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REHAU PIPEWORK USED FOR INTERSEASONAL HEAT TRANSFER
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REHAU's PE-Xa pipework has been used in an innovative new project for Telford & Wrekin Council which will deliver energy savings for the redeveloped Wellington Civic and Leisure centre.
Part of an £8.5m town centre redevelopment, the building is being extended by 3,300m2 and will house two floors of council offices, as well as a swimming pool and leisure centre, library and café.
The Council's Property and Design department has worked closely with Interseasonal Heat Transfer specialists ICAX to design a sustainable heating solution for the new centre which minimises both energy losses and running costs and helps the building to achieve an EPC A rating.
A 20 borehole field has been installed in front of the building to create a ThermalBank which will store in the ground excess ‘free heat’ generated during the summer from solar roofing, solar chimneys, swimming pool and changing room ventilation for use during the winter.
REHAU has an established partnership with ICAX so supplied the RAUGEO 40mm PE-Xa probes for the 20 boreholes, which were each drilled 100m deep by Terra Firma GI.
REHAU PE-Xa header pipe was installed to connect the boreholes and Mark Bradley of Terra Firma GI estimates that the connection using REHAU's Everloc compression joint system took less than half the time it would have taken using the alternative PE electro-fusion fittings and PE 100 pipe.
The 30m x 10m x 100m deep ThermalBank will be connected to an ICAX Skid, which will extract heat using heat pumps when required for use in the winter to heat the building. When there is a requirement for heat, the ICAX Skid unit will analyse where it can be delivered from most efficiently and activate the appropriate heat source.
The Wellington Civic and Leisure centre, part of the council's borough town imitative programme, is scheduled for completion during 2011. The main contractors are GF Tomlinson.
