BOGE compressor excels in hospital PET project

Two compressors – one duty, the other on standby in case of breakdown – create pressure to move some of the heavy parts of the auxiliary equipment on a cyclotron (small particle accelerator) at the hospital. The cyclotron creates the radioactive ‘tracer’ isotopes needed for PET scanner to produce detailed three-dimensional images of the inside of the body which are used to diagnose and stage cancer.

One of the existing compressors had a faulty pump unit and had to run continuously just to maintain air pressure. Following a review of the system, BOGE suggested the hospital invest in its EO 6 oil-free scroll compressor, which can save energy and reduce run time (and therefore maintenance costs) by switching to standby mode for 60% of the time.

Tom Burton, Business Development Manager at BOGE, explained: “It is critical that the PET scanner is kept working because of the valuable medical diagnostic procedures it performs, including cancer screening. This made it essential to minimise downtime for servicing. The ease of getting spare parts was also a major factor in the hospital specifying a BOGE compressor.”

The EO6’s compact design saves space, and its noise emissions are so low that it is possible to use the scroll compressor directly in the treatment room.

Adam Dabkowski, the Cardiff University cyclotron engineer, is satisfied with the new compressor: “It’s early days – the compressor has only recently been installed – but the new BOGE EO 6 is quieter and generates fewer vibrations than the model it has replaced, which had operated for eight years. I expect we would replace the other older compressor with a BOGE model in due course when it reaches the end of its operational life. Our estates department also decided to place the maintenance contract with BOGE, which is good at offering regular compressor checks.”

For this project, BOGE took the compressor apart and reassembled it in the basement to make it easier to lower down a stairway into the basement. Because the PET scanner is in almost constant use, the University was keen to install the new compressor as quickly as possible and BOGE was able to swap the old compressor for new within its scheduled four-hour window.

The EO 6 competes in the performance class up to 5.5kW and is available as a compressed air system on compressed air receivers (EO 6 R) or as compressed air centre with built-in refrigeration dryer (EO 6 DR) to generate dry compressed air with 8 to 10 bar. 

The duplex EO 6 TR unit, meanwhile, provides even more flexibility and offers double the output. It is possible to use this in the base load change or as additional redundancy. Convenient control is via the LC display and sensor keys of the standard base control unit. The optionally available focus control 2.0 has an integrated energy efficiency display and can control up to 16 compressor units.