‘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

The events of the pandemic have put the healthcare sector under unprecedented pressure, with the steam systems of overcapacity 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 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.