Spirax Sarco heat exchanger helps Harrogate cure high hydrotherapy heating bills

A compact Spirax Sarco EasiHeat™ steam-to-hot water system is proving to be a vital component in an innovative refurbishment project to help Harrogate Hospital save energy and improve patient comfort in its hydrotherapy unit. By delivering improved heat recovery, temperature and humidity control, the scheme is expected to save over £2,000 per year in heating bills. The new measures are also expected to save almost 300 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the 15-year life of the plant. The EasiHeat system provides hot water to an integrated Calorex Delta 10 unit, which controls both the temperature of the pool and the temperature and relative humidity of the air in the hydrotherapy and swimming pool. The Calorex system incorporates heat exchangers, an air handling unit and a heat pump. The heat pump recovers energy from excess moisture in the air above the pool to provide up to 25% of the heating energy needed in the pool room. The rest is provided by hot water from the EasiHeat system. The system maintains the pool temperature at between 34 and 36oC and conditions the air to a comfortable 30oC and 60% Relative Humidity. The EasiHeat system was supplied as a compact, skid-mounted assembly, complete with all the necessary ancillary equipment. At its heart is a plate heat exchanger, which is more responsive and easier to control than bulkier shell-and-tube versions. The Spirax Sarco unit was chosen because it can use plant steam to provide a reliable supply of on-demand hot water at a precise temperature. “We need rapid availability and close control of low-temperature hot water at a constant 82oC,” says Bob Howie, Capital Design and Project Manager. “The plate heat exchanger provides very good close control and hot water on-demand. It also has a much smaller footprint than other heat exchangers, freeing up space in the plant room.” Another reason to opt for a heating system based on steam was the ready supply of plant steam, which was previously used in the shell-and-tube calorifier that heated the pool before the refurbishment. As well as the new pool room systems, the refurbishment also includes a second air handling unit bringing fresh air into the adjacent rest area, while an integrated building control system monitors and optimises the energy performance of the entire hydrotherapy unit. All the new systems are designed to comply with the latest recommendations for hydrotherapy units laid out in NHS Health Technical Memorandum Health Building Note 8 for Facilities for Rehabilitation Services. “These regulations weren’t around when the hospital was built in the mid-1970s, because no one worried then about climate http://www.pandct.com/media/shownews.asp?ID=25555change,” says Mr. Howie.