Hospital‐level flow measurement to detect nitrous oxide leakage

Nitrous oxide has a significant carbon footprint, and global initiatives are in progress to diminish its environmental impact in agriculture, industry and healthcare [1]. It is piped to locations in many healthcare environments, and in some hospitals, these systems can leak most of the gas they carry (75–95%) [1]. Leak detection traditionally relies on static pressure testing, a time-consuming and non-continuous method. This project aimed to measure the use and potential leakage of nitrous oxide at a large tertiary children's hospital using a custom-built, hospital-level flowmeter providing real-time, high-resolution, continuous measurements at the source of supply.