MINI-EXPRESSO plate heat exchanger and buffer storage package
RAF CONINGSBY BASE, LINCOLNSHIRE

The RAF Coningsby Base in Lincolnshire, famous for its annual Battle of Britain Flight of Spitfires, Hurricanes Fighters and Wellington Bombers has chosen to upgrade its domestic hot water using the mini-EXPRESSO plate heat exchanger and buffer storage package from Atlantic Boilers.

This efficient and hygienic water heating using long-lasting austenitic stainless steel throughout gives rapid heat recovery delivering hot water at desired temperature within 3 seconds. At the same time the compact pre-fabricated design eases installation in tight boiler houses.

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Glencanisp Lodge in the North-West Highlands has recently undergone re-development as part of the Green Energy Development initiative from the Assynt Foundation.

The Assynt Foundation Charity bought 44,000 acres of stunning natural land which encompasses the Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estates. The area includes the mountains Suilven, Canisp, Cul Mor and Cul Beagand and a wildlife-rich world of lochans, rivers and hills. For the Lodge to increase its use as a sustainable community base and as a centre for arts, educational and training events, serious work had to be done to redevelop the Lodge.

Atlantic Boilers have provided a 90kW kerosene R Series year-round condensing boiler as part of the overall aim to improve energy efficiency and heat efficiency. The R Series boiler has been selected as a reliable part-load boiler with a seasonal efficiency in excess of 94% GCV. The boiler will condense at its maximum efficiency even at 82°C flow and 71°C return. The flue gases leave the first heat exchanger at temperatures below 90°C and are then extracted from the second condensing heat exchanger at temperatures always below 50°C.

In Summer 2010, Glencanisp Lodge will reopen for residential events and activities including arts and crafts retreats, weddings and conferences.

Lancashire based Atlantic Boilers have installed B100 bio-fuel boilers at The Building Crafts College, Stratford, East London.

The college was founded in 1893 by the Carpenter's Company and has become a government-sponsored centre of vocational excellence for teaching and craftsmanship in carpentry, stone masonry and joinery. The series of workshops are highly insulated and, in addition, the space heating is served by highly efficient condensing boilers using the carbon-neutral rapeseed oil.

The chosen boilers are two Atlantic R22kW year-round condensing boilers. The oil is kept heated in a storage tank where it is maintained above 5°C and continuously circulated to the boilers inbuilt pre-heat tanks. In the pre-heat tanks the oil temperature is raised to 60°C and, then, finally the temperature is raised in the burner heads to ignition temperature. The boilers maintain seasonal efficiencies greater than 94% GCV.

Atlantic Boilers have installed a new boiler-plan of ttwo B100 bio-fuel boilers heating
new workshops and laboratories at the college’s town centre campus.

The installation consists of two R22-500 dual fuel B100 bio-fuel/natural gas lead condensing boilers each rated at 530kW and one NA-R 1160kW natural gas lag high efficiency boiler. The in-house control system ensures that the two R Series boilers take up most of the heating load.

The B100 bio-fuel is kept (similar to fuel oil) in two underground tanks at 5°C, then piped to a pre-heat tank within each R Series boiler, from which it passes to the burner. The B100 bio-fuel oil, a naturally grown or recovered fuel, burns with the same maximum condensing efficiency as fuel oil or natural gas. The fuel brings substantial savings in carbon emissions.

In addition, the space requirement for the equipment is minimal and less than half the cost of bio-mass systems.

The R Series year-round maximum condensing boiler has two distinct heat exchangers, the first of developed quality steel design and the second of high-grade plastic design. The flue gases leave the first exchanger below 90°C and are then extracted from the second condensing heat exchanger at temperatures below 50°C. For combustion air entry temperatures below 30'C, efficiencies are obtained which are always exceed 92% GCV up to 99% GCV. These conditions apply throughout the year in the United Kingdom.

The system was specified by Operon, Manchester and installed by Mitie Northwest

Atlantic Boilers have installed their high efficiency boilers at The Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, Camden. The Leisure Centre owners, GLL are an innovative staff led ’Leisure Trust’, which manages more than sixty five public leisure centres within the M25 area.

Swiss Cottage opened its doors in 2006 and encourages local people to embrace the "Olympic Spirit" and use the state-of-the-art facilities to improve their health and well-being. The Centre has been recognised by Time Out as the "Best Leisure Centre" in London, calling it "a gem in both sporting and architectural terms" in 2008.

GLL has a high achievement policy on environment and energy. Part of this plan is an energy generation plant which serves a variety of requirements including a competition pool, a learner pool, various air handling plants and domestic hot water.

The plant is an ENER-G Combined Heat & Power Plant which is backed up by three Atlantic-Erensan NA-R 1160kW boilers gas-fired by Dunphy modulating burners. These three boilers give efficiencies from 83% to 85% across the modulating range - against a flow temperature of 80°C.

Briggs and Forrester, the installers, selected this package as a 'best buy' balance between economy and energy conservation. Swiss Cottage is run by a not-for-profit organisation and the low purchase cost of £8000 + vat each enabled them to keep within tight budgets.

