Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

Installation: 3 x Remeha Gas 620 Ace boilers in packaged plant room

Baxi’s future-proof packaged plant room supports hospital’s drive for energy efficiency

Baxi Packaged Solutions has designed and built a unique packaged plant room that includes three Remeha Gas 620 Ace condensing boilers to meet the requirements for more energy-efficient heating, minimal disruption and future flexibility at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).

The QEUH, which is operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), is built on the site of the former Southern General Hospital in Glasgow’s Govan district. While most of its facilities date back to its opening in 2015, some buildings, including the Maternity Unit, were retained from the previous hospital.

When the time came to replace the ageing boiler plant serving the 1970s facility, a series of factors increased the complexity of the refurbishment challenge.

Improving the efficiency of the existing heating system was the urgent requirement and one that could be achieved through the installation of more energy-efficient modern condensing boilers.

However, while this was an immediate concern, a master plan for the overall site, potentially including future connection to a district heating system, was already in development. Asbestos issues that could present a safety risk to the boiler replacement project and future maintenance work also needed consideration.

Continuity of the heating service was a critical requirement for patient care, meaning that disruption had to be kept to an absolute minimum. Installing temporary plant to avoid shutdown of plant was not an option due to the size of the building.

To future proof the boiler replacement solution at the Maternity Unit and overcome all other project challenges, the NHS estates team decided to install the new boilers in a containerised plant room.

Baxi Packaged Solutions was selected to design and build the externally sited packaged plant room. This contains the three Remeha Gas 620 Ace boilers, with a total output of 3,600 kW to provide the required high output space heating, complete with all pipework, an air/dirt separator and a dosing pot, along with power and lighting via a small distribution board. The plant room is designed to connect to a new low loss header and plate heat exchangers in the main building and provides sufficient space to accommodate this equipment if required at a future date.