[Arndale Centre]
Buderus boilers have been installed at the Arndale Estate, adjacent to the Southside Shopping Centre, as a planned replacement of existing outdated boilers with a high efficiency, specially designed, complete heating and hot water system. Two Buderus S825L 2.5 megawatt output boilers now meet the heating requirement, and a S825L 1.3 megawatt output boiler provides the domestic hot water.
The specification was developed jointly by Buderus and the Council's Design Services engineers to achieve the desired operating flexibility and economic running costs for the 388 homes in the five residential towers together with the public areas of the centre. The Buderus level of technical support was fundamental to the design of an efficient system, specifically t meet the precise needs of the particular installation and to achieve a cost saving, highly efficient solution.
The Buderus S range of large steel boilers is designed to maximise return on investment with a very high efficiency levels and low maintenance costs and excellent compatibility with modern heating systems. The size of the combustion chamber is designed specifically to suit the flame geometry and delivered heat output for the individual installation. The large dimensions of the heat exchanger surfaces together with three pass technology, ensure low flue gas temperatures and efficiencies of up to 94% (NCV).
A particular factor for the choice of the Buderus steel boilers in the Arndale Centre installation was the 10 bar working pressure of the system in the 23 storey tower blocks - a level at which steel boilers can comfortably operate. Another crucial factor was the actual size of the replacement boilers considering the size of the existing access into the boiler room. Although the S range steel boilers are among the largest boilers in the Buderus range, they were still 50% smaller than the boilers they were replacing.
Located in an existing ground floor boiler house at the rear of the centre, the boilers required cranes and skilful handling from contractors BSW to ensure all three boilers were safely transferred from the lorries into the plant room. Timing was also critical as hot water supplies needed to be maintained throughout the changeover. The replacement was timed for the summertime when heating was not being used, enabling the large heating boilers to be replaced first, followed by the domestic hot water boiler, using one of the other boilers as the interim hot water provider.
The existing boiler management system was overhauled to maximise system efficiency and energy savings with burners upgraded to full modulation to ensure heat output could be continually adjusted to match demand. It is also centrally controlled from the council heating department, again the ensure efficient usage.
Cost savings of at least 20% are expected as a direct result fo the boiler replacements. Other cost saving measures have also been introduced including improved thermal insulation, new pumps to improve circulation efficiency and an upgraded energy management system for operating efficiency.
Built in the mid 60's, the Arndale Centre has now been modernised and restyled to bring it up to date, both internally and externally with central services such as the high specification Buderus heating system being right at the heart of this fully refurbished complex.
