Life cycle assessment of a LiFePO4 cylindrical battery.

Reduction of the environmental impact, energy efficiency and optimization of material resources are basic aspects in the design and sizing of a battery. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the environmental impact associated with the life cycle of a 7.47 Wh 18,650 cylindrical single-cell LiFePO4 battery. Life cycle assessment (LCA), the SimaPro 9.1 software package, the Ecoinvent 3.5 database and the ReCiPe 2016 impact assessment method were used for this purpose. Environmental impacts were modelled and quantified using the dual midpoint-endpoint approach and the "cradle-to-gate" model. The results showed the electrodes to be the battery components with the highest environmental impact (41.36% of the total), with the negative electrode being the most unfavourable (29.8 mPt). The ageing, calibration and testing process (53.97 mPt) accounts for 97.21% of the total impact associated with the production process's consumption of energy, and 41.20% of the total impact associated with the battery. This new knowledge will allow a more detailed view of the environmental impact of cylindrical cell LiFePO4 batteries, favouring the identification of critical points to enhance their sustainable production.

Interaction between maintenance variables of medical ultrasound scanners through multifactor dimensionality reduction.

BACKGROUND: Proper maintenance of electro-medical devices is crucial for the quality of care to patients and the economic performance of healthcare organizations. This research aims to identify the interaction between Ultrasound scanners (US) maintenance variables as a function of maintenance indicators: US in service or decommissioned, excessive number of failures, and failure rate. Knowing those interactions, specific maintenance measures will be developed to improve the reliability of the US. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR) method was eployed to analyze data from 222 US and their four-year maintenance history. Models were developed based on the variables with the greatest influence on maintenance indicators, where US were classified according to the associated risk. RESULTS: US with more than one major failure or at least one major component replacement had up to 496.4% more failures than the average. Failure rate increased by up to 188.7% over the average for those US with more than three moderate failures, three replacements, or both. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies and quantifies the causes of risk to establish a specific maintenance plan for US. It helps to better understand the degradation of US to optimize their operation and maintenance.

Reduction of the Cycle Time in the Biopsies Diagnosis Through a Simulation Based on the Box Müller Algorithm.

Anatomic pathology services study disease in hospitals on the basis of macroscopic and microscopic examination of organs and tissues. The focus of this research investigation was on improving clinical biopsy diagnosis times through simulation based on the Box-Muller algorithm to reduce the waiting time in the diagnosis of clinical biopsies. The data were provided by a hospital in San José (Costa Rica). They covered 5 years and showed waiting times for a pathological diagnosis that for some biopsies were close to 120 days. The correlation between the main causes identified and the cycle time in the biopsy diagnostic process was defined. A statistical analysis of the variables most representative of the process and of the waiting times was carried out. It followed the DMAIC structure (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) for the continuous improvement of processes. Two of the activities of the process were identified as being the main bottlenecks. Their processing times had a normal distribution, for which reason a Box-Muller algorithm was used to generate the simulation model. The results showed that waiting times for a diagnosis can be reduced to 3 days, for a productive capacity of 8 000 biopsies per annum, optimizing the logistics performance of health care.

Assessment of the maintenance costs of electro-medical equipment in Spanish hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: Electro-medical equipment generates a high impact on the sustainability of a hospital and require high availability at a reasonable maintenance cost. The aim of this paper is to analyze the sustainability and performance of the maintenance of electro-medical equipment, through several healthcare variables (hospital admissions, surgeries, consultations, etc.), infrastructure variables (surface area, number of beds, number of operating theaters, etc.), human resources and the acquisition value of the equipment, relating them to the labor, materials and total and operative maintenance costs. METHODS: 4,586 electro-medical equipments were analyzed (grouped into 16 categories) installed in 12 Spanish hospitals of between 20 and 200 beds during the 2016-2018 period. RESULTS: The results show that the maintenance costs of electro-medical equipment correlate with the number of beds and operating theaters, nursing staff, equipment acquisition value, number of admissions, surgeries and the total length of hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Different equations are proposed to estimate maintenance costs based on the variables studied. They include indicators that give an overall view of maintenance operations.

Potential Savings in DHW Facilities through the Use of Solar Thermal Energy in the Hospitals of Extremadura (Spain).

