2012 September

UVGI Systems introduce a comprehensive range of latest technology Ultra Violet Germicidal Irradiation Equipment providing measurable performance with guaranteed results for the removal of air borne pathogens that include bacteria and viruses from indoor environments.

The Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) has launched a consultancy service to provide independent evaluations of oil-fired installations. Developed in response to customer demand, typical clients include landlords and facilities managers in the public and private sectors. The service is designed to help clients assess their oil-fired installations and can also assist in resolving disputes — for example where the installation has been completed but the customer feels the system is not performing correctly.

Sontay offers a CPD training course in water and heat metering that focuses on a number of topics, including background knowledge on flow measurement, the difference between water meters and flow meters and the key flow definitions (upper limit of flow rate, permanent flow rate and lower limit of flow rate). Sontay will also provide guidance on sizing water and flow meters, installation tips for water meters and temperature sensors and pockets for heat metering.

Big Foot Systems offers competitive, no-risk rooftop support systems for building services and plant equipment.

Karen Fletcher (right in picture) and Julie Steward have joined forces to launch Keystone, a specialist marketing and PR agency for construction and building services. The agency has offices in Leeds and Harlow and serves clients around the country. Between them, Karen Fletcher and Julie Steward have over three decades in the construction industry and bring a wealth of knowledge about the industry to their new venture.

The range is ideally suited for use in managed buildings such as student accommodation and care homes with radiator or underfloor heating systems. It can be used in new installations or for upgrading and improving existing sites.

A-Gas has a ‘solutions provider’ market approach for supplying its specialist gases — which include a wide range of refrigerants, nitrogen and oxy-acetylene. In line with this approach, A-Gas has teamed up with Cool Concerns to offer high-quality refrigeration and air-conditioning training and advice. This collaboration coincides with an increased uptake of refrigerants with low global-warming potential, such as hydrocarbons and R744.

Hamworthy Heating has prepared a series of brochures providing extensive technical content on its biomass boiler solutions. This literature provides comprehensive information on Hamworthy’s Pellestar, Firematic, BioMatic and BioFire biomass boiler ranges, offering outputs from 30 to 1000 kW. The brochures provide detailed product specifications and outline the benefits of each range. They also feature 3D plant-room images.

Hybrid systems that combine renewable technologies with traditional boiler systems offer a reliable route to delivering energy efficiency in commercial buildings, argues John Bailey of Vaillant.

Advances in heating technology and the increased uptake of renewable energy solutions place growing importance on the role of the manufacturer in advising on smart system design, and the correct selection of product is more important than ever. Mark Northcott, of Remeha Commercial explains.

As part of a multi-million restoration programme, Lochinvar high-efficiency condensing boilers and water heaters have been installed at Abbotsford, the home of famed Scottish writer and poet Sir Walter Scott, to provide space heating and hot water for visitors. The house, near Melrose in the Scottish Borders was designed and developed by Scott himself in the 19th century. He wrote some of his most famous works at the house, which is undergoing much needed repair before re-opening to the public in 2013.

The R40 wall-mounted boiler from Stokvis incorporates the latest gas-heating technology to achieve maximum operating efficiencies with minimum environmental impact. For example, CO2 levels are 8.5 to 8.7%, and NOx emissions are less than 39 mg/kWh at 0% oxygen — exceeding requirements for maximum BREEAM credits.

Pre-assembled lifting stations for removing condensate from boiler plant have been development by Grundfos. Conlift operates automatically when condensate enters the collection tank and is available in several versions.

A. O. Smith has launched five commercial boilers to complement its range of high-efficiency water heaters and solar systems. Epsilon and Upsilon (pictured) condensing boilers have outputs from 38 to 140 kW and enable the company to deliver a total solution for heating and hot water.

MHS Boilers has launched a range of floor-standing heat-interface units with an integrated stainless-steel unvented storage cylinder for hot water. Nexus S-FS units provide independent heating and hot water in multi-dwelling developments served by central plant. These units are available with cylinder capacities from 80 to 305 l. Integral storage makes possible a lower output from central plant than systems providing instantaneous hot water.

As modern condensing boilers rise in popularity, Hamworthy Heating’s Technical Director, Bob Walsh, looks at how to maximise the benefits of already highly-efficient boiler models through careful system design.

Viessmann’s Vitodens 100-W WB1C range of boiler comprises three combination boilers with outputs of 26, 30 and 35 kW and four system boilers with outputs of 19, 26, 30 and 35 kW with an improved modulation down to 25% of full output. The 19 kW boiler has a maximum flue length of 19 m for flexibility of installation. The heat output is the same for heating and hot water.

Helping to provide energy-efficient and sustainable housing for a mixed-use development in Maidstone is an Evinox communal heating system operating on central biofuel and gas plant with ModuSat TP heat interface units in apartments. This affordable housing is part of the £27 million Kent History & Library Centre, which houses some 14 km of historic material relating to Kent and dating back to 699 AD. The development includes 57 extra-care apartments for Housing 21 and 60 affordable homes for West Kent Housing Association.

