Background
24 apartments are equipped with thermal stores of (100 to 150 litres) with immersion heater capability. Individual demand of each apartment for domestic hot water varies greatly in timing and volume. Thus the oil boiler is required to work for long periods which is uneconomical.
Currently the thermal stores are indirectly heated with hot water at ~80C distributed from the boiler room. There are large heat losses from the circuit to the 18th century building and it is likely hot water in the thermal stores is cooled overnight by the system through gravity flow after shutdown and on start-up in the morning when cooler water in the system begins to circulate again.
Requirement
Due to constraints, in the first instance the requirement is for a controller associated with each thermal store which will isolate the thermal store from the main boiler circuit when the temperature of the water in the thermal store is greater than that of the water circulating in the supply pipe. The valve could be a normally open or normally closed valve. Such a system will also permit particular residents to increase the temperature of their water supply using their immersion heater without the risk of their (separately paid for) hot water being circulated around the building.
It is envisioned that a controller would monitor the temperature of the thermal store and the supply pipe, compare the two, and open or close the valve or valves on the main supply pipe accordingly. Coincidentally it would be essential that the immersion heater would not operate unless the valve supplying (lower temperature) water from the boiler was closed.
Can anyone recommend such equipment?
24 apartments are equipped with thermal stores of (100 to 150 litres) with immersion heater capability. Individual demand of each apartment for domestic hot water varies greatly in timing and volume. Thus the oil boiler is required to work for long periods which is uneconomical.
Currently the thermal stores are indirectly heated with hot water at ~80C distributed from the boiler room. There are large heat losses from the circuit to the 18th century building and it is likely hot water in the thermal stores is cooled overnight by the system through gravity flow after shutdown and on start-up in the morning when cooler water in the system begins to circulate again.
Requirement
Due to constraints, in the first instance the requirement is for a controller associated with each thermal store which will isolate the thermal store from the main boiler circuit when the temperature of the water in the thermal store is greater than that of the water circulating in the supply pipe. The valve could be a normally open or normally closed valve. Such a system will also permit particular residents to increase the temperature of their water supply using their immersion heater without the risk of their (separately paid for) hot water being circulated around the building.
It is envisioned that a controller would monitor the temperature of the thermal store and the supply pipe, compare the two, and open or close the valve or valves on the main supply pipe accordingly. Coincidentally it would be essential that the immersion heater would not operate unless the valve supplying (lower temperature) water from the boiler was closed.
Can anyone recommend such equipment?
