Key Aspects in the Definition and Installation of
INTRODUCTION
A hospital is a building for public use with a series of special features which make it an essential service. This means the installation of a power supply source in this kind of building is an especially complex project due to its requirements and restrictions. It also makes generator sets a key piece in the emergency power supply system.
They’re essential to keep the hospital running smoothly and so that their facilities can provide the fundamental services required for the life and wellbeing of their patients in adverse situations such as power outages or catastrophes.
They’re essential to provide the fundamental services required for the life and wellbeing.
WHY ARE GENERATOR SETS NECESSARY IN THIS TYPE OF APPLICATION?
In a hospital, there are multiple different power requirements. From those more known such as operating rooms, Desde las más conocidas como quirófanos, ICUs and rooms, to consultation rooms, laboratories, radiology equipment, etc. It’s also important to note that around these essential elements there are other services which, while not vital, can be essential, such as ventilation and air conditioning, cafeterias, cleaning services, maintenance, and much more. All of this surrounding the most vulnerabe human being, the patient. The reduction, deterioration or outright lack of any of these services will compromise the wellbeing, health or even life of the patient. All of these elements and services need power for the most part in order to operate.
Power supply shouldn’t be another worry on the list. It must be guaranteed at all times and during any situation, which can range anywhere from a failure in the mains network, to a complicated climate situation or any extreme circumstance which may limit power supply. If ever we’re not able to access a reliable and stable power supply, this can compromise the operation of the hospital. A problem in power supply is therefore a problem for the hospital’s activity and means doctors, nurses and other personnel are uncapable of using the resources required to carry out their jobs. This can deteriorate patient’s lives or even put them in danger.
A hospital is a critical installation on which the lives of those which require its services depend. Therefore, we require reliable power supply sources inside our facilities to guarantee electricity even in the most extreme situations. These sources are generator sets.
Generator sets are going to be able to provide the necessary power for all of the vital and essential services. This will guarantee the wellbeing of all patients for them to have the best possible care even in difficult situations.
WHAT SHOULD GENERATOR SETS OFFER?
When we’re talking about the installation of generator sets for a hospital, we’re talking about reliability. An installation of this kind must be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It cannot fail, it must be prepared to activate inmediately and provide the hospital with all the power it requires to ensure its service.
Another one of its features is that is must generate high quality power. The high technification of medical equipment at the present means that a mains supply of poor quality can affect this equipment and make it not work correctly.
It must be an efficient installation. Just because it’s an emergency installation doesn’t mean we can forget that the technical spaces of any building are evermore limited, and energy resources are too. This makes efficiency very important in these installations.
Another important aspect is that it be an autonomous installation, that its interdependence be as little as possible. It will be a lot more robust if it can operate the longest amount of time possible without any external interaction.
These and other features are key qualities that generator sets in hospital settings must offer.
GENERATOR SET FEATURES
The generator sets present in this kind of facility must feature a set of unique characteristics. The first characteristic is to ensure the required power supply for the facility. This can be done through one or multiple generator sets operating independently or in synchronization.
The type of fuel tends to always be diesel. In this case, power supply must be guaranteed as in some extreme cases, some fuel supplies can be interdependent. Furthermore, diesel gensets guarantee the best provisions for this type of facility.
As they are designed and manufactured for critical and emergency situations, they must be robust and highly reliable, and remain correctly maintained through very rigurous protocols. They’re not used frequently, but when they’re needed, they cannot fail.
Autonomy is also important. These gensets must be able to supply electric power during extended periods of time, and even receive fuel safely during their operation.
They’re units which typically have to be adapted to an installation area indoors, which forces us to comply with limits in volume, weight, thermal and acoustic emissions, vibrations, etc. which must all be duly managed.
Finally, these generator sets must have a control system and be started up automatically. They must be able to quickly detect a failure in power supply and be ready to supply maximum power swiftly and automatically. Ideally, this would occur without a power cut as many pieces of vital equipment are increasingly more technical and digitalized, and thus these technologies are more sensitive to this kind of failures.
In order to design an emergency power system for hospitals, including generator sets featuring all of these characteristics, Genesal Energy relies on a team of engineers and technicians which study each case individually to carry out a complex system fully adapted to the facility’s needs, because the patient’s safety allows no margin of error.
APPLICABLE REGULATIONS TO THESE FACILITIES
There are specific norms for power installations in public buildings, concretely hospitals, in every country. In Spain, this norm is found in the Reglamento Electrotécnico de Baja Tensión (REBT), or Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulations. This regulation tells us which are the minimal requirements for electrical supply in this type of facility.
Beyond the norm’s recommendations, a highly reliable power supply, capable of facing the most complex situations will always be welcome. The use of a group of redundant, high quality generator sets, capable of starting up automatically without a power cut, is key in ensuring security and the perfect operation of a hospital’s electricity supply. When we’re talking about people’s safety, in this case, doctors, nurses, auxiliary staff and especially patients, the norms don’t quite cut it for us. At Genesal Energy, we don’t just comply with the regulations, as our equipment and installations have our ULTRA certification, which guarantees maximum quality, reliability, and service in any situation.
A generator set installation must be a fixed one, with sufficient power supply capability.
GENESAL ENERGY CAN HELP YOU
When you find yourself in one of these cases, you need a specialized, experienced company, who will understand your needs and offer you the best solution. In these cases, Genesal Energy can help you to understand the problem, study all posibilities and design an optimal bespoke solution.
Genesal Energy is always ready to provide the most efficient solution. A bespoke generator set adapted to each client. You can find us at consultas@genesal.com.
A team of highly qualified engineers and technicians will study the facility in detail and will design a made-to-measure solution with the best equipment, which they will manufacture, install, comission and accompany during its life cycle, always with Genesal Energy’s ULTRA quality, which guarantees quality, reliability and service.
We must remember that a good piece of equipment without good maintenance isn’t going to deliver an optimal service, and this is why at Genesal Energy we design specific maintenance plans for each type of installation with the possibility of carrying out tests on our own high power load banks to ensure the machine’s performance at 110% at all times.