XCO2 undertook a technical independent review of a residential block’s heating system design and operation; assisting in an on-going exercise to increase the temperature differential between supply from and return to a local District Heating network. The exercise sought to identify any potential problems, highlight any areas where improvements or modifications could be made and provide recommendations for measures that could be undertaken to reduce the return temperature; ultimately, increasing the delta T (the difference between the flow and return temperatures).
On assessment of the heating design, it was found that the entire system had been oversized as compared to the CIBSE CP1 recommendations and typical XCO2 design. Furthermore, the site visit deduced that the design did not match the actual on-site installed system. The energy centre configuration was not as originally designed in part to equipment missing or placed in various other locations. The installed system was not operating as a variable pressure system but as a constant pressure system; therefore, the system did not cater for reductions in demand as part of its day-to-day operation.
