Chimneys & flues
A1 Flue Systems has provided bespoke projects for several London landmarks including The Shard, London City Island and The Leadenhall building, also known as the Cheesegrater
Reaching for the skies
A1 Flue Systems’s bespoke services has helped the company reach new heights in commercial and industrial chimney, flue and exhaust systems according to director John Hamnett
available in the marketplace, and they are like supermarket ready meals because they’re mass produced and readily available. I see A1 as more like a gourmet dinner prepared by a Michelin- starred chef using fresh ingredients, prepared to a specific recipe, tasted at every stage and then served to perfection.
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It’s an analogy that serves us well because for most of the projects we get invited to work on, unique and bespoke solutions are often the only option – and the proof of the pudding is best exemplified by our portfolio, which include lots of the highest-profile projects, such as The Shard, which at 245 metres is the UK’s tallest building. On The Shard, we designed and installed the steel platform at each level to carry the flue structure through each section of the shaft. The final installation comprised seven flue structures, which served three boilers, two generators and two combined heating and power (CHP) systems. We are often called in to consult way before buildings are out of the ground. For example, we had been talking with the people behind the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station in London for more than seven years before we were officially allowed to announce that we had won Phase One work in January last year.
In on the ground floor
The starting point on any project is the kilowattage of power that a plant room or energy centre needs to produce to feed the requirements of the building.
36 June 2017
hen asked about the secret of our success, we use a simple food analogy to explain it. There are a lot of standard components
The next consideration is the location of the plant room (typically in the basement) and the route that will take the products of combustion to atmospheric safety (usually above a building). London City Island was a very challenging installation, as it was a very tight plant room for six boilers and a CHP unit, so access was restricted. The boilers and CHP unit were connected to two headers and a riser using 750mm and 250mm Deltavent twin-wall flues that were 57m tall and supported 4m above the top of the roof by guide wires. Planning systems is fascinating because flue and chimney systems are down the pecking order of mechanical and electrical package considerations, which include services such as gas and water pipes, ducting, and cabling. But we need to play an important role because we have to consider a whole range of factors, such as the pressure generated, temperatures and accessibly. This then starts to determine diameter sizes, the
grade of steel required and the thickness of insulation required. In situations like this, bespoke systems come into their own, as they can be designed to exact requirements, rather than piecing together standard-sized components into a best-fit solution. The key challenge on The Leadenhall Building in
London, which is known locally as the Cheesegrater, was to create bespoke steel supports for the boiler flues and generator exhausts, as it is an aesthetic feature of the building that the flue system is visible – from the 42nd floor to the top of the structure. The building’s distinctive wedge shape means that the flue system has to rise at a 10° angle between floor levels, as it could not be attached to window frames. We manufacture in 25mm diameter increments
from 150mm to 1,200mm, where the industry standard for off the shelf is 50mm. So, for example, if our calculations identify that a section of flue needs to be 525mm, then we can make it, whereas many others have to oversize or in some cases we’ve seen examples of undersizing. It’s the same with lengths of flue – if a section of a system requires shorter lengths, we can manufacture them shorter – whereas installers of standard-size components have to cut them to size on site. They’re only little things, but they make a huge
difference. Manufactured to order
We recently announced that a £250,000 investment in new machinery and refining our manufacturing processes had led to a 30% increase in productivity, which means that we can make bespoke systems even faster.
Whilst this has enabled us to narrow the availability gap considerably between our made-to- order systems and off-the-shelf ones, we still retain full control of the standards of manufacture. And whilst there’s some debate about what happens next to the standards following the Brexit vote, the fact remains that we have achieved the CE Mark for a full flue or chimney system. What’s more, we are Gas Safe registered, so we know that every system that leaves our factory near Newark is fit for purpose. Whilst we have carved out a reputation as a specialist on tall buildings and high-profile projects, we don’t take our eye off the ball because the vast majority of our work is for schools, hospitals, hotels, office blocks and public buildings.
www.heatingandventilating.net
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