3002 (RP-202) -- Ventilation Requirements in Hospital Operating Rooms — Part II: Energy and Economic Implications ✓ Most Recent

Hospital operating rooms are considered to be among the most energy-intensive facilities and their environmental requirements to be among the most complex. The overall objective of this research project was to identify and demonstrate control strategies that could reduce energy requirements while not producing deleterious effects on the enviromental quality within the operating room.

Reported in this paper are projections of energy requirements and life-cycle costs that were made by use of mathematical and biophysical models. The annual energy required for the recirculating air system operating at 17 air changes per hour (ACH), 20% of which was outdoor air, was projected to be 8000 MJ/m² (0.71 x 10⁶ Btu/f²) or 30% less than for the 100% outdoor air system operating at 12 ACH, 14,430 MJ/m² (1.01 x 100 Btu/ft²). The corresponding reduction in Present-Equivalent Cost (PEC) for the recirculating air system was approximately 20% as compared to the 100% outdoor air system

A control strategy was identified, through mathematical and biophysical models, that would result in less settling of large particles into the field of surgery while reducing the total air exchange rates in the operating roams from 17 ACH to 12 ACH, thus further reducing energy requirements.

A major implication of this research is that while some alternatives to conventional systems for operating rooms may result in substantial reductions in annual energy requirements, the resultant cost reductions may not justify the added risk to patient and staff well-being. A major conclusion is that environmental control systems can be designed that are capable of reducing the risk of patient infection, improving the thermal comfort of the surgical team, and reducing the life-cycle cost of the system.

Units: Dual