Specialist Mechanical Services - NHS England

28 April 2026

We overcame a complex, specialist mechanical services, challenge for a NHS England hospital that threatened to disrupt critical operating theatre services. A hospital needed to replace an Air Handling Unit (AHU) in an active operating theatre. However, faulty isolation valves and a shared cooling system meant they couldn’t shut off the water without closing several other theatres simultaneously. This was an unacceptable risk to patient care.

​Our specialist mechanical services team applied liquid nitrogen pipe freezing to the main flow and return lines. This created local "ice plugs" within the pipes, providing a secure, temporary isolation. While the rest of the hospital’s cooling system remained fully operational, our engineers safely cut the pipework and installed new isolation valves. The job was carried out with no downtime and minimal disruption to essential services. It allowed other theatres to continue their life-saving work while a permanent solution was delivered.

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