Solar-assisted clean steam generator, a cleaner production approach for sustainable healthcare facilities

Abstract

Healthcare sector buildings, particularly hospitals, significantly contribute to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Hospitals require a substantial amount of steam, including the essential hygienic or “clean steam,” that is currently supplied mostly by heaters and fossil fuel-based boilers. This study proposes a solar-driven clean steam generator, employing LS-2 parabolic trough collectors with Therminol VP-1 as the working fluid, to supply clean steam in hospitals. The system was designed and techno-economically assessed for two case study hospitals in Denmark and Sweden using MATLAB. The proposed system's proficiency was compared against existing solutions, revealing that it can contribute up to 19% and 22% of the energy requirements for the Danish and Swedish hospitals, respectively, in certain months. While the design may not enhance energy and exergy efficiencies due to inherent losses, it significantly reduces environmental impact, preventing 67.8 tons and 75.5 tons of equivalent CO2 emissions per year for the Danish and Swedish hospitals, respectively. This innovation aims to contribute to the healthcare sector's sustainability.