The transformation of the 50-year-old Heathrow Terminal 2 was one of the most exciting projects in the UK, with construction giant Laing O’Rourke signing an £800 million agreement to deliver the project which would be built with sustainability at the heart of its design and construction.
The transformation of the 50-year-old Heathrow Terminal 2 was one of the most exciting projects in the UK, with construction giant Laing O’Rourke signing an £800 million agreement to deliver the project which would be built with sustainability at the heart of its design and construction.
The existing High Temperature Hot Water District Heating mains ran under a proposed new multi-storey car park and made it necessary for the pipework to be reconfigured. The 300m reconfiguration of the pipework would be made more difficult due to tight timescale and also the fact that the airport needed to maintain 24/7 access, which would see Vital engineers scheduled to work through the night to deliver the project.
With up to 6,000 people on site and 140 separate businesses involved in the project it was essential to find a district heating contractor with a strong track record of working on large developments, outstanding communication and strong relationship building skills to ensure they could work alongside multiple utility companies, developers and sub-contractors effectively.
Vital Energi worked closely with the clients and consultants to design and install the district heating network, specifying the highly insulated Isoplus HT1 pre-insulated pipe system. This pipe has an additional layer of mineral wool insulation which allows it to operate at temperatures of up to 210 degrees, making it ideal for high temperature hot water and steam systems and reduces the overall heat losses due. The scheme saw Vital Energi utilise its supply chain to have the pipe custom made as it was not standard specification and, therefore, was not readily available "off the shelf". Coupled with the pipe network is a specialist high performing joint system, and with its mineral wool insulation, will further reduce heat losses. Fortunately, Vital’s extensive supply network ensured we were able to procure the pipe without delay to the schedule.
The district heating installation at Heathrow proved to be different from a normal buried pipe scheme, with the client opting for a design involving chambers constructed with conventional construction materials which allowed access for maintenance. This meant that pipework had to be hand manoeuvred into position in the 1m shaft.
