Case Study – Baptist Health Lexington:
About the Customer
Baptist Health Lexington (known for many years as Central Baptist Hospital), is a 383 bed tertiary care facility located in Lexington, Kentucky. Established in 1954, Baptist Health is renowned for its regional leading cancer care as well as its Heart Institute. Since the first baby was delivered there 2 hours after the hospital opened in 1954, Baptist Health has been known as the “baby” hospital in Central Kentucky, delivering over 4000 babies annually.
Problem
In the mid-2000’s, Baptist Health built an 8-story addition to the hospital to house their new Heart Institute as well as outpatient services and medical offices. Before the addition to the building (which raised the existing structure from 3 stories to 8 stories), grease exhausted from the existing cafeteria was simply exhausted above the 3-story structure. Now, with the five additional stories, this same exhaust was being carried by prevailing winds into the new taller structure causing odor issues as well as potential sanitary issues in the new addition as fresh air intakes were built into the façade of the new building facing the kitchen exhaust.
Solution
Three Strobic Air Tri-Stack® fans, specially designed to handle kitchen grease exhaust, were installed. Applying the Tri-Stack’s® proven technology to both dilute and prevent re-entrainment of the exhaust fumes, Strobic Air designed a high temperature variant of the Tri-Stack® that incorporates the use of all steel construction, high temperature coating (rated to 1000° F), and sloped plenum floor with grease trap. These added features allow the Strobic Air Tri-Stack® Exhaust Systems to meet the following standards:
• Independently tested and certified to meet UL 762 Standard for Power Roof Ventilators for Restaurant Exhaust Appliances.
• Designed to meet NFPA 96 Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations.
Results
Thanks to the installation of the Strobic Air Tri-Stack® fans, Baptist Health has cured their kitchen grease exhaust issue. Due to the Tri-Stack’s® ability to provide very high dilution rates, typically 300-400% for restaurant applications, combined with its ability to create and maintain virtual plume heights of 30-50 feet without tall stacks and guy wires, the grease from the hospital’s kitchen exhaust is no longer detected by the patients and staff in the new addition, nor is grease building up on the windows or façade of the new structure.
Customer Feedback
“We had used Tri-Stack® fans on traditional lab applications at the hospital so we were aware of how they worked and the quality of their construction. In this instance, with the fresh air intakes of the new building facing the kitchen, it was vitally important that we didn’t exhaust grease into sick patient rooms. We looked at several other options with our consulting engineer (Sam Claxton, CMTA), but in the end, the Strobic Air Tri-Stacks® were much more cost effective and fit our aesthetics much better than tall chimneys with stacks and guy wires.” – Bill Byrd, Director of Engineering, Baptist Health Lexington
For more information on Strobic Air’s Tri-Stack Fans, please click here.
