Airchannel provides a fit solution for healthcare specialist

Introduction
As the UK’s leading healthcare waste services company, SRCL works with local and national companies to improve employee and customer safety, ensure legislative compliance and minimise the environmental impact of waste disposal.

It provides a range of services including clinical waste collection and disposal to NHS trusts, GPs, dentists, pharmaceutical manufacturers and private sector businesses with a comprehensive infrastructure of over 20 Waste-to-Energy facilities, alternative treatment plants and waste transfer stations throughout the UK and Ireland.

The challenge
Using advanced technologies, including the latest heat disinfection units and high temperature incinerators, SRCL provides compliant disposal for all types of healthcare and many hazardous waste streams.

At its incinerator facility on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site, the company was using two compressors located in its main work area fed by two refrigerant dryers on a lower level, which was not always a reliable process.

As both sets of equipment had been in place for some time, and the dryers were frequently breaking down resulting in moisture appearing in the compressed air system, SRCL, whose waste disposal operation is heavily dependent on a reliable supply of compressed air, decided it was time they were replaced.

Results
Airchannel installed two CompAir L37F-07A air compressors with integrated refrigerant dryers, an energair control system (metacentre S2) and CompAir Owamat 12 oil and water separator to enable SRCL to start using clean and dry air with the additional benefit of reduced noise output.

Condensate is cleaned of contamination, allowing safe and legal discharge of water to foul drain in compliance with ISO14001.

The compressors’ control system uses automatic rotation on standby and therefore does not need to be manned. As well as improved operating efficiency, they are also more reliable than the company’s previous arrangement, saving SRCL a significant amount of time due to the reduction in maintenance requirements.

Conclusion
General manager at SRCL, Scott Davidson, comments on the installation: “We required a solution almost immediately to ensure our operation continued with minimum disruption. Airchannel was able to exceed our high expectations and install a fully comprehensive solution within a matter of days.

“The quality of compressed air has dramatically improved and increased the efficiency of our processes. The improvements also ensure we fully comply with the ISO14001 environmental standard.”