Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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Operating rooms and associated support spaces;
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Labor and delivery rooms and associated
support spaces;
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Recovery areas;
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Intensive care and coronary care units;
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Nurseries;
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Protective and infectious isolation rooms;
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Emergency treatment spaces; and
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General patient rooms.
Supply, return, and exhaust air systems serving
the following areas
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Surgical and obstetrical delivery suites and
associated support spaces;
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Intensive care and coronary care units;
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Protective and infectious isolation rooms;
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Emergency treatment spaces;
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Exhaust fans for fume hoods and radio-isotope
hoods; and
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Ethylene oxide evacuation and anesthesia evac-
uation systems.
The hvac systems and equipment listed above are
considered to be the minimum requirements in
an acute care hospital. Additional state and local
requirements will add to the minimum require-
ments. These requirements should be understood
prior to the start of any design.
Building automation system:
Head-end computer;
Control panels;
Control air compressors and dryers; and
Any electric controls serving systems on emer-
gency power.
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Refrigeration system and controls for food
storage and clinical laboratory refrigerators and
freezers.
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Hvac systems serving telecommunication
rooms and computer rooms.
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Water chillers, pumps, and controls for MRIs,
CT scanners, and linear accelerators—city
water cooling as a redundant source of cooling
may be allowed in some jurisdictions.
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Autopsy room exhaust air systems and refrig-
eration systems for body cold boxes.
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Supply, return, and exhaust air systems serving
bone marrow treatment areas.
Supply and general exhaust air serving the clin-
ical laboratory to maintain pressure relation-
ships.
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Electric heat tape for exposed piping, absorp-
tion chillers to prevent crystallization, oil sump
heaters on electric centrifugal chillers.
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It is critical that the criteria for the systems required
to be connected to emergency power be estab-
lished as early in the design phase as is possible.
Major system decisions are dependent on an early
understanding of these issues. As an example, the
number of air-handling units (AHU) and what
departments they will serve can have an impact on
the size of the mechanical rooms, as well as the
size of the emergency generator.
18.2 Recommended Systems
With respect to the operation of a hospital, it is
important to understand the need for those hvac
systems that may not be mandated for connec-
tion to the emergency power system to remain
in service during a loss of normal power. Often,
it is only after the hospital experiences a loss of
power for an extended duration that deficiencies
are uncovered.
Outlined below are the systems and equipment
frequently overlooked due to a lack of under-
standing of the equipment and procedures needed
during a loss of power.
The following should be placed on emergency
power under most circumstances.
18.3 HVAC System Impact
on Generator Size
Hvac systems have a significant impact on the
emergency power system of a hospital. The
connected load of the hvac equipment can range
from 3 to 6 W/sq ft in an acute care facility. This is
generally 50-60% of the entire load on the emer-
gency generator plant. With the typical cost of an
