Derriford Hospital’s busy laboratory provides a wide range of analytical and testing services including haematology, immunology, biochemistry and molecular biology. The laboratory’s state-of-the-art analytical equipment is dependent on a constant supply of high purity water. The lab requires up to 300 litres per hour of bacteria free water meeting CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) Type II clinical laboratory reagent water (CLRW) quality standards. This means resistivity >10MΩ.cm, TOC <50ppb and bacteria <10cfu/ml.
The laboratory had an existing water purification system which was becoming unreliable and needed to be replaced. The difficulty being, that, because of the need for 24 hour laboratory services, the purified water supply could not be interrupted during the replacement work. Space was a further key issue, with only a small cupboard at the end of the laboratory available to house the system.
Veolia’s standard MedicaPro range, which combines a range of treatment technologies including reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection and continuous electrodeionisation, was the obvious choice to meet the Type II water quality standards. Although Veolia’s product range includes a single treatment unit capable of delivering the required flow rate, the restricted space was insufficient to accommodate it.
