Water and energy efficient water treatment for large hospital

The water treatment system is based around a centralized plant where the raw water is supplied by the local waterworks. The hospital requires a reliable and robust water treatment and it has been important to exploit new and energy efficient technologies in order to minimize the consumption of water, consumables and energy. The hospital has gained considerable savings due to reduced water, salt and energy consumption based in water treatment plant. Compared to the previous installation they save more than 10.000 m³ water per year.

The water treatment solution

Softening by ion exchange prevents calcium and magnesium deposits in technical installations by removing the calcium from the water and replacing it with sodium, which does not scale. The hardness of the water is constantly measured. If it exceeds a set value, the Testomat unit transmits a signal, which initiates the regeneration process, ensuring more than a 99 % documented water usage efficiency.

Reverse osmosis is used for producing demineralized water. It retains more than 98 % of the salts in the water and removes pyrogenic substances as well as microorganisms. RO-PLUS technology increases the water consumption efficiency to about 85%.

The water usage fluctuates over the course of a day. Storing the demineralized water in a buffer tank reduces both power, salt and water consumption significantly. The water from the buffer storage is continually recirculated through the UV and RO plant in a loop. Disinfection with UV light effectively eliminates virtually all microbiological growth in the water by destroying the DNA of microorganisms such as bacteria, virus, algae, and fungi. Moreover, because RO membranes retain organic material, it serves as a second hygiene barrier.

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