Summit Matsu Chilling Systems provide the answers on how to cut water usage in hospitals

Reducing water usage is something everyone is aiming to do in every facet of their daily lives.  One simple way in which Goulburn hospital found to reduce water usage was by installing a process chiller which is used in their sterilisation process.  It works by transporting the hot water through the vacuum pump and condensers and pumping it back to the steriliser again.  This is done rather than using town water thus a significant amount of water is saved from year to year.

Given the drought that has been occurring in Australia for sometime, it has become a high priority to preserve water where ever possible.  This especially can be seen in industrial sectors where massive amounts of water are frequently used in their applications businesses are always looking to find innovative ways to reduce their water usage.  This can be attributed from both the desire to reduce overhead costs as well as from the conscious need to contribute to environmental preservation.

The sterilisation process is a key process for hospitals everyday as it is a necessary part in being able to look after patients using sterile equipment.  The instruments and equipment are always required to be maintained so that the highest possible standard to prevent causing any diseases from being spread and ensuring that patients can feel comfortable knowing they are receiving the best treatment possible.  The process uses a large amount of energy in conjunction with a large amount of water and put together is very expensive.  As a lot of energy is used, large amounts of water are used to keep the sterilizer cold to prevent the energy from producing too much heat.  Without cooling it down if too much heat is produced, the machine and circuits are vulnerable of being damaged.  Although chillers are more efficient, a large amount of hospitals are still using town water even though there is a drought.

By choosing to install a chiller, potentially hospitals can reduce their water usage by tens of thousands of litres per year.  The way the chiller enables this is by taking hot water from the condensers in the vacuum pump, cooling it down and then pumping it back into the steriliser.    The feature of a large buffer tank in the chillers sees that extremes of temperatures on the return of the water don’t have any effect.  The hot water that returns is mixed with the internal reservoir which is maintained at a temperature constantly of 10 degrees Celsius.  Another added advantage of using a chilling system means that despite the weather sterilising can always take place, therefore enabling the hospital to always be relied on to provide sterilised equipment for their patients.

As Goulburn hospital is reliant on their tools being sterilised at all times and ready for use it emphasizes how reliable Summit Matsu chilling systems are as they were chosen to supply them with the system that the sterilisation equipment relies on to operate now.  They have experienced a large amount of success with the installation in reducing costs and water usage as intended.  Summit Matsu has experienced a large number of enquiries from hospitals with similar requests for chilling systems to be custom designed and installed for use.  Daniel Rollston from Summit Matsu Chilling Systems comments “It is amazing how many are still using town water for steriliser cooling, we are genuinely surprised that hospitals are not taking simple steps like installing chillers to cut water usage”

More information on similar applications and case studies can be found online at http://www.matsu.com.au/.

For product enquiries please call 1300 CHILLERS (1300 244 553) or + 61 2 9698 4666