Design question

[don Logan]

Hi, the hospital where i work wants to install a temporary operating theatre unit. The unit requires a 125amp 3 phase supply. I haven't worked here long and am unsure of whether the existing electrical supply can accomodate this. How do i go about looking into this? The main panel has no digital readouts displaying how much current is being drawn at a time. I'm an electrician but have not had much experience in designing systems, so am a bit unsure of it. There are already various scanner and x ray machines that draw a huge amount of current.

Would we need to have the SEB in to stick a clamp meter in for a few days so that they can monitor how much current typically gets drawn?

Thanks.

 

[malcolmsanford]

You can simply set up something your self with CT's and a few gauges if you so wish or hire a proper power analysers which would be my option for this.

The analyser will give you read outs and cover the system 24/7 and can be hired weekly for very little money

Equipment like X-rays MRI etc will normally be on a completely separate TX from general supplies so unless whoever designed the installations of such thing have got it so badly wrong, I would not worry too much.

Not knowing your Hospital in terms of age etc, most modern Hospitals will have a tremendous amount of future proofing added in the conceptional design stage, so if it is fairly new you should be fine.

Don't you have hospital engineers that worry about all this, or are you the hospital engineer?

 

[IQ Electrical]

You can simply set up something your self with CT's and a few gauges if you so wish or hire a proper power analysers which would be my option for this.

The analyser will give you read outs and cover the system 24/7 and can be hired weekly for very little money

Equipment like X-rays MRI etc will normally be on a completely separate TX from general supplies so unless whoever designed the installations of such thing have got it so badly wrong, I would not worry too much.

Not knowing your Hospital in terms of age etc, most modern Hospitals will have a tremendous amount of future proofing added in the conceptional design stage, so if it is fairly new you should be fine.

Don't you have hospital engineers that worry about all this, or are you the hospital engineer?

That was my first thought, you are taking responsibility here for an operating theatre (albeit temporary) supply, you need to be aware of backup requirements etc. and I'd recommend monitoring demand over a few days to take account of occasional large loads that could be missed over a shorter period.

Is there not an electrical engineer to take responsibility for the feasibility part at least?

 

[Engineer54]

As Malc and IQ, have stated, this is NOT an electricians responsibility, this is a management responsibility, and the person i would be looking towards is the Hospital Engineer (Maintenance Manager)

Have you actually been instructed to take on the role of assessment and design for this temporary theatre power supply??

 

[don Logan]

Thanks for the replies. Don't worry, they haven't just told me to stick in an operating theatre and left me to arrange it all...

They just asked informally whether i thought the system would handle it. The company supplying the unit has engineers for this, so it will be done properly.


Cheers.