STEAM TECHNOLOGY


‘Greener’ steam technology bridges the utilities gap


Craig Fleming, Sector leader for NHS & Government Services at Aggreko Northern Europe, explores how healthcare facilities can meet existing demand for steam for a variety of uses harnessing new steam technology, and, in the process, bridge the gap to long-term solutions.


Steam has traditionally been an integral utility in hospitals and healthcare facilities – among its key uses being the sterilisation of surgical instruments and medical waste, and laundering large quantities of dirty clothing and linen.


The events of the pandemic have put the healthcare sector under unprecedented pressure, with the steam systems of over- capacity hospitals experiencing extreme levels of demand. Such unusual circumstances have led many Estates and Facilities managers to consider the condition of existing, ageing assets and seek a change. However, with budgets becoming increasingly straitened in the aftermath of COVID, hospitals and other healthcare facilities may not be able to purchase the utilities equipment they need to upgrade equipment and ward off the threat of unplanned downtime. The further disruption this could cause in already difficult conditions could present unacceptable circumstances where patients may be placed at risk. Steam has traditionally been an integral utility in hospitals and healthcare facilities. It can be used in a wide variety of general applications, including space heating, the provision of hot water, and maintaining building humidity. However, it is also harnessed via clean steam generators for several specialist, healthcare-specific functions. This includes the sterilisation of surgical instruments and medical waste, and laundering the large quantities of dirty clothing and linen that hospitals


56 Health Estate Journal October 2021


generate. It is clear that steam has been a very adaptable utility, with uses ranging from simply moving liquid and gases through pipes, to being employed in complex processes like atomisation. Steam is likely to be found in a large number of processes across a healthcare facility in some shape or form. Given its importance as both a utility and power source, it is unsurprising that it is sometimes referred to as the ‘lifeblood’ of a hospital.


Pandemic-based strain


The steam system’s status as a major part of a hospital’s operations has never been more apparent than during the ongoing COVID-19 situation. An unprecedented influx of patients, especially during the first weeks of the pandemic, resulted in equally unprecedented levels of demand for this vital utility. With steam being heavily relied upon for so many key processes, the spotlight was therefore firmly fixed on ensuring that systems remained operational. Unplanned downtime would not only lead to logistical issues at a time when strained hospital workforces could ill afford them; it could also lead to potentially life- threatening consequences. While the


worst of the pandemic is now thankfully past us, its impact identified a key concern in healthcare utility provision – namely, continued reliance on steam technology, and the need to maintain this critical infrastructure in an emergency situation, demonstrated that many older systems are declining in performance, and approaching obsolescence. With that in mind, new utility solutions may be required in order to safeguard key hospital processes, and ensure any facility’s continued safe and efficient running. This is especially the case considering the UK’s continually expanding population, and, more specifically, the growing demographic of older people, who are more likely to require services provided by hospitals and other healthcare facilities.


Sustainable solutions


Other external factors are also informing Estates managers’ decisions to purchase new steam equipment. For example, the Government’s 2019 decision to enshrine into law the country’s target of Net Zero emissions by 2050 means that sustainability is no longer a preference when selecting new utility solutions – it is a requirement.


©iStock


©iStock/Sucharas Wongpeth


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112