Feature HVAC
Electric heating keeps power station pleasant
Electric heating from Dimplex has been selected to help keep a major south coast power station running, with a selection of industrial fan heaters, panel convectors and radiant heaters making sure workers are comfortable year round
ocated on Southampton Water within the New Forest National Park, Fawley Power Station is an oil-fired facility, generating 1000MW of electricity from heavy fuel oil. It’s available 24 hours a day, all year round, and the Dimplex heaters make sure all areas of the site offer a pleasant environment, whatever time workers clock off.
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The oil that powers the facility needs to be heated to 55°C in order to allow it to be pumped smoothly. When the power station was built in the 1960s, it was designed to use the steam produced for this task to also power the space heating system, with heaters incorporating fans to blow air over a heat exchanger and out to where it’s needed. The steam system is also used for water heating; coils run through water tanks supplying hot water throughout the site, including meeting the heavy demand for showers. The steam heating is so vital to the operation of the power station that it needs to be regularly maintained, which involves being offline periodi- cally. In the 1960s an electric heating system was installed as a back-up, pri- marily if required during these mainte- nance periods, and consisting of units sited adjacent to the steam heaters. However, as the main steam heating has always been extremely reliable,
the back-up heaters didn’t get upgraded as newer, more energy effi- cient models became available. But in recent years budgets have been trimmed, and the main steam- powered heating system has been switched off from April until the end of September, which, thanks to the British climate, has left workers shiv- ering on chilly summer days. And just as importantly, the fluctuating temper- atures in the store areas were far from ideal for the sensitive technical com- ponents used on site.
Mark Saunders, electrical engineer at the site, approached Dimplex’s com- mercial heating team with a view to upgrading the electric heating system
System delivers comfortable working environment M
anchester-based Vickers Electronics designs, installs and maintains advanced energy efficiency technology that monitors temperatures at different locations in a building and controls the heating system to substantially reduce
energy consumption. The latest system, the V42, uses self-learning predictive programming, coupled with many energy saving features and high-accuracy temperature sensing to dramatically reduce heating consumption. Latest developments include the addition of lighting and electrical appliance control, along with a PC package to remotely monitor and operate the system.
Among businesses delivering feedback data was Corby, Northamptonshire-based electronic products company RS Components UK, which reduced gas consumption by an average of 63 per cent across its sites in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle and Nottingham. Ken Simpson, senior environmental controller at RS Components, says: “The Vickers Energy Management System (VEMS) is ideally suited to our business. The flexibility it gives us, together with the precise control of temperature is proving to be invaluable. “The system provides a comfortable and stable working environment during occupied hours, but, just as importantly, maintains accurate and critical temperature levels in the unmanned hours.” Vickers Electronics
T: 0800 0933 588 Factory Equipment MAY 2012
www.vickers-electronics.co.uk Enter 326
Electric heating from Dimplex is helping a south coast power station maintain a comfortable working environ- ment for workers
to the latest energy-saving technology. He was already very familiar with the Dimplex name and its reputation for high quality, reliable products, having worked as an electrical contractor as well as an electrical engineer in sev- eral industries.
Saunders says: “I believe with Dimplex, you get a good name and a good product. What’s more, the team at Dimplex was extremely helpful, coming out for a site visit and looking at all the locations around the facility to ensure we found the best solution. The ‘new for old’ replacement with the latest appliances was able to use the positions of the existing heaters, so installation was straightforward.” Electric heating’s a good choice for an industrial installation like Fawley, as it brings no fuel storage worries. In addition, maintenance requirements are very much lower and less compli- cated than appliances running on other fuels.
Holding up to £2m of critical parts, the stores area plays a vital role in the running and maintenance of the power station and this area is now heated by multiple Dimplex CFH heaters. Operated from a single controller for ease of use, they use powerful cen- trifugal blowers for effective heating in more challenging environments, help- ing to keep critical parts ‘corrosion- free’ and workers warm too. In addition, a small welding bay which is in frequent use is also heated by two CFH units using a single controller. The welfare block, which houses showers and locker areas, obviously needs to be warm for workers when they start and end their shifts. Dimplex PLX ultra-slim panel convec- tor heaters are used here, for fast, effec- tive heat when needed. The PLXs feature a high accuracy electronic ther- mostat, maximising energy efficiency by reducing wasteful temperature drift, which also makes for a stable user environment.
In addition, radiant heaters are used to heat outbuildings in several loca- tions around the site. The standalone heaters are wired to a timer switch so workers using the area don’t need to worry about switching the unit off when leaving.
Saunders says: “The Dimplex heat- ing is kept switched on all the time, with the appliances’ sensitive ther- mostats controlling the periods of operation to keep running costs down, even though the power station oper- ates round the clock. The Dimplex units make sure that we provide a comfortable working environment, whether the main steam-powered heating is running or not.” Dimplex
www.dimplex.co.uk
T: 0845 601 5111 Enter 325
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