New Heat and Power system will cut CO2
Published: 10 December 2013
Work gets underway early in the New Year on a major University project to install a district heating system driven by a Combined Heat and Power CHP) source.
Work gets underway early in the New Year on a major University project to install a new, district heating system driven by a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) source.
The new CHP system will help the University reach its environmental target of a 20% reduction in carbon emissions. It will also provide electricity back-up, with the ability to generate two megawatts of power.
The University Court agreed the project earlier this year. It will affect a large part of the Gilmorehill campus. The current heating system is more than fifty years old and has reached the end of its life. The risk of regular system failures is high with the potential to disrupt teaching and research.
The initial preparatory works will start in the early part of 2014 to install temporary plant to serve the buildings on the existing system. This will let the University provide continuity of heating while the existing central steam plant is taken out of service and the new CHP constructed. The temporary plants will be five fairly large units located within industrial ship's containers either on articulated trailers or at ground level. These will be sited at key locations to serve the buildings currently fed by steam.
The project is expected to start in earnest in Spring 2014 with completion by the end of 2015. The temporary boilers will be moved into place in January 2014 and are likely to be in situ for about a year. Some parts of the work can only be completed during the summer, when the heating systems are not in use.
The temporary units will use up some car parking spaces. They may bring increased levels of noise and fumes. There will also be some operational challenges such as refuelling as they will be oil fired. From time to time they will also need to be serviced, maintained and repaired. Every possible step will be taken to reduce the impact of these on the University community. We will make them as safe as possible and maximum effort will be employed to have these units removed as soon as possible.
A video with more information and interviews with project lead Vice Principal Frank Coton and Estates and Buildings' Robert Kilpatrick will be featured in the next Campus eNews.
First published: 10 December 2013
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