Purite, a leading UK supplier of water purification equipment, has been awarded the contract to provide water purification systems for the new Pan-Glasgow Decontamination Unit (TSSU). The Purite equipment is being used to provide a consistent, high quality supply of pure water to ensure surgical instruments and other items are thoroughly processed in accordance with SHTM2030 and SHTM2031.

The Pan Glasgow Decontamination Unit (TSSU) is a new, purpose built facility that will be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The unit will be responsible for the decontamination and sterilisation of all medical and surgical equipment from hospitals in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. Once opened and fully operational, the new unit will process more instruments that any other single sterile service department in Europe.

As part of the contract, Purite has provided a range of water purification equipment including an ultrafiltration plant, which is capable of delivering 14,000 litres/hour. The ultrafiltration plant is being used for the pre-treatment of the mains water supply prior to use throughout the facility. The plant incorporates three process streams, two of which are operational whilst the third stream is either in backwash or placed on standby.

The pure water supply for the washer-disinfectors is then passed through two Purite Elite Plus reverse osmosis (RO) systems, each with a flow rate of 1800 litres/hour. The systems are fed with blended warm water to maintain a continuous temperature in the RO membranes

Pure water from the reverse osmosis units is delivered to one of two stainless steel tanks; from here the water is re-circulated and distributed around two independent orbitally welded, fully insulated, stainless steel ringmains. The ringmains also include double separation plate steam heat exchangers to heat the water up to 70ºC, thereby reducing heating time in the washer disinfectors. Each of the two ringmains is capable of providing the total pure water requirement to all the washer disinfectors and sterilisers.