Eclipse Magnetics has launched a high-performance filter to combat the build-up of black sludge in domestic heating systems — increasing boiler life and reducing maintenance time. Black sludge reduces boiler heat transfer, and it can cause blocked pipes, radiator cold spots and corrosion. BoilerMag cleans the system by removing both magnetic and non-magnetic debris. It comes with a 3-year warranty.

Johnson & Starley’s QuanTec range of gas-fired condensing boilers comprises six models in regular and combi versions with outputs from 16 to 28 kW. One model, the HR 28c, has integral passive flue-gas heat recovery to achieve energy savings of up to 26% over a typical water heater. All models have a Giannoni isothermic stainless-steel heat exchanger.

Potterton Commercial’s iHE commercial is said to be the only one of its type on the UK market that delivers space heating and hot water from a single generator and tank enclosed in one cabinet. The condensing heat engines have premix modulating gas burners, achieve 96% gross efficiency and heat DHW via stainless-steel heat exchanger. These boilers are room sealed for use with vertical or horizontal flue systems.

The scope for pre-fabricated heating plant is changing, with the commercial Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) driving the desire for low-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels. Biomass is one of the more recent technologies to be housed in a ‘plug-in and go’ package. Simon Holden of Euroheat explains its benefits to wood-fuelled heating.

Commissioning is essential to ensure that heating systems operate at their full potential to maximise performance and minimise fuel costs — says Pete Mills of Buderus, Bosch Group, who argues that trying to avoid the cost of commissioning is a false economy.

Not only does Hoval make biomass boilers in the UK, but it has also installed them to heat its factory and for training and demonstration purposes. Martin Murrish explains how Hoval went about this retrofit project. When retrofitting biomass boilers there are a number of factors to consider.

Guardian, Advanced Engineering’s anti-microbial treatment for air-conditioning and refrigeration coils is now available in an aerosol can — making the 6-month protection go even further. Guardian was launched three years ago and has become a standard treatment for the ACR servicing engineer. The 300 ml aerosol packs are said to last longer than the original 500 ml spray bottle.

The variable speed that can be achieved with the integrated frequency inverter is the key to the optimum energy-efficient performance of Bitzer’s CSV compact screw compressor. These intelligent compressors use R134a and achieve an ESEER of over five. Applications include air-cooled direct-expansion chillers and heat pumps.

Saint-Gobain PAM UK’s range of VortX cast-iron floor-drainage products is designed in accordance with BS EN 1253:2004. The range comprises over 60 components to create complete floor-drainage solutions. Gratings and rodding eyes come in square or round shapes in nickel bronze or stainless steel for use in a variety of floor finishes and are available threaded or direct fit.

CP Electronics has launched a low-cost device to simplify DALI lighting installations. Called D-Mate Addresser, it is the latest addition to the sophisticated D-Mate lighting-control system. The D-Mate addresser complements the functionality of the D-Mate lighting-control system, making it very easy to address the other elements of the system using simple but reliable DIL switches.

BSS Industrial has added a digital pressurisation unit to its range of pumping equipment. The compact and enclosed Boss Digifiller houses an electronic pressure transducer and user-friendly micro-processor for use on sealed systems to provide a minimum system-pressure requirement. Other features include an innovative system quick-fill mode, lockshield valve and wall-mounting fixtures.

IsoCool has launched a closed-circuit adiabatic dry cooler as an alternative to cooling towers and adiabatic spray systems for rejecting heat from air-conditioning and close-control cooling systems for large retail units, data centres and buildings with a year-round need for air conditioning and climate control such as hospitals and hotels.

Energy reports produced by the Desigo building energy management system from the Siemens Building Technologies division can help organisations better manager their energy usage. Desigo Insight is a user-friendly management system through which Desigo energy reports can be run. It can be accessed via the Internet from remote locations, so that a user can remotely access reports and statistics from a number of sites.

Fibrelite’s range of GRP composite access covers for manholes and trenches provide a solution to the problem of metal theft by having no resale value in the scrap market. Their light weight compared to metal and concrete makes them much easier to lift for access, and they are lockable. They have load ratings up to BS EN 124 F900 (90t).

The Toshiba team at Toshiba Carrier UK has developed a system for detecting and containing refrigerant leaks in single- and multi-split (VRF) air-conditioning systems. The technique is said to be so effective that buildings with this system qualify for additional BREEAM points. There are three versions covering applications from an individual unit serving a single room to fully distributed VRF systems serving multi-storey buildings — with potentially hundreds of items of equipment.

Rinnai’s heavy-duty condensing continuous-flow water heaters have two heat exchangers to achieve optimum water heating by capturing residual heat from flue gases and transferring it to the water being heated. Available for indoor and outdoor installation, the HDC1200i achieves a net efficiency of 107%, and the HDC1500i turns in 105% net efficiency.

Jaga’s Tempo LST (low surface temperature) Freestanding radiator is well suited for use in projects with large expanses of glazing or curtain walling. It is inconspicuous and has a low profile but retains the characteristic high heat output of all Jaga radiators. It can also be equipped with Jaga’s DBE technology to increase output on low-temperature systems.

