La tecnologia al servizio della salute: gli ospedali beneficiano di una migliore rete elettrica

Challenge

Doctors recommend regular check-ups to keep their patients healthy – the same principle applied to medical equipment.

Poor power quality can be a real problem, for hospital networks, leading to malfunctioning equipment, compromised examinations, the need for frequent maintenance.  That can mean not only financial losses, but also the risk that medical equipment – is unavailable, a situation which can cost lives.

Solution

It was this concern that led the Centro Hospitalar São Camilo, in Ponta Grossa, Paraná State, Brazil, to acquire a PQFM Active Filter, Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ solution to guarantee the power quality of equipment such as Tomography and Resonance Machines. “The effects of unbalance and harmonic distortions are harmful to these machines,” says Fabio Roberto Secco, the engineer responsible for the design of the electrical installations at Centro Hospitalar São Camilo. “The purpose of installing the active filter is to achieve a cleaner network and thereby reduce downtime and equipment maintenance costs, in addition to improving the quality and availability of diagnostic services.”

Compact and ideal for use in indoor environments, the active filter solution brings an important safety improvement: it does not overload, thus avoiding the risk of leaks or fires. In addition, it allows remote access and maintenance. “Remote maintenance means that periodic monitoring of equipment or machines, using data collected through monitoring or inspections, can be done from anywhere in the world. In practice, this can generate savings and increased efficiency,” explains Noaman Amjad, Global Head of Marketing & Sales and Head of Japan, South America and South Korea at Hitachi ABB Power Grids.

Another great advantage of the PQFM Active Filter is its flexibility. It constantly adapts to the type of pollution present in the network, setting the filtering of harmonic currents, load balancing and even reactive compensation, without having to be reprogrammed for this.

Impact 

Widely used in industries, commercial buildings and healthcare facilities, the filters in the PQF line feature a modular design that is easy to install and expand. “The installation, guided by Hitachi ABB Power Grids, was simple, easy and fast,  performed by the technicians in less than two hours” says Marcelo Borges, engineer at Joclamar, the company responsible for the execution of the work.

The PQF line is available for direct connection up to 690 volts and can offer different combinations of current to suit customer's needs.