Wales & West Utilities Case Study

Project

Heating and plumbing contractors, Fowler Gas, called on Flexenergy for technical, onsite support and assistance in the scheduled replacement of the heating main at Wales & West Utilities’ North Wales natural gas offtake in Wrexham.

Work Involved

Four heat exchangers onsite needed to be served with flow and return on each side of the exchanger to allow for balancing and Flexenergy’s Flexalen 600 pre-insulated pipe was selected for its thermal properties, eco credentials and jointing integrity.
Using an innovative design, Flexenergy was able to reduce the overall length of pipe required for the flow and returns to each heat exchanger by prefabricating risers with tees, which could then be connected to redesigned pipework on the other side of each exchanger. This effectively removed four runs compared to the previous design – the equivalent of 30m of pipe. The prefabricated heat system was then connected to the new boiler room.
In total, 185m of Flexalen 600 pipe was installed, ranging in size from 32mm to 160mm diameter. The material was selected for the integrity of its fusion welded joints.

Outcome

The replacement heating system was installed quickly and cost effectively.
Through a number of design innovations and their ability to prefabricate, Flexenergy was able to reduce the number of joints required onsite from 70 to just 13, with a consequent reduction in installation time from three weeks to three days.
Fowler Gas commented: “The combination of labour saving and reduced pipe runs meant we were able to deliver the project at around 50% of the original anticipated cost.”

Feedback

“Our offtake in Wrexham is essential to keep the gas flowing to heat homes and power businesses right across North Wales. We appreciate the support of Flexenergy and Fowler Gas to deliver this work safely, efficiently and at a value for money price, helping us deliver for the communities we serve.”

Bethan Winter, Wales & West Utilities System Operations Manager

Products Used

  • Flexalen pre-insulated pipe ranging from 32mm to 160mm diameter
  • Prefabricated joints
  • Heat exchangers x4
  • Prefabricated risers