Safety Behind The Socket
For both patients and staff within hospital and other medical facilities, high levels of electrical supply continuity and safety must be achieved. In general, electrical safety can be compromised by either unplanned interruptions to supply (required for patients) or electric shock hazards (to patients and staff).
It is recommended by several international and UK standards that isolated power systems are to be used for circuits supplying medical electrical life-support equipment or in areas where intra-cardiac procedures are performed. These areas are classified as either “Group 2” or “Clinical Category 4 or 5” locations.
An IT Power Supply System (Isolated Power Supply) is recommended over the standard TN Earthed Supply systems (normal supply system for most industrial, commercial and domestic applications) as it has several advantages, including the detection (via an alarm) of the insulation level of medical equipment dropping below pre-set parameters.
The installation of an Isolated Power System, along with effective equipotential earthing, provides enhanced electrical safety by eliminating the possibility of tripped MCBs caused by a single earth fault and therefore ensures that the grid, UPS and generator are able to provide continuous power to the critical medical sockets. By isolating the final circuits from earth, only negligible current is allowed to flow, even under first-fault conditions.
Isolated Power Supply System
Within each IPS System, an integrated TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) Web Server is provided, so that all IPS information is accessible, without any additional equipment, across the hospital network using a standard browser such as MS Internet Explorer, Google Chrome.
IPS Monitor (IPM400)
Designed to continually monitor the insulation resistance of the unearthed connected electrical network. It will alarm when the insulation of the network drops below a set value, typically 250k ohms. The temperatureand current of the Isolation Transformer are permanently monitored. Over-temperature or over-current alarms are triggered if the windings become too hot orover-loaded, respectively. The IPM400 alerts the user that there is faulty equipment but allows the electrical network to operate as normal. This gives time for completion of the surgical operation or removal of the faulty equipment ensuring patient safety.
Starkstrom Auto Transfer Switch (SATS)
Designed to continually monitor the insulation resistance of the unearthed connected electrical network and automatically detect exactly which part of the IPS System contains the fault.In the event of an earth fault, the EDS400 will automatically detect which circuit of the IPS System contains the fault and indicate to the user, via an alarm, which socket is actually in fault. This improves the process of fault detection and correction, saving time and cost, whilst enhancing patient safety. The EDS400 is used for searching earth faults in isolated AC power networks with a maximum of 96 searchable circuits, although 16 is usually sufficient for most installations. It also performs all the functions of the IPM400.
Earth Fault Detection System (EDS400)
Starkstrom’s automatic transfer switches have been designed to enhance electrical supply resilience. SATS automaticallyswitches the IPS load on to a reserve or backup supply, in the event that a main supply voltage fails or drops by 10%. This ensures that any surgical operation taking place can continue enhancing patient safety and saving cost from possible delayed treatment. Two versions of SATS are available to meet specific performance and budget criteria:
- Standard – basic control and basic switching device suitable for most applications.
- Advanced – advanced control and advanced switching device allowing the engineer to configure exact values forvarious parameters, such as, voltage and transfer times.
Medical Isolation Transformer
Designed in accordance with IEC 61558-2-15 edition 2 to ensure Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs) do not trip on first earth-fault. Starkstrom’s Medical Isolation Transformers provide the electrical isolation needed for an IPS system towork correctly and enhance the electrical supply continuity. Single-phase transformers are available with a rated output of between 0.5 – 10 kVA inclusive. Starkstrom standard transformers can generate energy savings of up to 63% compared to standard medical isolation transformers from other suppliers.
Remote Alarms
For the various medical locations within a hospital (e.g.operating theatre, ITU, recovery) a range of audible and visual remote alarms are available to meet specific needs and allow the performance of the IPS System to be permanently monitored, alerting the clinical and engineering staff to any faults. Models include RA003, RA004 and RA007.
TCP/IP Web Server
Within each IPS System, an integrated TCP/IP(Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) Web Server is provided so that all IPS information isaccessible, without any additional equipment, across the hospital network using a standard browser such as MS Internet Explorer, Google Chrome.
