Fulton steam boiler packages future-proof nuffield health’s decontamination services
As part of a continuous improvement programme at its market-leading, off-site decontamination units serving its hospitals, Nuffield Health has recently installed Fulton skid-mounted steam boiler packages with remote monitoring capabilities at each of its off-site Decontamination Units in Wetherby, Stoke, Cambridge, Eastleigh, Tiverton and Warwick.
Each of the six sites contains a skid-mounted package consisting of three 60J boiler plus ancillaries and all eighteen boilers are being remotely monitored by an innovative Fulton-designed telemetry system, which complies with the current PGS2 standard. The system is capable of reporting critical alarm conditions such as primary and secondary low water, flame failure, high pressure and high water for each of the three dual-fuel 60J units per site, two of which are firing constantly with one on standby. The system also monitors signals from digital and analogue meters for gas, electric and water supplies and steam pressure. If a critical alarm condition is raised, the boilers will automatically shut down and the Fulton telemetry system will notify Nuffield site engineers via BT Redcare.
The next phase of the programme will enable the telemetry system to provide an overview of the operating conditions of each boiler, remotely via the internet. This will be installed when the new BG01 standard is ratified by the CEA, SAFed and HSE and is expected to reduce Nuffield's regular plant room visits from 24-hour intervals to as little as every 72 hours.
Commenting for Nuffield Health, site engineer Simon Baker says: "Under the old PM5 and PGS2 standards, manually monitoring six sites and 18 boilers 24-hours a day, six days a week cost Nuffield Health in excess of £160,000 a year. With Fulton working towards the BG01 standard and future-proofing the plant rooms using remote monitoring via telemetry, we will be able to reduce this figure substantially. Nuffield Health is the only independent hospital group in the UK to be fully compliant with EC directives on instrument decontamination and it is really important that we have the most reliable equipment possible so that we can ensure continuity of service to our hospitals."
Each of the skid-mounted packages designed and manufactured by Fulton, comprises three 60J boilers, a blowdown vessel, condensate recovery system and water treatment plant. Each Fulton package was connected to existing site services, which included a clean steam generator and heat exchanger, and now provides steam for Nuffield's in-house decontamination and sterilisation services and DHW and heating.
Every day the plant room boilers are blown down, visually checked and alarm systems tested by site engineers. All six plant rooms are also covered by a comprehensive Fulton service contract.