The Atlantic Erensan NA-R is available from 60kW to 3000kW as a high efficiency boiler. It is also available as a condensing boiler in the same range.

Two 400kW R Series gas condensing boilers were installed at the new College of Arts and Technology building in Harpurhey, Manchester during 2005. The two boiler systems provide constant temperature 80-60°C water with efficiency permanently above 92% GCV - rising to more than 96% GCV in mid-winter due to the action of the high grade outside air condensing exchangers.

Also, the year-round condensing boilers have Technaflon high-grade rigid and flexible plastic flues which are guaranteed for 20 years and can be easily fabricated to meet the requirements of condensing boilers.

John Eccles, Director of OPERON, Manchester, says that the ATLANTIC R Series boiler was selected for its consistent ultra-high performance on this important new project. Over 4 years the boiler has given reliable operation and it has the advantage that it can be easily switched to renewable gases and oils in the carbon-neutral future.

The installation was carried out by T Jolly Services Ltd of Preston, Lancashire

Atlantic Boilers have installed their high efficiency boilers at Star Refrigeration's' testing plant in Glasgow. Star, one of the UK's largest independent industrial refrigeration engineering companies, are launching the "Indigo Chiller" an energy efficient, low noise chiller solution early next year.

Douglas Hamilton is the Chief Engineer of Star Refrigeration. He approached Atlantic Boilers to develop a boiler test rig.
'We required a specially produced rig with very high efficiency, flexible boilers - reflecting our 'Indigo-chiller' performance - and which could be conveniently accommodated at our adapted premises at Westway near Glasgow Airport".

The specially produced skid consists of two boilers (each nominally rated at 500kW) together with associated mixing chambers, pumps and control valves. The test water is pumped through the boilers in series to raise the water temperature going onto the 'Indigo-chiller'. The water first passes through an NA-R 500 boiler with a gas-fired analogue modulating burner with efficiencies achieving 84% GCV. The water then flows through an R22-500 year-round condensing boiler with a gas-fired speed inverter controlled modulating burner to give precise temperature control at efficiencies from 92% GCV to 99% GCV throughout the year. Effectively the R22-500 is the lead boiler performing the function of always matching the chiller load.

Andrew Cowan - Commissioning Adviser, reports that the Atlantic Boilers system is giving great service.
"We want to use the facility to give customers the opportunity to see each 'Indigo-chiller' run-tested and put through its paces before shipment to site and also to carry out these tests with minimum impact on the environment."

The NA-R 500 can be fired by either natural gas or diesel oil. The R22-500 can be fired by many fuels including rape seed oil, natural gas, LPG, diesel oil and kerosene - plus other carbon-neutral fuels. This fuel flexibility will be of great value in the coming years.

Two Atlantic R22 series condensing boilers, each rated at 153 kW, were installed in 2007 at the recently re-furbished London home of the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princes William and Harry.

The first or lead boiler is equipped with two burners, one for a range of renewable oils and one for natural gas. The second or lag boiler has a natural gas burner. This arrangement gives the boiler house a potential renewable fuel input of more than 60% of all fuel used. In addition, both boilers have a minimum efficiency throughout the year of 92% GCV rising to more than 97% GCV in mid-winter.

Under the direction of Ron Harper, Deputy Property Manager and Peter Guy, Surveyor from the Royal Household Property Section, the new boilerhouse is provided with 5,000 litres renewable oil storage in two tanks, along with efficient oil pre-heaters and a comprehensive oil fill, vent and feed system. In addition, high grade plastic flues evacuate the burnt gases according to clean air requirements and with full recognition of the listed status of Clarence House.

Mr Harper has planned the new R Series boilers as part of the extensive refurbishment and redecoration of Clarence House carried out in preparation for the Prince of Wales. He states that the boiler selection will not only greatly reduce energy consumption; both boilers can be easily adapted to a variety of first generation and second generation fuels as they become available.

The consulting engineer for the project is Blair Thompson of London SW11. The controls engineer for the project is DWEC Limited of Uckfield, East Sussex. The burner manufacturer is Dunphy Combustion Ltd of Rochdale, Lancashire.

Four RS Turboflow plate heat exchangers were installed in 1986 at the prestigious international 5-star Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly, London W1 to provide abundant hot water to all the bedroom suites, the reception rooms and the kitchens. The installation was completely satisfactory with minimum maintenance for over 20 years.

In 2007 Alan Miller, Chief Engineer, resolved to replace two of the exchangers under planned maintenance and approached ATLANTIC for their latest TURBOFLOW exchangers which have CE and Pressure Directive approvals. These were fitted, adjusted and commissioned by ATLANTIC engineers within a minimum interruption of a few hours.

Alan Miller, who manages all mechanical and electrical services at the Ritz says ' the supply of abundant hot water at all hours of day and night is absolutely critical. The ATLANTIC Turboflow plate heat exchanger has met the requirement speedily and effectively over the past 20 years and I am confident that the latest exchangers will give continued satisfaction for the next 20 years or more'.