Education Business

Faced with the government’s intention that all schools should be carbon-neutral by 2012, there is now considerable pressure to reduce the emissions associated with heating and hot water. And while low and zero carbon (LZC) heating technologies will often form part of the solution, it’s important to adopt a smart approach that makes optimum use of all available technologies.
    
Biomass boilers using wood fuel, for example, have proved to be an effective and reliable component of many a school heating system. Consequently, Hoval’s BioLyt and STU biomass boilers have now been installed in many schools and other educational establishments.
    
In many cases, though, the maximum efficiencies will be achieved by combining different technologies and exploiting the characteristics of each to their maximum potential. These could include solar heating and/or heat pumps but the heating capacity of both of these varies through the year, so a back-up for ‘topping up’ is essential.
    
In some cases the best choice will be a biomass boiler, or it could be a high efficiency gas-fired condensing boiler, such as Hoval’s UltraGas – or it could be a combination of both. For instance, condensing boilers are most efficient when working with lower temperature water, compared to conventional boilers, so will give exceptional performance at times when the water returning from the heating system is at a relatively low temperature.
    
So the smart approach considers all of these factors to arrive at an engineered solution that delivers optimised performance at all times of the year, bearing in mind seasonal variation and varying occupancy of schools at different times of day and year.
    
Clearly, though, this multiple heat source scenario is a more complex situation than simply using boilers as the only heating plant. The system needs to be configured so that optimum use is made of each heating technology – and this needs to happen automatically using sophisticated controls.
    
As a company that manufactures biomass boilers, solar heating systems and heat pumps – as well as ultra-efficient gas and oil fired boilers - Hoval has vast experience of providing integrated, optimised systems that give maximum performance throughout the year. This results from a combination of engineering expertise and a profound understanding of each technology, backed by advanced controls systems that we have developed to address these challenges.
    
In addition, we are able to offer comprehensive packages that go far beyond the supply of equipment to encompass every stage of the project from initial design right through to final commissioning and ongoing maintenance. We also have considerable experience of working with local authorities and individual schools to ensure that individual requirements are fully addressed.
    
For example, the day-to-day running of the heating plant may well fall to staff that are not heating specialists. So as well as being smart enough to give optimum performance, the system needs to be smart enough to be easy for a non-specialist to operate. Here, Hoval’s expertise in understanding these requirements, backed by our experience in providing appropriate training, proves invaluable.
    
At Bowbridge Road Primary School in Newark, for example, our BioLyt biomass boilers are integrated with a number of other LZC technologies. Crucially, they are also designed to minimise input from the school’s maintenance staff using features such as self-cleaning, automatic fuel feed and automatic ash removal in the boiler to keep maintenance costs down.

Dealing with emissions
When EC Directive 2008/50/EC, Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe, comes into force in June 2010 it could create a difficult situation for biomass boilers. This is because the Directive seeks to create a control framework for particulate emissions down to a diameter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5) – something that traditional filtration technologies cannot achieve.
   
Hoval’s new CF ceramic filter is capable of removing up to 96 per cent of PM2.5 and PM10 (10 micron diameter) particles and can be used with any type of biomass boiler – new or existing. Consequently, the CF has the potential to address any concerns about particulate emissions from biomass boilers. The CF units also feature the low maintenance features that characterise our biomass boilers.
 
The Hoval CF contains a matrix of porous ceramic tubes which are closed at the lower end. As flue gases are drawn through the filter by an inline fan, the gases are able to pass through the walls of the ceramic tubes, while particles are trapped. At regular intervals (timed and/or in response to a pressure drop across the filter) a pulse of air is used to dislodge the particles, which fall into a collection bin.

For more information
Hoval Ltd, Northgate,
Newark, Notts NG24 1JN
Tel: 01636 672711
Fax: 01636 673532
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Web: www.hoval.co.uk