Clean air, clean future – choosing the right system

Ulrik Vadstrup, Regional Europe Sales manager for HVACR at ABB Drive Products, acknowledges that while choosing the right HVACR system remains a complex challenge, opting for drive and motor (DM) packages, as opposed to electronically commutated (EC) fans, makes the greatest sense for healthcare estates and facilities teams – given such components’ circularity, durability, and adaptability, as well as their lower overall lifecycle costs.

Healthcare settings such as hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices, all need a variety of highly specialised equipment to help medical staff treat and care for patients. When people think about this equipment, many automatically picture scanning machines, surgical instruments, and sterilisation tools, and while these are all vital, there is an often-overlooked area which is critical to delivering high-quality patient care and safeguarding the health and comfort of medical staff — air quality.

Clean air and precisely controlled temperatures have a tangible impact on elements such as infection control and patient and clinician comfort, and are managed by heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) systems. For healthcare facilities, HVACR systems must not only meet the highest operational standards, but also align with sustainability goals to support long-term patient outcomes and environmental responsibility. Designers and managers get several chances to choose which system to install — during initial construction, but also throughout the lifetime of the facility as retrofit and upgrade programs are implemented.

Choosing the ‘right’ system can be a challenge

Choosing the right HVACR system remains a complex challenge: should Facilities managers invest in electronically commutated (EC) fans, or opt for drive and motor (DM) packages?

While the choice might not seem simple at first, DM HVACR systems — and especially those designed with circularity in mind — emerge as the clear choice. DM HVACR systems which integrate the circularity principles of sustainability, reliability, durability, and reparability, offer significant benefits over EC fan systems, in terms of their environmental impact, and cost over their whole lifecycle.

Circularity, once synonymous with recycling, has evolved into a comprehensive framework that encompasses the entire product lifecycle. Often referred to as the circular economy, it emphasises sustainable sourcing, efficient use of resources, and responsible end-of-life management. For industries like healthcare, where equipment is subjected to constant use, and continued availability is vital, circularity means prioritising designs that facilitate re-use, repair, and recycling, thereby minimising waste and maximising operational efficiency.

Specifically relating to HVACR systems, circularity reduces carbon emissions through less resource-intensive manufacturing processes and easily repairable components. By adopting these sustainable design and circular principles, healthcare organisations can align with increasingly stringent global regulations and advance their progress toward achieving Net Zero carbon emissions.

Circularity begins at the design and manufacturing stages of HVACR systems, where specific design choices can significantly influence a product’s lifetime environmental footprint. If these design choices are made with circularity in mind, such as by prioritising efficient resource (energy) usage and longevity, the resulting product is developed for optimal and sustainable performance.

DM systems offer clear advantages over EC fans in this regard. By incorporating design elements that prioritise reparability, energy efficiency, and long-term durability, drive DM HVACR systems deliver superior environmental performance over EC fans. For example, materials used in DM systems are chosen for their resilience and suitability for long-term use, identified through rigorous testing protocols that ensure that components can withstand demanding conditions in healthcare environments and be easily serviced. These design choices result in products that are easier to maintain and repair — a critical factor in healthcare environments, where system failures and malfunctions can be detrimental to patient care.

Continuous functionality

DM systems can be repaired, upgraded, and retrofitted quickly and easily, ensuring continuous functionality, and supporting sustainable management practices. In contrast, EC fans have a shorter operational lifespan, necessitating more frequent replacements. Each replacement — from production to installation — adds to their cumulative environmental impact, making drive and motor systems a more sustainable choice over time. Additionally, while EC fans often contain permanent magnets that cannot be recycled, synchronous reluctance DM systems are fully recyclable, and thereby further adhere to circular principles.

Healthcare facilities encompass many sensitive and diverse environments that demand sophisticated, highly specialised, HVACR systems. For instance, isolation rooms and laboratory areas require pressure-controlled systems to mitigate contamination risks, operating rooms and theatres need high levels of filtration which can impose high static pressure demands on fans, and imaging equipment like MRI scanners are susceptible to electromagnetic interference, including from HVACR equipment.

The importance of these specialised demands became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, which further highlighted the importance of maintaining high air quality standards within hospitals to minimise the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and ensure the safety of patients and medical staff. Poor air quality can lead to higher concentrations of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the air, significantly increasing the risk of HAIs. These infections, acquired or occurring in healthcare facilities, are a major concern, as they can lead to prolonged hospital stays, compromised patient safety, and increased healthcare costs. The crisis also highlighted the need for robust, efficient, and adaptable systems capable of meeting rapidly changing demands.

Elevating DM packages to a new standard

Recent advancements in motor technologies and fan designs have elevated DM packages to a new standard, matching or surpassing EC fan systems in overall efficiency. This development enables lower carbon emissions and reduced operational energy costs, providing healthcare facilities with a solution that is both environmentally and economically advantageous.

Many older HVACR set-ups rely on direct on-line motor connection and mechanical methods to regulate fans, pumps, and compressors, which can be inefficient in terms of energy usage and costly to operate. Upgrading to modern systems equipped with Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) and high-efficiency motors provides a solution that is both flexible and energy-efficient, and can be installed in one combined DM package.

