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sustainabletimes
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Trend Controls conceives
perfect environmental
monitoring system for
Saint Mary’s Hospital
Since it first opened its doors in 1790,
Saint Mary’s Hospital has developed
a wide range of world-class medical
services to meet the needs of the
local population in Manchester.
Its Department of Reproductive
Medicine has become a centre of
excellence in the provision of in
vitro fertilisation (IVF) and has given
hundreds of people who weren’t able
to conceive naturally the chance to
become parents.
IVF literally means ‘fertilisation in
glass’ and, unsurprisingly, for any chance
of success the process must be carried
out in perfect conditions. Maintaining
the correct temperature within the
incubators is imperative as a fraction of
a degree above or below could reduce
the chances of fertilisation occurring.
Recognising that the best way to
control the climate would be via an
environmental monitoring system that
could sound an alarm when required,
Greg Horne, lead embryologist and
laboratory manager of the Department
of Reproductive Medicine, began
searching for a solution. Fortunately
he didn’t have to look far and after
discovering that Sale-based Detail
Design Engineering (DDE) had already
configured a similar system for the
National Institute for Biological
Standards and Control (NIBSC) he made
contact.
When Manchester’s world-renowned Saint Mary’s Hospital needed
a monitoring system to control the temperature in its Department
of Reproductive Medicine, it called on Detail Design Engineering to
configure a system using products from Trend Controls.
Bespoke solutions
Established in 1991, DDE is one of the
NorthWest’s leading system integration
experts with an enviable reputation for
the design, installation and maintenance
of Building Energy Management
Systems (BEMS) and control solutions
across the country. Its impressive client
list ranges from local authorities and
health authorities to blue chip industrial
companies and leading retail chains.
“Our reputation for controlling non-
standard, demanding applications such
as clean rooms and hospital facilities
means that we are often called upon to
configure controls-based systems that
are entirely bespoke,” explains director
David Gould. “When Greg contacted us
we knew that we would be able to help
using products from Trend Controls.”
To give Horne a clearer idea of what
was possible, Gould organised a visit to
NIBSC headquarters where he could see
how a Trend Controls BEMS is used to
monitor the performance of scientific
storage equipment including fridges,
freezers, incubators, cold rooms and liquid
nitrogen vessels. Horne was immediately
impressed and requested a similarly
specified system to be installed at the
Department of Reproductive Medicine.
Work began in 2006 when DDE set
about identifying all the elements that
needed monitoring, as Gould explains:
“The embryos are stored in liquid
nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C – a
temperature that must remain consistent
– so we installed a series of probes and
alarms in the incubators to make sure
that relevant personnel could be notified
if there was any change. Additional
sensors were used to monitor humidity
and CO2. Oxygen depletion monitors
were also installed, as if liquid nitrogen
leaks or spills it can affect oxygen levels,
which is potentially fatal to humans.”
DDE has been a Trend Controls
Partner for over 20 years and now uses
its products and systems exclusively.
Asked why, Gould says: “They are without
doubt the most flexible and reliable
solutions on the market.When working in
environments such as St Mary’s we can’t
afford to take risks with products that we
cannot rely upon 100%.”
Text and alarms
Like the one at NIBSC, the system at the
Department of Reproductive Medicine is
based around Trend Controls’ IQ251.
A Trend Controls 963 Supervisor graphical
user interface is the brains of the system
and DDE uses it to configure all the
necessary set-points and levels.
The 963 is programmed to issue
alarms and can send messages via text
and email to an on-site member of
staff via a Trend Controls GSM modem.
This allows DDE to dial in and carry
out diagnostic checks and, in an alarm
situation, to make a pre-recorded
telephone call to the reception desk so
that an additional alert can be delivered.
The environmental monitoring system
has been called into action on a number
of occasions, ensuring the required
remedial action is taken without any
disruption to the IVF programme.
“For six years this system has offered
us peace of mind far beyond our initial
expectations,” says St Mary’s Hospital’s
Greg Horne. “By using products from
Trend Controls, DDE has ensured that
the conditions in the Department of
Reproductive Medicine are maintained
so that we can have the best possible
chance of creating new lives.”
For further information please call Trend
Marketing on 01403 211888 or email
.
Embryos are stored
in liquid nitrogen
at a constant
temperature of
-196°C and are
monitored by a
series of probes and
alarms.
energy management