CHP


Vital Energi installs new energy centre in the Old Vinyl Factory, Hillingdon


The Old Vinyl Factory, a 150­acre site in Hayes, Hillingdon, is where EMI manufactured records from the early 1950s. The site has now been developed as a mixture of commercial, retail, education and residential premises and Vital Energi was appointed to deliver the complete energy solution for the project. Vital Energi was picked to design and install the 4MW energy centre in The Powerhouse to provide 9 separate buildings on the development with heat and hot water.


space, a research and design hub, a school and a 3 screen cinema for the £250m rede- velopment. Vital Energi was chosen to design and


T


install the 4MW energy centre in The Powerhouse to provide 9 separate buildings on the development with heat and hot water. The energy centre has been designed to


ontain a 50,000 litre thermal store, a 459kW CHP engine, six 927kW boilers and a 69m chimney. Additionally, a site-wide district heating network is being installed. Once complete this will equate to approximately 1,000m of series 2 insulated district heating pipework. The energy centre and heating network will


supply 547 residential units and 22,000m2 of mixed use commercial space with heat and hot water and generate CO2 savings of approximately 396 tonnes per year. Throughout the project, Vital Energi


he Old Vinyl Factory site in Hayes, London, was an opportunity for U+I to provide over 600 new homes, commercial space, creative office


worked alongside Charles Edward Ltd, the other principal contractor, restoring The Powerhouse building where the energy centre is situated. Due to the considerable size of the plant equipment, extensive planning was required before installation could take place. First of all, the 50,000 litre thermal store was installed within the existing water tower of The Powerhouse after 6 weeks of planning. The thermal store was carefully craned into position in the original art deco water tower building designed by Wallis, Gilbert & Partners. Next, a 459kW CHP engine was carefully manoeuvred in and is encased in an acoustic enclosure to keep noise pollution to a minimum as The Powerhouse will also be home to a music venue and café. The most challenging aspect of the project


was installing the 69m flue which took three months of planning and was installed in three separate sections. The Old Vinyl Factory site is situated within 3.5 miles of Heathrow Airport, therefore we liaised with the airport control tower for the duration of the planning


“The Old


Vinyl Factory, required


technological innovations and


sustainable solutions to bring it into the 21st Century.


Vital Energi provided a


cost­effective energy


alternative for our


residents and tenants.”


­ Richard Upton, U+I


24


and installation to ensure installation was safe and wouldn’t interfere with the air-traffic. The chimney was lowered through a circular hole in the roof of the building with only mil- limetres to spare. This was an intricate instal- lation with no room for error and our high levels of planning and communication lead to a successful installation. Vital Energi have demonstrated meticulous planning and installation of sizable plant equipment whilst communicating with the UK’s busiest airport to ensure the safe instal- lation of the 69m flue. We have worked alongside U+I to deliver an environmentally conscious scheme which will provide heat, hot water and power to over 22,000m2 of commercial space plus over 540 dwellings. The use of a CHP engine will benefit both


the client and the residents as residents will receive an on-demand heat supply and the client will be able to export some of the elec- tricity generated back to the grid. www.vitalenergi.co.uk


JANUARY‐FEBRUARY 2018 UK POWER NEWS


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