Delivering pure air to hospitals and other medical facilities is a complex and challenging task. Not only does it have to meet a plethora of demanding regulations that cover medical devices and medicines, it must also be energy efficient, cost effective and, above all, totally reliable. These challenges facing suppliers must be met because hospitals rely on a highly reliable source of pure breathing air to preserve the health and safety of their patients.
Hospitals use two very distinct compressed air systems that are governed by different standards and regulations around the world, namely medical air for patients and equipment, and technical air that is used for maintenance around the facility.
One of the prime requirements of the European Union Medical Device Directive (93/42/EC) stipulates these systems must be separate, which means the air produced by compressors for use in facility tasks cannot be used for patients, and vice versa.
“In a healthcare setting, patient safety is the top priority. Compressed air systems must comply with a range of statutory requirements and standards – which means the breathing air needs to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Amunugama Nalin, General Manager of BOGE Asia Pacific, a leading supplier of air compressor systems.
The 93/42/EEC and related regulations also call for multiple sources of compressed air to guarantee breathing air is available at all times. When designing a system for a hospital, the main challenge is to calculate the hospital’s 100 percent compressed air demand. This is defined as the amount of air that is required if every conceivable application is being used at the same time. Whether it is for patient beds or the operating theatre, medical compressed air must be readily available, that is, should one compressor be out of action for maintenance, and a second breaks down at the same time, a back-up system is able to supply a hospital’s maximum air requirements. It is not uncommon for installations to have three or even four compressed air systems in place, each able to satisfy the 100 percent demand that is needed.
BOGE has just released a comprehensive new guide to oil-free compressed air. It explains the key differences between types of air compressors, as well as the important factors that should be considered for the reliable production of absolutely 100 percent oil-free compressed air.
Available as a free download, the new guide is a must-read for professionals in all sectors, specifically those responsible for the reliable supply of compressed air in sterile and clean environments. It provides everything readers need to know to understand oil-free compressed air and how to produce it for use in their application.
The guide highlights the most important considerations when selecting a compressed air unit that meets the requirements of a specific application, including: the key differences between oil- free and oil-injected systems, the varying ranges of oil-free compressors available and the significant benefits of ‘dry running units’ in comparison with their lubrication-aided counterparts.
Mr Amunugama explains, “The guide supplies valuable information on the key areas where businesses can improve the energy efficiency of their compressed air systems – through the use of variable speed drives and installation of heat recovery technology – to achieve significant savings in running costs.”
For a free copy of the whitepaper (guide), email a.nalin@boge.com
About BOGE Singapore
BOGE KOMPRESSOREN is one of the world’s largest producers of compressed air systems and represents the South East Asian market through its own subsidiary in Singapore. With more than 100 years of experience in mechanical engineering, BOGE KOMPRESSOREN Otto Boge GmbH & Co. KG is one of the oldest manufacturers of compressors and compressed air systems in Germany. Be it high speed turbo compressors, screw compressors, piston compressors, scroll compressors, complete systems or individual devices, BOGE meets the most diverse requirements and highest standards – in a precise and quality-aware manner. BOGE solutions are used by all sectors of industry to supply compressed air for a wide range of manufacturing processes. In South East Asia the BOGE products are sold and serviced through a dedicated network of 48 distributors.
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