Custom Steam-Fired Hot Water Solution for Critical Pediatric Research

Pediatric medical research facilities are where medical breakthroughs happen for children. They are credited with eliminating, curing, or treating many conditions including childhood cancer, rare genetic disorders, and neonatal diseases. Without these dedicated research facilities, landmark survival rates such as pediatric leukemia at over 90% today as compared to under 10% in the 1960s would not be possible.

The Saban Research Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is one of the leading facilities that discovers medical breakthroughs that turn into life-saving care on the hospital floor. Like most leading medical research centers, this facility utilizes animal care facilities to safely study diseases prior to clinical trials. Maintaining high standards of humane care requires medical-grade sanitation of habitat enclosures and feeding system components, particularly bottles.

To meet daily sanitization demands, Saban Research Institute relies on fully-automatic high-speed conveyor washing systems. These specialized washers utilize a five-phase treatment cycle which ensures sterility and total dryness upon cycle completion. Achieving these results requires a dependable and consistent supply of industrial hot water.

 

Challenges

Unfortunately, an unreliable hot water supply was the greatest challenge that Saban Research Institute faced. The prior heat exchangers could not adequately meet demands and required constant maintenance. In an environment that relies on sensitive biological research and sterile laboratory equipment, the hot water source cannot be the weakest link.

Beyond ongoing reliability issues, the installation space also presented physical limitations. The primary hurdle was a lack of lay-down clearance, leaving little room to lay down or tilt the heat exchanger for servicing. Additionally, the replacement units needed native communication protocols to integrate smoothly with the facility’s control systems.

The Institute contracted a local plumbing contractor to help them source and install the replacement water heaters. ACE is well-known for manufacturing dependable steam-fired water heaters. It also happens to be near the hospital, which allowed for better collaboration.

 

Our Solution

ACE worked closely with the plumbing contractor and facility’s operations team to design and manufacture two customized versions of the 12” ACE Minipack steam-fired water heaters. Key features included:

Removable Bundles Design – a custom lower flange configuration allows for easy unbolting and pulling of the tube bundle from beneath the vessel. This eliminates the need for the unit to lie down, tilt, or be dismantled during servicing.

Compact Footprint – the heaters were configured to fit comfortably into the existing footprint, while still providing the thermal output required for high-temperature sterilization.

BACnet MS/TP – the heaters were equipped with the required communication protocols for seamless, real-time communications with the facility’s control systems.

 

Conclusion

In critical operating environments where downtime directly impacts scientific work, off-the-shelf equipment often fails to meet real world demands. By addressing both the reliability requirements and space limitations, moving forward, ACE’s custom heat exchangers will provide trouble-free hot water generation. No more persistent maintenance headaches.

This engagement perfectly exemplifies ACE’s ability to customize water heating solutions for demanding applications. By doing so in this case, medical research will continue reliably and effectively, supporting the important mission of advancing pediatric healthcare.