Carlo Gavazzi has extended the networking options for its smart power analysers with the introduction of a communications module providing BACnet MS/TP over RS485. This communication module is the latest option for the company’s WM30 and WM40 family of smart power analysers, providing interoperability with many small and inexpensive devices via this popular building-automation protocol.

Fläkt Woods has extended its range of energy-recovery ventilation units with the addition of the e3coStar. There are six models with flow rates from 80 to 1000 l/s and specific fan powers as low as 0.17 W/l/s. These cost-effective units use Eurovent-certified aluminium heat exchangers to provide efficiencies of up to 70%. Additional benefits include very low noise levels (thanks to 25 mm of mineral-wool insulation), user-friendly plug-and-play controls, and fans with EC motors for reduced energy consumption.

Elta’s SWHR180 fan for extracting stale air from pubs, clubs and restaurants also incorporates energy recovered to reduce the energy needed to heat or cool the space. Such buildings require a lot of air changes — depending on the number of people, which can vary considerably during the day, and from the preparation, serving and consumption of food and drinks.

Grundfos has completed a major upgrade of its MultiLift packaged lifting system for removing wastewater from buildings without having to resort to costly excavations. MultiLift can collect any type of domestic wastewater from any kind of building and deliver it to the sewerage system.

Tridium has added a metering gateway to its Niagara software for building automation. The metering gateway is a web-based metering management tool that enables users to network together pulse or smart-energy meters. Controls engineers and original-equipment manufacturers can apply the metering gateway to a wide range of meters and controls protocols such as LonWorks, BACnet, Modbus etc.

Vortice air-handling units have been specified for a new Gurdwara Temple in Glasgow. Following its purchase of Italian air-handling expert Loran in 2012, Vortice has been growing its AHU business throughout Europe. Every AHU is of a bespoke design and build, so the AHU team at Vortice is working closely with architects and design consultants to help specify the right product for their projects.

The fire-alarm system for a college in Devon is being upgraded from an analogue to digital addressable system using ADT Fire & Security’s Generation 6 detection technology. Based on ADT’s MZX technology, the digital system will provide triple-technology detectors with 2-way wireless communication with the 850EMT engineering-management tool. This will ensure that the main college building of the Paignton campus of South Devon College benefits from reliable and efficient programming that increases safety and reduces service charges due to the longer life of the detectors.

Baxi Commercial Division has supplied a pre-fabricated packaged boiler plant, solar-thermal hot-water system and a wall-hung continuous-flow water heater for the new 2-storey science and IT block at Bryn Alyn School in Wrexham, Wales. This project is part of a £20 million investment programme for three schools in Wrexham. Designed to minimise environmental impact, the new building employs a number of sustainable technologies and has a BREEAM ranting of ‘Excellent’.

The 140 outdoor units for a Daikin VRF air-conditioning system at SkyParks Business Centre in Malta are supported by Pump House’s Flexi frame system. The VRF systems serve all seven floors of the building, and the roof support systems were installed by Zarb Installations as sub-contractor to MA&A Services.

District-energy infrastructure owned and managed by Cofely now has the capacity to deliver over 500 GWh a year, following recent additions to the company’s portfolio — including extensions to the Birmingham and Leicester schemes. The news comes at a time when the Department for Energy & Climate Change is promoting district heating as the low-carbon energy solution for urban areas as part of its heat-strategy framework. The 500 GWh is the total of heating and electrical power from schemes based on CHP.

Danfoss’s Living Eco programmable radiator thermostat has won the international award for excellent at the 2012 conference and exhibition of the Institute of Domestic Heating & Environmental Engineers. The award acknowledges innovation, contribution to energy efficiency and ease of installation and use. Bill Bucknell, chairman of IDHEE, commented, ‘The Living Eco ticks all the right boxes. It’s simple to program times and temperatures for optimum efficiency and even comes with adaptors for other makes of TRV.’

EU legislation aimed at halving the energy used by glandless circulating pumps by 2020 amounts to the output of six medium-sized coal-fired power stations, reducing CO2 emissions by about 11 Mt a year. Gary Wheatley of Wilo has the details.

Hattersley offers a range of press-fit valves with integrated adapters for the Geberit Mapress system. Comprising a ball, balancing, strainer and check valve, the range is available in sizes from 15 to 54 mm and can be used with copper and Geberit stainless- and carbon-steel tubing.

Grundfos has extended its range of packaged booster sets with the introduction of a range of single-phase pre-packaged CMB/CMBE booster sets. They are based on the CM stainless-steel booster pumps and suitable for applications that require clean water to be delivered from a cold-water storage tank, such as when boosting to pressurised hot- and cold-water systems.

The benefits of grooved-end mechanical piping systems extend beyond quick, heat-free joints to reducing the need for flexible couplings and straight runs of pipe to and from pumps. Andy Carter of Victaulic shares his ideas on the effect on plantroom space requirements.

Pegler Yorkshire’s Terrier thermostatic radiator valve has been given an A rating under the European TELL product classification system for TRVs. These valves are made in the UK, and the TELL scheme indicates their efficiency on a scale of A (most efficient) to F.