×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

ACH in hospital operating room

ACH in hospital operating room

ACH in hospital operating room

(OP)
Greetings everyone,

I know that ASHRAE Standard 170 dictates the ventilation and combination ACH for different type of rooms in healthcare facilities. I was wondering is there a way to reduce the combination ACH if the ventilation ACH are increased? I mean, if the room requires 20 combination ACH with 4 ventilation ACH, can the ACH be reduced to say 15 if they are 100% OA?

Thanks for your time, any help will be greatly appreciated.

RE: ACH in hospital operating room

I would check your state hospital code for this information if you are in the States.

RE: ACH in hospital operating room

Yes, as willard3 wrote, it depends on your local code.

Best to you,

Goober Dave

Haven't see the forum policies? Do so now: Forum Policies

RE: ACH in hospital operating room

(OP)
Thanks to both. We use ICC codes at the moment, but when the hospital was designed UBC 1997 was the valid code. The 2009 IMC only mentions 30 cfm/person for ventilation rates but makes no reference to ACH. I can't seem to find a digital copy of the UBC online.

RE: ACH in hospital operating room

I don't think you can reduce the total ACH. If it's by all outdoor air the running costs might be big. This sounds like a good application for fan powered boxes with HEPA supply diffusers.

RE: ACH in hospital operating room

the code has a total ACH column and a Min OA ACH column? - Code is code, comply with it, period. You should not be speculating about it.
Some hospitals have their own requirements. Check with your architect medical planner, some doctors require a minimum of 65F in the room, meaning you need even higher ACH.

RE: ACH in hospital operating room

your logic has its merits for general applications, but for operation rooms minumum "combination" ach serves to impose filtration intensity for all space air and therefore must not be reduced.

RE: ACH in hospital operating room

It makes for tougher control for relative differential pressure requirements.

The VA allows for decreased ACH during unoccupied periods, but maintaining the relative dP and being able to go to full operation for emergency service make it a challenge. Our ORN's are not fond of the idea, and I don't care to argue with an ORN about her own room. Even if it is allowable, are you sure you want to do it?

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources