Peak loads matched by Hamworthy
Sinfin Community School in Derby has been rebuilt after a major fire, and with funding from the government’s Building Schools for the Future Pathfinder programme it is now set to be one of the most environmentally friendly schools in the country. Sustainable features include a biomass boiler, which is supported by a Hamworthy Wessex ModuMax high efficiency modular boiler, plus a wind turbine, natural ventilation and rain water recycling.
The innovative plantroom design housing the boilers merges into a hill to provide ease of access for the biomass fuel wood chip deliveries. The Wessex boiler was selected to meet the performance specification set out by Pick Everard’s building services engineers and the M&E design & build subcontractor Balfour Beatty Engineering Services, to fit in the tight space remaining after the biomass boiler and fuel handling equipment was allowed for.
“Plantroom space is always at a premium and we required a boiler that fitted in size and yet had sufficient output to meet the schools needs at particular times,” said Phil Johnson of Pick Everard.
“The Wessex ModuMax was deemed to be the perfect choice for this installation with its extremely small footprint whilst not compromising on output
and efficiency. Indeed the ability to achieve excellent turn-down was also a key decider.”
Wessex ModuMax boilers, being extremely compact, are the only commercial floor standing boilers that can provide nearly 1MW of output per square metre, and they weigh in at less than 1kg per kW output.
In this instance, the 660kW gas fired boiler uses three 220kW modules stacked one above the other to accurately match the building load requirements, handling the peak loads alongside the biomass boiler. They feature a fully modulating pre-mix burner control system, with an electronic thermostat monitoring the boiler operating conditions, automatically adjusting the output to suit, and have achieved the highest rating for low NOx emissions – European Class 5 performance.
A Wessex ModuMax manifold kit was also installed at Sinfin Community School. The kits are factory tested and part assembled for ease of installation and include valves to isolate individual boilers, and the headers are fitted with sockets to accommodate instrumentation and control sensors, all making the boiler installation simpler and quicker.
The new £20.5 million Sinfin Community School designed by Sheffield architects Race Cottam Associates has around 1,000 pupils and is a specialist engineering school which offers vocational education in an engineering city. Its innovative design and sustainable energy features will make it one of the most environmentally friendly schools in the UK today.