A major refurbishment at the University of West London College has replaced the complex’s gas-fired boilers with a district heating scheme fed by air source heat pumps, with ESBE valves crucial to the management of the heating and hot water supply.
The upgrade was led by Norfolk-based Finn Geotherm, which installed four Carrier 85.9kW capacity ASHPs in a central plant room. Crucial to its success was the ability to manage variations in supply temperature for the individual circuits.
Technical Director David Alston said: “We had to opt for high-temperature heat pumps, capable of delivering 70°C+ for Legionella compliance, but the radiators were designed to run at a flow temperature of 50°C. It would be inefficient to run the heat pumps continuously at 70°C so there is a switchover process using ESBE valves. When there is a heating demand a signal goes back to the district heating to raise the mains temperature – effectively an S-plan system for the hot water. The ESBE MBA121 valve allows us to close off the heating when we’re in hot water mode. We’re also using the ESBE VRG131 three-port valve with ARA 659 proportional controller to regulate the temperature to the radiator circuit.” esbe.eu/uk