the equipment and the apparatus are attached to a wall of the transportable container;   wherein the transportable container is configured to permit the equipment and the apparatus to be connected to gas sources situated outside the container; and   wherein the equipment and the apparatus are configured within the transportable container such that personnel are capable of accessing and operating the equipment and the apparatus from inside the transportable container to fill cylinders.   
     
     
         14 . The plant of  claim 13 , comprising two parts:
 i) a first part comprising:
 equipment configured to produce mixtures of pure gases or of special gases, and 
 the apparatus capable of analyzing the composition of said mixtures of special gases or pure gases, 
   j) the second part comprising:
 at least one emptying device adapted to empty out residual gases contained in cylinders that are to be filled, 
 at least one device adapted to clean and/or of passivate the cylinders that are to be filled, 
 at least one device capable of homogenizing the mixtures of pure gases or of special gases. 
   
     
     
         15 . The plant of  claim 14 , wherein the two parts are separated from one another by a movable wall. 
     
     
         16 . The plant of  claim 14 , wherein said first part further comprises an apparatus adapted to control the interior temperature. 
     
     
         17 . The plant of  claim 13 , wherein the equipment configured to produce mixtures of pure gases or of special gases comprises at least one mixer associated with at least one analyzer. 
     
     
         18 . The plant of  claim 13 , wherein the equipment configured to produce mixtures of pure gases or of special gases comprises:
 a weighing apparatus and/or manometric apparatus each able to measure accurately the quantities of gas to be introduced into said cylinder, and   a fluid connection between the cylinder that is to be filled and gas sources situated outside the container.   
     
     
         19 . The plant of  claim 18 , wherein the equipment configured to produce mixtures of pure gases or of special gases comprises at least one line set able to produce any type of compressed or liquid gas mixtures. 
     
     
         20 . The plant of  claim 18 , wherein the weighing apparatus situated in the transportable container is positioned on a support which is independent of the container, the support having a base situated below the container floor level. 
     
     
         21 . The plant of  claim 13 , wherein it comprises at least one apparatus capable of analyzing the composition of said mixtures or of said pure gases, chosen from:
 at least one gas chromatograph;   a thermal conductivity detector (TCD);   a flame ionization detector (FID);   an oxygen analyzer;   a moisture analyzer; or   an infrared spectrometer.   
     
     
         22 . The method of preparing a mixture of special gases in a cylinder implementing a plant as defined in  claim 14  connected to at least two sources of special gases external to the plant comprising the steps:
 preparing the cylinder that is to be filled; 
 using a weighing apparatus and/or manometric apparatus each able to measure accurately the quantities of gas to be introduced into said cylinder; 
 filling said cylinder by connecting it to a source of gas, and 
 analyzing the composition of the content of the cylinder thus filled. 
 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the cylinder that is to be filled is connected to just one gas source at a time.