Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Steam System Energy Reduction
Annual Steam System Maintenance Program Launched in 2017
In 2017, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) partnered with American Plant Maintenance (APM Steam) to implement an ongoing steam system maintenance plan designed to reduce natural gas consumption at member hospitals. This effort included APM Steam technicians surveying each of the 1,521 steam traps across 5 hospitals in the Philadelphia area. Survey reports were developed and submitted to CHOP, offering insight into each steam system's efficiency for steam distribution and condensate return. APM Steam would then repair steam traps that were blowing, leaking, or plugged. If insulation was missing, APM Steam installed new insulation to reduce heat loss. Additionally, Steam Pressure Reducing Valves were tested and repaired to allow for maximum efficiency and reliability.
Anthony Rewinski, who manages the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Facilities Department, stressed the importance of their systems operations for high-priority procedures.
"We are able to dramatically reduce downtime and system inefficiencies by proactively maintaining steam traps and system insulation across their hospital's portfolio. They are also reducing their impact on the planet by decreasing CO2 emissions. The dollars they save in energy can be used to improve the quality of services they offer the communities they serve." — Anthony Rewinski, Facilities Department, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Measuring Key Results
American Plant Maintenance captures these components' status during the annual site survey, handles the repairs, and provides data to CHOP to analyze and make educated maintenance decisions at each hospital. The old saying, "You can't manage what you can't measure," is especially true when dealing with 1,521 steam traps across 5 hospitals.
"A steam system relies heavily on steam traps to operate efficiently and safely. When a steam trap begins to leak steam, the energy losses can be monumental. Plugged traps present safety and system efficiency issues. By implementing an annual maintenance plan, CHOP was able to capture these savings." — James Krochune, National Healthcare Manager, APM Steam
7-Year Lookback: 2017–2024
About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
CHOP has been ranked as the best children's hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report and Parents Magazine since 2020. As of 2020, it was ranked number one in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for three out of ten specialties. The hospital treats infants, children, teens, and young adults aged 0–21. CHOP has 594 beds, almost 40 percent of which are allocated to neonatal, cardiac, and pediatric intensive care. Each year the hospital admits more than 28,000 children and more than 1.167 million are seen in the emergency and outpatient departments.
About American Plant Maintenance (APM Steam)
American Plant Maintenance (APM Steam) provides a proven, turnkey approach to testing and managing steam traps' repair. With over 20 years of experience, our staff has tested hundreds of thousands of steam traps across an extensive portfolio of customers. APM Steam's solutions reduce operating costs while delivering the maintenance required for a fully optimized steam system. Our surveys, system evaluations, and final reports include the level of detail every facility manager needs to make educated decisions about maintaining an optimized steam system.