Hospitals need to prepare large amounts of domestic hot water (DHW) to develop their healthcare activity. The aim of this work was to analyse potential savings that can be achieved by installing solar thermal energy for production of domestic hot water in the hospitals of Extremadura (Spain). For this purpose, 25 hospitals between 533 and 87,118 m2 and between 15 and 529 beds were studied, three solar factor scenarios were simulated (0.70, 0.75 and 0.80) and the necessary investment and corresponding economic and environmental savings were calculated. Better economic results and energy ratios for 70% of solar contribution were obtained. These results show an average payback of 4.74 years (SD = 0.26) reaching 4.29 kWh/€ per year (SD = 0.20). Undertaking an investment of 674,423 €, 2,895,416 kWh/year of thermal energy could be generated with which to save both 145,933 € and 638 tons of CO2 per year. It was statistically demonstrated the priority of carrying out an installation with a solar factor of 70%, investing preferably in hospitals in Cáceres over those in Badajoz, especially in the public sector with more than 300 beds. These findings will provide hospital managers with useful information to make decisions on future investments.

Analysis on energy efficiency in healthcare buildings.

The aim of this paper is to analyze and quantify the average healthcare centres' energy behavior and estimate the possibilities of savings through the use of concrete measures to reduce their energy demand in Extremadura, Spain. It provides the average energy consumption of 55 healthcare centres sized between 500 and 3,500 m². The analysis evaluated data of electricity and fossil fuel energy consumption as well as water use and other energy-consuming devices. The energy solutions proposed to improve the efficiency are quantified and listed. The average annual energy consumption of a healthcare centre is 86.01 kWh/m², with a standard deviation of 16.8 kWh/m². The results show that an annual savings of €4.77/m² is possible. The potential to reduce the energy consumption of a healthcare centre of size 1,000 m² is 10,801 kWh by making an average investment of €11,601, thus saving €2,961/year with an average payback of 3.92 years.

La auditoría energética: una herramienta de gestión en atención primaria / Energy audit: a management tool in health centers

Objetivo Evaluar la viabilidad de la auditoría energética como herramienta de gestión en atención primaria, para mejorar la eficiencia energética y medioambiental de un centro de salud, disminuyendo sus costes de explotación. Método Se realizaron 55 auditorías energéticas en centros de salud durante el periodo 2005-2010, de tamaño entre 500 y 3500 m2, ubicados en zonas de salud de 3500 a 25.000 usuarios, construidos entre 1985 y 2007.ResultadosSe demuestra que con una inversión media de 11.601 € por centro de salud es posible disminuir el consumo energético en 10.801 kWh, ahorrando 2961 € anuales en un tiempo medio de amortización de 3,92 años y evitando la emisión de 7010kg de CO2.ConclusionesLa auditoría energética supone una herramienta práctica para evaluar y disminuir los gastos de explotación y mantenimiento, mejorando el confort en las instalaciones y colaborando en la preservación del medio ambiente(AU)

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the viability of energy audit as a management tool in primary care to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of a health center by reducing its operating costs. Method We conducted 55 energy audits in health centers from 2005-2010. The health centers were sized between 500 and 3,500 m2, were located in health areas with 3,500 to 25,000 users, and were built between 1985 and 2007.ResultsWith an average investment of 11,601€ per site, energy consumption can be reduced by 10,801 kWh per year, saving 2,961€ with a mean payback period of 3.92 years, and preventing emission of 7,010kg of CO2.ConclusionsEnergy auditing is a practical tool to reduce the operating and maintenance costs of health centers and of improving the comfort of the facilities (AU)

[Energy audit: a management tool in health centers]. / La auditoría energética: una herramienta de gestión en atención primaria.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the viability of energy audit as a management tool in primary care to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of a health center by reducing its operating costs. METHOD: We conducted 55 energy audits in health centers from 2005-2010. The health centers were sized between 500 and 3,500 m(2), were located in health areas with 3,500 to 25,000 users, and were built between 1985 and 2007. RESULTS: With an average investment of 11,601 € per site, energy consumption can be reduced by 10,801 kWh per year, saving 2,961 € with a mean payback period of 3.92 years, and preventing emission of 7,010 kg of CO(2). CONCLUSIONS: Energy auditing is a practical tool to reduce the operating and maintenance costs of health centers and of improving the comfort of the facilities.