Project Summary
New Trane VAV terminals, a Tracer Summit™ chiller plant management system and a Series R™ chiller improve comfort and efficiency at Lakeview Hospital.
Challenge
In the summer of 2007 Lakeview Hospital had a variety of comfort and HVAC system control issues, plus the highest energy costs per square foot of any facility in the Mountainstar Healthcare Network. By 2008 Lakeview Hospital’s chillers and aging pneumatic control system were no longer able to provide the kind of temperature control needed for patient comfort and required in the operating rooms.
Solution
Trane assembled a team of sales engineers and technicians who developed a comprehensive plan to install new Trane VAV (variable air volume) terminals on the hospital’s upper floor and operating rooms. The new air distribution system included Trane slot diffusers and variable frequency drives installed on the air handlers. The Tracer Summit™ control system also serves the upper floors and operating rooms.
In 2009 Craig Harris, Director of Facilities at Lakeview Hospital, determined that one of the hospital’s existing 200-ton chillers was beyond repair and needed replacement. Trane was awarded the contract and replaced the chiller with a new Trane RTHD Series R™ chiller that consumes only .55 kW per ton of chiller capacity at full load. Trane also replaced the cooling tower with a new Evapco unit and added a Tracer Summit chiller plant control system.
Results
The air handling and controls upgrade, and the chiller and cooling tower replacement projects, were completed on time. As a result, the hospital patients and staff enjoy improved comfort while the hospital saves energy and maintenance costs.
Craig Harris said, “Mario Maestas, Trane account manager, and his team at Trane did a great job on the chiller and cooling tower replacement projects. I was very impressed. They are very good to work with and do a great job.
“The chiller plant is running very well now and we have the new Trane chiller to assure that the hospital stays comfortable. We are seeing energy savings right off the bat--about ten percent. That should improve as we add more variable frequency drives.”
Harris also cites the advantages of the Trane Tracer Summit™ system controlling the chiller plant, cooling tower and HVAC system for best comfort and efficiency. “We set up the whole system on the Tracer Summit system and that is working just great.”
About Lakeview Hospital
Lakeview Hospital, part of HCA-Mountainstar Healthcare Network, was founded in 1976 to meet the needs of Bountiful, Utah, a growing community of 41,000 persons twelve miles north of Salt Lake City. The hospital has 128 beds and averages more than 3,500 admissions annually. The staff includes 111 physicians, 600 employees and 130 volunteers. Specialty services include Healthworks/Occupational Health, Diabetes Treatment Center, Sleep Disorder Diagnostic Center, Utah Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine, a Rehabilitation Center and Transitional Care Center. The Emergency Department handles about 17,000 visits per year.
