PureWave UPS™ System Fills the Prescription for Hospital Expansion.

Background

Boone Hospital Center, located in Columbia, Missouri, is one of the largest health care facilities in the state. It specializes in cardiology, obstetrics, orthopedics, and oncology. An $18.6-Million facility renovation was recently undertaken, which includes a four-story, 80,000-square-foot addition that houses distribution, central supply/sterilization, pre-operative space, cardiac catheter labs (the first stop for heart attack and stroke patients), and new operating theaters.

When the expansion was announced, the surgical staff requested that the electrical system be protected from momentary power outages due to lightning strikes, which are very common during the summer.

The electrical system for the addition includes both life safety and critical branches as defined in the National Electric Code, so twin diesel generators were to be installed as the alternate power source. But there would still be a time delay between onset of a power interruption and transfer to the alternate source . . . typically 10 seconds. So while the electrical system met code requirements, it would still allow momentary power outages that affect portions of the connected load.

What did they do?

The hospital’s facility management personnel were interested in simple, dependable backup power protection. Their consulting engineer, CM Engineering of Columbia, Missouri, researched a variety of static and rotary UPS systems that could provide uninterruptible power to the new facility until generator power was available.

S&C’s PureWave UPS System met all their needs, and offered a cost-effective combination of ride-through time and proven battery-based technology – plus a more compact footprint than other systems under consideration.

The sealed lead-acid batteries utilized in the PureWave UPS System fulfilled their requirement for dependability and minimal maintenance. The batteries power the load during momentary utility source disturbances. The system coordinates with, and transfers load to, the generator set during extended power outages.

All major system components are contained in a single pad-mounted enclosure, making for a secure, compact installation, indoors or outdoors. Particularly important to the hospital management personnel was the longer ride-through time of the PureWave UPS System, compared to alternative technologies. It provides a comfortable margin between start-up and synchronization of the two generator sets during extended outages.

Results

The UPS was installed in December 2004, in an equipment room near the generator sets. It now provides power protection to the new wing. Additional critical load will be added as the project proceeds.