HVAC in Hospitals

HVAC
HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning) is the technology of indoor and
vehicular environmental comfort.
 HVAC system design is a sub discipline

of mechanical engineering, based on the

principles of thermodynamics, fluid
mechanics, and heat transfer
HVAC
 Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning is
based on inventions and discoveries made by
Nikolay Lvov, Michael Faraday, Willis
Carrier, Reuben Trane, James Joule, William
Rankine, Sadi Carnot, and many others
Functions of HVAC
  The three central functions of heating,
ventilating, and air-conditioning are interrelated,
especially with the need to provide thermal
comfort and acceptable indoor air quality within
reasonable installation, operation, and
maintenance costs.
 HVAC systems can provide ventilation, reduce
air infiltration, and maintain pressure
relationships between spaces.
 The means of air delivery and removal from
spaces is known as room air distribution
Design and Installation
In modern buildings the design, installation,
and control systems of these functions are
integrated into one or more HVAC systems.
 For very small buildings, contractors

normally capacity engineer and select HVAC

systems and equipment.

Design and Installation
For larger buildings, building services
designers and engineers, such as mechanical,
or building services engineers analyze,
design, and specify the HVAC systems, and
specialty mechanical contractors fabricate
and commission them.
 Building permits and code-compliance

inspections of the installations are normally

required for all sizes of buildings
Heating Systems
 There are many different types of heating
systems.
  Central heating is often used in cool climates

to heat houses and public buildings. Such a

system contains a boiler, furnace, or heat
pump to warm water, steam, or air in a
central location such as a furnace room in a
home or a mechanical room in a large
building.
Ventilation
 Ventilation is the process of changing or
replacing air in any space to control
temperature or remove any combination of
moisture, odours, smoke, heat, dust, airborne
bacteria, or carbon dioxide, and to replenish
oxygen.
 Ventilation includes both the exchange of air
with the outside as well as circulation of air
within the building. It is one of the most
important factors for maintaining
acceptable indoor air quality in buildings. 
Ventilation
Mechanical" or "forced" ventilation is provided
by an air handler and used to control indoor
air quality.
 Excess humidity, odours, and contaminants

can often be controlled via dilution or

replacement with outside air.
Natural ventilation
 Natural ventilation is the ventilation of a
building with outside air without the use of
fans or other mechanical systems.
 It can be achieved with operable windows

or trickle vents when the spaces to ventilate

are small and the architecture permits
Natural Ventilation
 An important component of natural
ventilation is air changes per hour: the rate of
ventilation through a room with respect to its
volume.
 For example, six air changes per hour means

that the entire volume of the space is

theoretically replaced with new air every ten
minutes.
 For human comfort, a minimum of four air

changes per hour is usually targeted

Natural ventilation
 Natural ventilation is a key factor in reducing
the spread of airborne illnesses such as
tuberculosis, the common cold, influenza and
meningitis.
 Opening doors, windows, and using ceiling

fans are all ways to maximize natural

ventilation and reduce the risk of airborne
contagion.
 Natural ventilation requires little maintenance

and is inexpensive
Air Conditioning
 Certain areas in the hospital particularly need air
conditioning to achieve certain levels of temp.,
humidity, filtration and circulation. These include:
 Operating rooms
 Labour-delivery suites
 ICUs
 Nurseries
 Mortuary
 Rooms housing sophisticated medical equipments,

like MRI, CT
 CSSD
Air Conditioning
 Self contained window units used in earlier
times have become obsolete, and are very
expensive
 Central air conditioning system is now

preferred for reasons of flexibility, and

maintenance
 The basic elements of most air conditioning

systems are air and water

 Cooling can be achieved by utilising chilled

water, refrigerant, or outside air

Air Conditioning
 System components of controlled chilled water system
are:
 Compressor
 Condensor
 Chiller
 Chilled water pumps
 Condensor water pumps
 Cooling towers
 Expansion valves
 Chilled water pipes
 Air handling unit, cooling coil
 Centrifugal fans for exhaust
Air Conditioning in Operating Rooms
 Objectives:
-To introduce fresh, uncontaminated, dehumidified
and cool air
-Exhaust the air contaminated during surgery
-Provide working comfort for the team
-Prevent contamination from adjacent areas
.Air supply should be from ceiling outlets near the centre
of work area
.Temp. should be between 23-24`C
.Positive pressure to be maintained
.20 to 30 air changes are needed to reduce incidence of
contamination
Air Conditioning in Operating Rooms
 Low level exhaust air pick up points should be
placed at peripheral walls for scavenging effect
 Laminar air flow is preferred
 Individual air handling systems should be
provided for each operating room to avoid
cross contamination and maintain temp.
 Relative humidity should be 50% to 60%
 All items of equipment should be chosen on
low noise criterion: noise levels should not
exceed 52db
Conclusion
 HVAC system is an essential part of any
hospital, not only for patient comfort but more
importantly for patient treatment, care, and
equipment maintenance
 It is an important responsibility of the hospital
engineers and the hospital administration to
ensure that the system keeps on functioning
efficiently and without glitches


Thank You