On-line recovery of xenon from anaesthetic gas

US6134914A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Messer Griesheim GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Manfred Eschwey · Düsseldorf, DE
• Reiner Hamm
• Peter Neu · Duisburg, DE
• Renate Schmidt · Duisburg, DE
• Georg Schroeder · Bochum, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 15, 1999
• Grant date: Oct 24, 2000
• Expiry date: Nov 15, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S62/925
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A process is disclosed for separating a component from a gaseous mixture, in particular for separating xenon from the breathing gas exhaled by an anaesthetized patient. The disclosed process has the following steps: the gaseous mixture is brought into contact with a cooling surface at a temperature below the melting point of the components to be separated, the proportion of the gaseous mixture which is not condensed on the cooling surface in a solid state is carried away, and the component condensed on the cooling surface is heated above the melting point of the component to be separated. Also disclosed are a device for carrying out this process, a corresponding process for recovering anaesthetic gas and an associated anaesthetic equipment.