Electrio helps install IPS units for theatres, recovery & ICU on Africa Mercy
Installation and Maintenance | Healthcare
Africa Mercy is a rail ferry that was converted in 1999 (over a few years) into a hospital ship. The lower decks of the eight-deck ship have been transformed into a modern hospital with five operating theatres, an Intensive Care Unit, an Ophthalmology unit, a CT scanner, x-ray, laboratories, and a recovery ward with beds for 82 patients.
Protecting power supplies to ensure continuity of care
Isolated power supply (IPS) units have recently been installed on deck three, providing monitoring of all medical sockets within the group two areas. Electrio prepared the design and procured the equipment from Bender UK to facilitate the work required. These IPS units will help ensure patient safety and continuity of care, as well as protecting sensitive medical equipment.
The ship has two operating voltages, 230V & 120V to allow for medical equipment donated from either the US or Europe. Within each area, a 230V & 120V IPS unit was provided, giving interleaving between the various group two areas.
Bender’s new touch screen annunciators were installed in all areas covered by the IPS, as well as the operating theatre manager’s office. A link has also been installed into the ship's operating systems to alert the on-board maintenance staff in the event of a fault. The IPS units were manufactured in Germany and shipped direct to South Africa, the cable and associated items were shipped from the UK.
Mitigating vibrations and protecting against water ingress
As well as the requirements of HTM and BS7671, the specification for the IPS units also had to take into account maritime regulations. Seismic mounts, installed on separate steel plates, support the units, helping mitigate the vibrations from the ships systems, thus satisfying maritime rules.
New circuits have been installed from each IPS unit to the relevant area, and existing containment has been used within the bulkheads along with some new trunkings supplied by CableFlow.
EBBs were fitted into each area within a bespoke unit (which also housed the annunciators) allowing for the larger marine cable to be installed and fixed within the medical area. Cabling which transversed bulkheads had to be sealed via Roxtec units to provide protection from fire and water ingress.
Working together to complete a successful install
The installation of the IPS units took place over two separate visits, the first fix being carried out in Durban shipyard and the final install and commission taking place in Port Elizabeth. A spokesperson from Mercy Ships said; "Electrio’s staff worked with the crew of the Africa Mercy to overcome the challenges of installing IPS units on an ageing ship. The install would not have been possible without their expertise and dedication."
We'd like to say a big thank you to all the Mercy Ship staff for their help in getting this project through to completion - and for the recommendations for places to eat and relax!