Synergy News & Blog: Bath Office
Where Earth and Heaven Meet …
It’s been long journey, since this statement was first used in connection with Bath Abbey. Five years after granting the Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent, the Footprint Project will be coming back to life once again in the heart of UNESCO World Heritage site. Proportionally much smaller, Phase 1 was successfully finished last year in July.
The City of Bath is of outstanding universal value for a number of cultural attributes. One of them being the spa complex founded by the Romans using the natural hot springs. Bath’s hot springs are the only ones in Britain. The water is very constant with a temperature of approximately 45oC and a total flow rate of 14-15 litres/sec, equalling over 1.2 million litres per day. The main flow rises in the Kings Spring in the Roman Baths Complex, flowing along the Great Drain to discharge into the River Avon near the weir in Parade Gardens.
The Great Drain has played a crucial – but largely hidden – role in the life of the city for hundreds of years. It is large enough to walk down and still performs its original purpose. Therefore, there is great potential to extract heat energy from the hot spring water. Over several years, Bath Abbey was actively seeking and discussing options of how to use the hot spring water in heating buildings and hot water. Eventually, the mechanical engineers came up with optimal solution and so a Hot Spring Water Heat Recovery system is a part of Footprint Project. The system will consist of close-loop ‘Energy Blade’ type heat exchangers submerged in the Great Drain below York Street, with heat pumps in the Bath Abbey boiler plant room, along with interconnecting and associated pipework and fittings and other ancillary items.
