BSEE
Tight project schedule? Space and access restricons? Using osite fabricated soluons can overcome these common boiler installaon challenges, says Paul Arnold, product manager at Remeha
ffsite fabrication is on the rise. UK building efficiency and heat have been identified as targets for efficiency improvement to move the nation closer towards its 2050
BOILERS & HOT WATER
environmental targets. Given that many buildings still rely on non-condensing boiler plant for heating, there is huge opportunity for these building owners to improve the energy performance of their properties and make them more cost effective to run. Replacing old or inefficient boilers with condensing boilers and adding new controls remains one of the most cost-effective means of achieving significant, long-term energy and emissions savings, and rapid financial payback. But for building services professionals, what should be a straightforward boiler replacement can be complicated by space and access constraints and tight refurbishment schedules. Which is where using offsite fabricated heating techniques, such as prefabricated cascade arrangements for multiple boiler installations, can provide high-quality time and space-saving solutions to meet all customer requirements. How? Involving manufacturers at the design stage of the process and encouraging good collaboration across the project team enables the unique requirements – or challenges – of the project and site to be factored in from the outset. This might mean making best use of the available space, incorporating a Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE) into the design to achieve hydraulic separation, or applying project-specific controls. As the bespoke modules are produced under factory conditions, there is the added benefit of factory quality assurance and pre-release testing. And as the equipment is fabricated offsite, on-site time and labour is reduced, which results in improved on-site safety and minimal disruption. So how and where are they being used? One example is the recent series of heating refurbishments at seven of Nottinghamshire Police’s stations.
Following a condition survey of the mechanical installation at Nottinghamshire Police’s sites, project consultants CJR Midlands had found severe failings in most of the old existing plant across its sites. Their recommendation was to
The rise of offsite O
refurbish the plant rooms with new energy- efficient condensing boilers together with associated pumps and flue vertical masts. New Building Management System (BMS) controls were also specified to enable CJR to monitor all the sites from Sherwood Lodge, the main police headquarters, to improve energy management. Time rather than available space was the critical challenge on this project, as all the sites needed to be fully completed within three months. Additionally, all police stations were to be kept operational during the works. This meant ensuring zero disruption to the hot water service throughout this period, with all systems fully operational by the start of the new heating system. Remeha were selected to provide boilers throughout the scheme.
“Working within such a narrow timeframe, it was essential to select a proven manufacturer – so we chose Remeha,” explained David Griffiths, regional director at CJR Midlands. “They have consistently provided us with excellent service and support, including assisting with surveys. The good availability of spare parts was also key.” At Radford Road police station, two Remeha Gas 310 Eco Pro condensing boilers were specified to meet the site requirements. At the remainder of the sites, including the Sherwood Lodge headquarters, a combination of Gas 220 Ace boilers was selected to match the individual heat output demand. An added factor influencing the boiler specification was Remeha’s ability to offer offsite fabricated cascade arrangements for its Gas 220 Ace floor-standing range. As this heating technique facilitates faster, smoother installation, it was a major advantage on this extensive refurbishment programme, helping overcome the time constraints.
ABSN were appointed the M&E contractors on the project by main contractors GF Tomlinson. Working with CJR and ABSN, Remeha prepared 3D drawings of the boiler cascade arrangement to the specified layout for each site and integrated Low Temperature Hot Water (LTHW) and gas headers, and pump sets. A PHE was incorporated into the design to protect the new boilers from the existing building distribution system, optimising their performance and longevity.
The drawings enabled early visualisation of the layout before the offsite production took place.
“As we also design in 3D, the fact that the drawings were available in the same format enabled more close and accurate design,” Griffiths commented.
For ABSN’s contracts director Nick Clews, there were clear benefits from using offsite fabricated technology. “Early engagement with Remeha was central to the success of the scheme,” he said. “Having the detailed co-ordinated dimensioned designs for each plantroom allowed us both to procure and to preinstall pipework in readiness for the boiler delivery. This helped speed up the installation process considerably.”
The entire refurbishment scheme went smoothly, with the challenging delivery dates all met. “We would have no hesitation in using Remeha again on projects and found them to be proactive in engaging into a team ethos to ensure the scheme was delivered on time and with no detrimental effect to the end user,” said Clews. “The project went extremely well,” agreed Griffiths. “We’re delighted to report that, since monitoring the sites, there have been no issues with the Remeha boilers whatsoever. Nottinghamshire Police are also pleased with the end result, especially as the collaborative approach enabled the team to deliver on time and on budget.” On projects like this, with tight schedules to meet, offsite fabricated equipment brings advantages for the entire project team. For Nottinghamshire Police, the prefabricated boiler modules successfully avoided any disruption being caused to staff and visitors at the stations during the refurbishment programme. Moving forward, there is the anticipation of improved heating reliability, reduced energy usage and costs, and easier future maintenance from the new high efficiency Remeha condensing boilers.
For the consultant, CJR, there is the assurance that the specification and all customer requirements have been met, with end-of-line factory testing providing added quality assurance. And for the contractors, ABSN, there is the ability to achieve a rapid, high-quality installation within the challenging delivery dates, ensuring happy customers.
With the availability of increasingly sophisticated designs like this enabling greater flexibility to deliver benefits across the supply chain, it’s no wonder that offsite prefabrication is on the rise.
16 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JANUARY 2020
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