Isoenergy is due to commence the installation of a world-first heat collection system in Bath’s Roman Drain. The work that will start at the end of January is part of a long-running project to provide sustainable heating to Bath Abbey as part of the multimillion-pound Footprint Project.
The work down in the Roman Drain is to install 10 custom built EnergyBlade heat exchangers that will collect heat from the thermal spring water that flows through the drain from the world-famous Roman Baths to the river. The water flows at a constant 40oC all year round and energy will be abstracted from this water to provide energy for a 200kW Ecoforest heat pump system in the Abbey.
The plant room with the heat pumps is already installed, as is the new distribution pipework of underfloor heating in the Abbey. All that is left to do now is the trickiest part of the works, down in the Roman Drain.
Working in such a humid and confined environment brings a new set of challenges for our engineers. We have had to plan to do the work in short 20-minute sections as that is as long as a person can effectively work down there. What’s more, all equipment that is being installed has to pass through a manhole inspection cover on York street and lower the ~7m to the floor of the Great Dain.
To find out more about the Bath Abbey Footprint project, visit www.bathabbey.org/footprint