Yawkey Center for Cancer Care- EMI Assessment:

EMI Threat Risk Assessment

FMS provided the project team with an extensive EMI threat assessment of plans for the new fourteen-story Yawkey Center for Cancer Care in Boston, Ma. The state-of-the-art clinical treatment research space includes 100 exam rooms, 15 patient/family consultation rooms to promote personalized multidisciplinary cancer care. FMS provided expert guidance throughout the design process as well as during construction to ensure that advanced clinical diagnostic and patients care equipment would not be subject to interference from electromagnetic sources.

Review of project’s design documents to identify potential EMI sources

FMS thoroughly reviewed all design development through construction drawings to identify and evaluate potential sources of EMI such as the building’s electrical substation and high current distribution equipment. Area electrical rooms with high current transformers, breaker panels and feed circuits, were also found to be adjacent to critical clinical areas and to I/T equipment rooms.

Computer simulation studies of AC magnetic field emissions for identified EMI sources

A review of the building’s design drawings indicated several critical clinical and I/T areas adjacent to high current electrical equipment. FMS constructed computer simulations of the identified high current electrical sources to determine AC magnetic field levels in adjacent areas and to assess EMI threat risk potential.

Design of robust conductive magnetic field shielding schemes to mitigate EMI threat concern

Computer simulation studies indicated that high AC magnetic field levels would likely be present in areas of the building’s 11th floor, immediately beneath the 12th floor electrical substation and main electrical distribution equipment. To eliminate EMI threat potential to clinical areas beneath, FMS developed a shielding scheme utilizing highly conductive shielding material to be installed on the entire floor of the 12th floor substation plus three walls. Similar shielding schemes were also implemented in each floors area electrical room.

Successful installation of shielding scheme in electrical substation

Installation of shielding by FMS technicians on the floor and walls of the new building’s 12th Level Main Electrical Room successfully reduced elevated AC magnetic field levels in clinical areas of the 11th floor, immediately beneath the high current electrical equipment, to levels which would not present an EMI threat risk to sensitive medical equipment.