VSDs enable centralised systems to dynamically adjust to varying load demands, as the output of individual fans and pumps can be adjusted, optimising energy use without compromising performance. In fact, according to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, this adjustment can lead to a 25-40% reduction in energy consumption depending on the system and building design, resulting in significant energy cost savings. Unlike legacy systems that operate at full capacity regardless of actual needs, VSD-equipped systems allow for targeted air quality and temperature control across different hospital zones. This adaptability improves overall system efficiency, while reducing energy waste. Additionally, the connectivity capabilities of VSD-controlled high-efficiency motors enables remote monitoring of HVACR systems, allowing for quick responses to issues such as system malfunctions. Data-driven maintenance decisions, made possible by real-time analytics, enable efficient pumping processes, and further reduce energy consumption — by up to 40% in some cases.

Moreover, VSDs help to address the problem of oversized systems, which are often installed to meet peak demand, but operate inefficiently during normal conditions. By tailoring system performance to real-time requirements, VSDs ensure consistent air quality and energy savings, contributing to both operational excellence and environmental stewardship.

One challenge in upgrading older healthcare facilities is managing harmonic distortion — a characteristic of variable speed drives where electrical disturbances can disrupt sensitive medical equipment and reduce system efficiency. Harmonics increase line current, meaning that when fitting VSDs, power cables and other components might need to be re-sized to be able to accommodate the higher current.

Ultra-Low Harmonic (ULH) drives offer a practical solution to this issue. By incorporating advanced filtering and control mechanisms, ULH drives minimise harmonic distortion, ensuring that critical medical equipment used to treat patients operates reliably, while improving overall energy efficiency. Compared with a conventional drive, which has 40% current harmonics, a ULH drive brings harmonics down to just 3%.

Existing equipment lifespan

These solutions not only enhance system reliability, but also extend the lifespan of HVACR system components, protecting sensitive equipment, and enhancing the durability of the system. This also ensures compliance with regulatory standards which govern harmonics and electrical quality, such as Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements. For healthcare facilities, where uninterrupted operation is essential, ULH drives represent a critical investment in both system performance and patient safety, as they yield substantial benefits in terms of energy efficiency and operational cost savings.

Finally, prolonging the lifespan of HVACR systems is an integral part of maintaining circularity principles. In a world with finite resources, extending the life cycles of HVACR systems reduces waste, lowers environmental impact, and cuts costs. Drive and motor systems excel in this area, typically lasting 4-5 times longer than EC fans in the same environment.

This durability translates to significant environmental and economic benefits for individual facilities, and even more when scaled across the whole healthcare sector. Fewer replacements mean reduced manufacturing emissions, less transportation, and lower overall energy consumption within healthcare environments. Additionally, the ULH capabilities and the modular design of DM packages reduce maintenance costs as they protect the systems while in operation, further aligning with circular economy principles.

While DM packages are usually modular for ease of installation, repair, and replacement, EC fans are typically designed as integrated units, making them difficult to repair or recycle. When these systems fail, they often require full replacement, leading to increased waste and higher operational costs. On the other hand, the durability of drive and motor systems results in fewer replacements over time, with straightforward repairs and component upgrades when required, ensuring minimal downtime and reducing environmental impact by lowering the overall carbon footprint.

Ease of maintenance is an often-overlooked factor in HVACR system design, but it is particularly critical in healthcare environments. Frequent maintenance disruptions can compromise air quality and patient safety, making reliability and ease of servicing essential. Poor air quality can have detrimental effects on patients, who could be exposed to increased infection risk if key functions like air filtration are offline. Drive and motor systems are designed with maintenance in mind, featuring modular components that can be quickly replaced or repaired without extensive downtime, helping to mitigate these risks. EC fans, by contrast, are less accommodating to repairs due to their integrated designs. This limitation not only increases replacement frequency, but also adds to the environmental burden of disposing of non-recyclable components. By choosing systems that prioritise reparability and durability, healthcare facilities can achieve greater operational efficiency and sustainability.

When considering environmental, economic, and patient care factors, the advantages of drive and motor-controlled HVACR systems over EC fans are clear. These systems offer superior air quality and temperature control, both of which are critical for preventing further illnesses and infections, and creating safe, comfortable environments for recovery. By embracing circular economy principles, they also help healthcare facilities meet their sustainability goals while reducing operational costs.

A ‘strategic investment’

The transition to drive and motor packages represents a strategic investment in the future of healthcare. With their emphasis on circularity, durability, and adaptability, drive and motor-controlled HVACR systems offer a comprehensive solution that can meet the unique needs of individual healthcare facilities. Cleaner air, lower carbon emissions, and long-term cost savings are not only achievable, but essential, for ensuring a resilient healthcare sector. By investing in these systems, healthcare providers can enhance patient care and achieve lasting economic benefits. The future of healthcare depends on making smart, sustainable choices today, and circular HVACR systems are a step in the right direction.