This paper presents the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), a novel intensive therapy mechanical ventilator designed for rapid, large-scale, low-cost production for the COVID-19 pandemic. Free of moving mechanical parts and requiring only a source of compressed oxygen and medical air to operate, the MVM is designed to support the long-term invasive ventilation often required for COVID-19 patients and operates in pressure-regulated ventilation modes, which minimize the risk of furthering lung trauma. The MVM was extensively tested against ISO standards in the laboratory using a breathing simulator, with good agreement between input and measured breathing parameters and performing correctly in response to fault conditions and stability tests. The MVM has obtained Emergency Use Authorization by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in healthcare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic and Health Canada Medical Device Authorization for Importation or Sale, under Interim Order for Use in Relation to COVID-19. Following these certifications, mass production is ongoing and distribution is under way in several countries. The MVM was designed, tested, prepared for certification, and mass produced in the space of a few months by a unique collaboration of respiratory healthcare professionals and experimental physicists, working with industrial partners, and is an excellent ventilator candidate for this pandemic anywhere in the world.
The operation of a nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharge for partial oxidation of CH4 is characterized at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Two regimes are observed: diffuse and filamentary. The first is a low power regime, characterized by low rotational temperatures around 400 K. The second is much more energetic with rotational temperatures close to 600 K. Both have vibrational temperatures of at least 10 times their rotational temperatures. The average electron number density was determined to be and cm−3, respectively, showing an increase in the ionization fraction in the more powerful filamentary regime. Results of CH4 conversion to H2, CO, CO2 and C2H6 are presented for the filamentary regime, while the diffuse regime shows no measurable conversion ability. As expected, oxidative mixtures show higher conversion ability than pure CH4. A maximum conversion efficiency of 26.3% and a maximum energy efficiency of 19.7% were reached for the oxidative mixtures.
The performance of a nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharge for CH 4 reforming is studied at atmospheric pressure for temperatures ranging from 300 to 700 K. The high-voltage pulser used is capable of producing a voltage pulse with an amplitude of 14 kV and a duration of 40 ns at a repetition frequency of 10 kHz. The discharge energy per pulse is varied in a range from 462 µJ to 2.47 mJ. The rotational temperature is estimated by fitting synthetic to experimental spectra. Experiments at pulsing frequency of 1 kHz led to temperature profiles that remain unchanged along the axial direction of the reactor. For pulse frequencies between 2-10 kHz, the average temperature of the filament rises from 507 to 777 K. Emission from C 2 (A 3 Π-X 3 Π) is compared to emission from CH(A 2 ∆-X 2 Π) along the reactor axis and with respect to the energy input. It is found that as the energy input increases, so does the emission from C 2 (A 3 Π-X 3 Π), turning the discharges green rather than blue. Results from CH 4 conversion show that the inlet gas temperature has negligible effect on reforming performance. Higher values of energy per pulse improve conversion and energy efficiency. However, increasing the pulse frequency leads to the best performance enhancement with a maximum slope of 0.53% and 0.24% per kJ • mol −1 for conversion and energy efficiency, respectively. The maximum conversion and energy efficiencies were 68.2% and 25.6%, respectively, measured in a CH 4 -air mixture.
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