Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical, Sheboygan, Wis.
Retrofit Team
CRITICAL POWER PROVIDER: Total Energy Systems, Milwaukee
Materials
Two 600-kilowatt generators bring Aurora Sheboygan up to the requirements necessary for new health-care construction, a key consideration because the organization may opt to build a new facility in the future. The backup power system is fully integrated to function seamlessly; automatic-transfer switches and custom paralleling switchgear are managed by Kohler Decision-Maker controllers.
BACKUP-POWER MANUFACTURER: Kohler Power Systems
The Retrofit
Before the hospital upgraded its backup power system, Aurora Sheboygan relied on 35- and 42-year-old Kohler generators. Despite their age, they worked fine but no longer met the hospital’s increased power-capacity requirements. In addition, power surges occur at the hospital three to four times a year. While utility outages are usually brief—most less than a minute— they shut everything down in the hospital.
“Just one of our new 600-kW generators is enough to provide most of the needs of the hospital,” says Andy Nygaard, manager of plant operations at Aurora Sheboygan. “The second adds an extra measure of redundancy and the ability to add air conditioning or heating if needed.”
The hospital regularly inspects and tests its backup power system as part of the operation’s emergency-preparedness plan. This includes weekly checks on the oil and battery, a monthly test run at 30 percent of the generators’ rated loads and annual preventive maintenance.
PHOTO: Kohler Power Systems