ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION
system was used. This ‘plug and play’ busbar system is not often specified for hospital environments, but it provided the ideal solution for fast and consistent installation with sufficient capacity and flexibility for each bay. Contractor, Interserve Engineering Services, installed the powertrack by fixing it to the walls of each prefabricated bay. One run of powertrack provided the electrical distribution to five beds, with a tap-off for each bay to provide four twin sockets for each bed, along with a light switch. RCD protection was included at the end of every tap-off lead for each bay. The plug and play nature of the powertrack system meant that the Interserve Engineering Services team was able to install the entire electrical distribution system for 120 beds within 24 hours in two 12-hour shifts.
Rapid deployment
While busbar is not always the most appropriate electrical distribution technology for use in hospitals, what the Nightingale Hospital in Preston teaches us is that it provides the ideal solution for rapid deployment of healthcare infrastructure, and for modular patient bed capacity. The 63A capacity ensures flexibility of the network for a multitude of devices, creating the potential for a wider variety of equipment. Installation is quick and easy, with sections of powertrack clicking together in an orderly, linear configuration, and varied lengths of Betatrak available to suit the specific layout of the installation. Tap-offs can be located wherever needed on the network to provide local power connectivity on a plug and play basis at 300 mm intervals, with RCD protection at the end of each tap-off lead. Unlike office environments, where Betatrak is usually installed in the floor void, the system was used to create wall-mounted networks at the Nightingale hospital in Preston. In longer- term hospital applications, the placement of busbar networks, and the suitability of the building for this solution, must be carefully considered.
One run of powertrack provided the electrical distribution to five beds, with a tap-off (as shown) for each bay to provide four twin sockets for each bed, along with a light switch.
Maintenance benefits
CMD’s 63A Betatrak busbar system can be specified in standard, clean earth (CE), dual circuit, auxiliary, and three-phase, providing the potential for designated and protected electrical networks often required in hospital environments. It also offers maintenance benefits, not only in moving or adding tap-offs as needs change, but also in the easily referenced uniform layout of the linear configuration.
Looking ahead to MMC solutions Once the vaccination programme has taken effect, hopefully the crisis in NHS capacity will be over in the short term, but it’s important that we use the experience of the pandemic to consider longer-term strategies for emergency response and asset development. Modular construction is already becoming increasingly common in the development of hospital buildings. The plug and play nature of busbar powertrack systems makes them extremely compatible with this approach to consistent replication, and suitable for rapid installation in patient modules at scale. In any future public health emergencies, busbar systems should also be prioritised as the method of choice for creating rapid, safe, and resilient, electrical distribution networks in repurposed buildings or modular builds within hospital estates. hej
Paul Allen
Paul Allen, Underfloor sales manager – Electrical, at CMD, is an electrical industry professional with more than 34 years’ experience, and has specialised in power distribution systems for over 20 years. He joined the CMD team in 2010. His expertise includes advising on the specification and configuration of underfloor powertrack and power hub systems, including developing bespoke solutions for specialist sectors, such as healthcare.
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24 HOUR...POWER October 2021 Health Estate Journal 53
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