Engineered Systems NEWSHVAC Engineering SectorsVentilation and IAQHealth Care HVAC

Florida Hospital Halts the Spread of Airborne Infections Using Aeroseal

Engineers believed negative pressure and inadequate ventilation throughout the more than 30-year-old building could contribute to the spread of nosocomial infections

Figure 1. A map of the duct system at Nemours Children’s Clinic.

Sealing the air duct system of the hospital building using Aeroseal took less than 30 days to complete.

The air being exhausted is coming from the rooms and common areas that need it; contaminated air is being removed from the building.

Nemours Childrens’ Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, sealed its air duct system using Aeroseal duct sealing to improve HVAC airflow and ensure germs are removed through the building’s exhaust and not recirculated through air leaks in ductwork as shown in Figure 1.

There were so many retrofits and extensions added to the ventilation system at Nemours Children’s Clinic that engineers couldn’t pinpoint the airflow problems. What they did know was negative pressure and inadequate ventilation throughout the more than 30-year-old building could contribute to the spread of nosocomial infections. Their first steps in taking control of the situation was to seal the duct leakage in the exhaust shafts located on each floor and in the main shaft running down the length of the 11-story building.

RESULTS

Sealing the air duct system of the hospital building using Aeroseal took less than 30 days to complete. The difference it made to the efficiency of the exhaust system was immediate and obvious. With the ductwork’s leaks effectively sealed from the inside, engineers were able to accurately analyze the system and upgrade it with regulating dampers and other flow-adjusting technologies.

Now the building’s exhaust system is optimized at all times. The bottom floors are as well ventilated as those on the top. Most importantly, the air being exhausted is coming from the rooms and common areas that need it; contaminated air is being removed from the building. As an added bonus, the clinic is able to run its exhaust fan at a fraction of the power that was previously needed, saving the clinic substantially on its energy costs.

“In order for a hospital to be clean, you have to manage the building’s airflow,” said Derrick Rhodes, president of Aeroseal Southeast. “By sealing the exhaust shafts using Aeroseal, we ensured that the right amount of stale and potentially infectious air is being adequately and continually removed from the building.”

For more information, visit www.aeroseal.com.