Medical devices and US 220V electrics

Thanks for all the replies so far. Still early in the development, I don't have all the requirements yet.

The product gets wheeled into the operating room and used for part of the procedure, then wheeled out into another room to be prepared for the next operation. It needs power in both locations. It doesn't have any patient applied parts, but as it's used in the vicinity of the patient it does fall under 60601 and related standards.

I knew about the dedicated 220V outlets in residential buildings for clothes driers, air conditioners etc, from previous discussions on here. I wouldn't expect to find these in a hospital building, hence my question about the 6-15 type.

So, in summary:

- 220V supply is available in all buildings, but we can't expect to find a 220V outlet unused and available for use with our product on a given customer's premises, they typically have to be installed in each location as needed.

- A dedicated install is preferred anyway, to make sure the wiring, breakers, etc are rated adequately for the product. Just because a type of outlet is rated for X amps, doesn't mean the wiring and breakers behind it are.

- Standard 110V outlets are everywhere, but we can't expect to be able to draw more than 10A continuously from one of these.

Somebody please correct me if I've misunderstood anything.

Surely your primary question is one where you really need to know. No maybes. Asking people that aren't in this field won't get you that.

NT

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.... Phil

When installing a new oven in an old kitchen it's not unusual to install a new circuit. Surely hospitals buying very big expensive equipment can have a new circuit installed.

Actually it does. As someone pointed out the "rated" current would need to be derated appropriately, but the *entire* circuit will be capable of supplying that current.

If this is going to be used in a hospital OR and adjacent rooms, I think it won't be a problem getting you the power you need. That is totally different from a hospital room or in a home.

One caveat, I requested a new outlet in an office building once, for an early laser printer (B sized). We were told to ask for a dedicated circuit and did. But out computers in the same room kept crashing. We eventually found the printer was putting a lot of garbage on the line. Turns out "dedicated" wasn't an adequate specification to get a line all the way back to the circuit panel. I expect the contractor was blowing smoke, but we had to use some different words for that, which I don't quite recall. In US hospitals these truly dedicated circuits have an orange outlet.

Huh? In a *very* old kitchen, maybe. In a house that old, likely the entire house needs to be rewired.

As long as there is 120V in the building, 240V isn't a problem.

Not necessarily. If I read your posts correctly, your device is not permanently installed, so you really don't want a dedicated install.

Yes, it does. Of course the installing electrician could be a moron but it is against code to put an outlet on a circuit that is larger than the circuit will support. Likewise fuses/wiring (wiring can be smaller but not larger than the OC device).

I think a survey of your anticipated customer base is in order.

I am quoting this out of memory for more than 30 years ago, so this might not ne too accurate:

At least some decades ago in Europe 3 phase isolation transformers were used to isolate the normal 220/380 V wye/delta feed primary from the 220/380 isolated secondary in an operating theater.

The secondary star point was grounded via a 1 Mohm resistor

So if you had a ground fault, that phase would go to 0 V, while the two other phases went to 400 V. The star point went to 230 V above ground and an alarm could then be generated.

Even with a single phase ground fault, there was no problem continuing the operation. After the operation was completed, the ground fault could be repaired, before starting the next operation.

Den fredag den 26. maj 2017 kl. 23.52.11 UTC+2 skrev snipped-for-privacy@downunder.com:

sound similar to how I understand it is often done on ships, an ohmmeter from the floating star point to the hull, if it goes below some megaohm someone has to go find out where the leak is

Hmm... I have a 220/380 3 phase cable feeding into my house, although I use only one of them.(In the dim past each house got current from

My house? Each house? Please explain.

No. If the house is only a few decades old it probably wouldn't have enough in the kitchen for a fridge and a self-cleaning gas oven.

I have no idea, but I would guess most US hospitals have 240Vac outlets. The OP mostly needs to find out what plug is 'standard'.

George H.

Fridges run on 120V. Self-cleaning *GAS* ovens don't take much electricity at all (electric ones don't either). If you're switching from gas to electricity, sure, but what nut does that?

Why does the cable for the other two houses enter yours? Row houses?

"Find out" are the operative words but changing a plug is a trivial matter (one all the time on household ovens and clothes dryers). Service availability isn't quite as simple.

A row of 3. And why only one feed cable? I have no idea.