FEATURE COMBINED HEAT & POWER


Specialist pipe technology for low carbon, energy-efficient heating


Approximately 60 million people across Europe currently receive hot water and heat via district heating schemes. This equates to around 12 per cent of the total population, but Flexenergy, one of the UK’s leading partners for district heating network installations, estimates that with the collective efforts of policy makers, designers, suppliers, installers, operators and users, there is a potential for this to increase to 250 million (50 per cent) by 2050


G


lenrothes-based Flexenergy has a 30-year heritage of working


alongside consulting engineers, energy managers and contractors to optimise the performance of community heating schemes through the use of eco- friendly and thermally-efficient pre- insulated plastic pipe in place of conventional steel materials. The company is a valued partner for designers and specifiers focused on system performance, environmental impact and return on investment. At the start of 2020, Flexenergy


increased its range of energy efficient, pre-insulated flexible pipe systems to meet the requirements of higher temperature and higher pressure community heating schemes. The company added PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipe to its PB (polybutylene) range to meet growing demand for non-corrosive solutions in the district heating market. HeatFlex is suitable for most


applications up to 95oC and 6 bar, while FibreFlex (up to 95oC and 10 bar) and FibreFlex Pro (up to 115oC and 10 bar) are designed for higher temperature and pressure environments. More recently, the company has added


a high performance, flexible, pre- insulated polybutene (PB-1) pipe system designed for low temperature local district heating networks. The polybutene pipe has an LDPE outer jacket for flexibility and mechanical protection, and is insulated with closed-cell, CFC-free bonded polyurethane (PUR) foam, which provides outstanding thermal properties and helps optimise energy efficiency in both heating and cooling networks. The new product is suitable for


applications up to 95oC and 8 bar and is a safe choice for specifiers with homogenous welding securing the integrity of the network while minimising heat losses. The company has also developed a pre-


insulated valve system, called V-Flex, which allows operators to control


18 SUMMER 2020 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT


networks by street, zone or across entire networks for maintenance or to facilitate future network expansion. The valve innovation includes a key-


operated steel ball valve inside a polyethylene casing, insulated by PUR foam, and incorporates PB tails for a


fully welded connection to a polybutene pipe network. Flexenergy’s sales director, Sandy


Fairley comments: “The new PEX range extends our offer to the market at a time of growing interest and investment in community heating as the UK looks towards lower carbon heating solutions. “We can now provide advanced pre-


insulated pipe technology to suit almost every type of district heating scheme, enabling designers, operators and scheme owners to specify a cost effective, high performing and non-corrosive alternative to steel pipe, with the potential to reduce the total cost of ownership.”


Flexenergy pipe technology is used to minimise the thermal losses of heated water


IBROXHOLM OVAL, GLASGOW Flexenergy pipe technology was selected to minimise the thermal losses of heated water being transported to a new housing development at the Ibroxholm Oval and because the material meant key elements of the network could be prefabricated offsite. The project required 500 metres of


polybutylene pipe for the 65-apartment project, with elbows and T-pieces prefabricated using electrofusion jointing to reduce the network installation time onsite. Bespoke building entry risers were also supplied, along with V-Flex valves which allow sections of the network to be isolated for maintenance. The valve system can also facilitate extension of the district heating scheme in the future, if needed. Flexenergy’s sales director, Sandy


Fairley, adds: “In recent years, there has been growing interest among contractors, specifiers and design engineers in sustainable community heating schemes and this is only likely to grow as we move towards a lower carbon economy. They are looking for secure, low maintenance and sustainable solutions that can enhance energy efficiency in district heating and community heating networks.”


Flexenergy flexenergy.co.uk 


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