Title HEATING SYSTEM DESIGN

Description A basic description of heating system installations

Author Mrennan
!rganisation "esearch Machines plc#
HEATING SYSTEM DESIGN
There are many diferent wet system designs; they can be
grouped into two main categories, either;
- Open Vented Systems
- Sealed Systems
There are also many diferent types of system pipe design to be
considered such as;
- Two-pipe
- Single-pipe
- Gravity
- Microbore
Open Vent Systems
This is the most common type of system that has been installed over
recent years within the Industry. It is called Open due to the fact that the
water circulated through the system radiators and cylinder calori!er is
open to atmosphere using an open safety vent pipe. The e"pansion and
contraction of this water due to heating and cooling is accommodated by
a feed and e"pansion cistern, and water is supplied to the system by the
use of a #eed and $"pansion pipe %cold feed&.
Open Safety Vent pipe
The 'ent pipe is a safety device installed to the (entral )eating *ystem. It
enables any steam or high temperature water to be removed from the
heat e"changer in the event of boiler controls failure. The 'ent pipe is
generally installed to the main )eating +ow, or directly to the boiler. The
pipe should rise continuously to discharge above the #eed and $"pansion
cistern. There should be no valves installed, either manual or automatic in
the route of the vent pipe.
,ith the introduction of more powerful pumps, and the increase in
resistance in central heating circuits, due to high resistance boilers and
radiators, the correct positioning of the vent pipe is essential.
It is important to avoid pressures below atmospheric which may draw in
air through the open vent pipe, or small lea-s within the system, such as
through valve pac-ing which may be watertight but not airtight.
It is also important to avoid a rise in water level in the vent pipe such that
water is forced over into the feed and e"pansion cistern thus aerating the
water in the system. The ingress of air will eventually cause the corrosion
process to accelerate, leading to sludge being formed and subse.uent
bloc-ages and restrictions within the system or corrosion of heat emitters.
Feed and Expansion Pipe (Cod Feed !
This describes the dual functions of this pipe are to feed water down into
the system to permit water on heating up, to e"pand into the cistern
above. 'ery often this pipe is referred to as the cold feed pipe, even in
some /ritish *tandards. This is a poor description as its main function is to
handle the e"pansion of heated water within a system. Its main tas- is to
deal, therefore, with the results of heat being applied to water. It also has
to assist the safety vent pipe in the event of overheats within the heat
e"changer. In such situations it is vitally important for the feed and
e"pansion pipe to -eep the boiler full of water. (ommonly a 0oc-shield
gate valve is installed, generally found at the connection to the heating
system on the return pipewor- within the boilerhouse plantroom.
Feed and Expansion Ciste"n
This cistern is connected to the mains water supply through a ball
operated +oat valve and replenishes a system with water after installation
or remedial wor- being carried out. 1nother important function of the
cistern is to accept the e"panded heated water within the system. It is one
of the most neglected and yet one of the most important pieces of
e.uipment in the system. The common components found with the cistern
are the Open *afety 'ent 2ipe, /all operated +oat valve, #eed and
$"pansion pipe, and an Over+ow ,arning pipe.
Seaed Systems
The *ealed system is not open to the atmosphere and incorporates a
sealed e"pansion vessel which replaces the feed and e"pansion cistern of
the open vent system. $"pansion and contraction of the system water is
accommodated within this vessel. 1 pressure relief valve is installed as a
safety feature similar to a open safety vent pipe.
The system provides a number of bene!ts;
- The system is sealed to atmosphere, therefore corrosion is
reduced within the installation
- System can run at a higher temperature than an open
system
- No feed and epansion cistern is re!uired
In the open system the feed and vent arrangement protects the system in
the event of boiler failure. The sealed system is protected by an overheat
thermostat on the boiler and a separate pressure relief valve. Only boilers
speci!cally intended for use with a sealed system should be installed,
these will contain an appropriate high temperature cut3out as standard
Expansion Vesse
The e"pansion vessel should be !tted on the suction side of the pump.
The point at which it is !tted becomes the neutral point of the system.
The e"pansion vessel is divided into two compartments and separated by
a +e"ible diaphragm. The sealed side is charged with nitrogen gas or air.
The open side is connected to the system. 1s the water is heated it
e"pands and compresses the nitrogenair until the e"pansion is
accommodated within the e"pansion vessel.
The diagrams above indicate the e"pansion vessel in a cold state %1&
when the temperature increases %/& and !nally when at system operating
temperature %(&. 1t this point the pressure in the system has risen due to
the e"pansion of the system water, compressing the gasair until full
e"pansion has ta-en place, at this point the diaphragm will become
virtually static, with increased pressure, but e.ual on both sides of the
diaphragm.
P"ess#"e $eief Va%e
1 safety pressure relief valve must be !tted either on the appliance or on
the +ow pipe. The safety valve must open when the system pressure
increases above the set system pressure and discharge in a safe manner.
There should be a discharge pipe to low level in the boilerhouse
plantroom, and on combination boilers the discharge will be to a safe
position outside the property. The discharge pipe should always terminate
in a downward direction to avoid ris-s to people in the area.
2ressure relief valves are often used to drain the system or areas in the
plantroom, this is a practice not recommended, as the seating of the valve
can become contaminated with any debris from within the system.
P"ess#"e Ga#&e
1 pressure gauge recording the pressure of the system is re.uired to
enable the system to be charged from cold to its design pressure. This
gauge is also useful when establishing whether the system is losing
pressure, therefore indicating a water lea-.
Ci"'#atin& P#mp
In modern systems, the pump provides the motive force behind the
circulation of water within the heating system. The position of the pump is
crucial to whether the system operates under negative or positive
pressure. In open systems the pump is installed on the +ow pipe, either
after the open vent pipe and cold feed or where the open vent and cold
feed are connected to the boiler, the pump would be installed on the +ow
pipe from the boiler. This allows the system to operate under positive
pressure. The pump head is also a most important factor in the design of
an open central heating system. 2umps are ad4ustable having generally
the option of difering speed settings and controls which enables the
installer to ad4ust and vary the delivery of the head of water within the
system. The pump will re.uire ad4usting to provide su5cient pressure and
+ow rate to the inde" radiator to achieve the re.uired temperature
diferential across the +ow and return connections of the radiator. This is
achieved by the altering the pump speed. ,hen a system is being
commissioned the pump speed is set to give the correct pressure %head&
and +ow rate of water. 6omestic 2umps usually have several speeds
%often 7 speeds& and can easily be set by a controller attached to the
motor. 'ariable speed drives are used for larger 73phase electric motor
driven pumps.
Index Ci"'#it and (aan'in& t)e System
The resistance within the +ow pipe to each heat emitter will vary
depending on the length and route of the pipe design. The radiator with
the greatest resistance will normally be the furthest from the boiler,
although on some modern installations circuits of less length have more
resistance due to a greater number of pipe runs and emitters. The radiator
when established id therefore -nown as the inde" radiator. The radiator
should be balanced at the loc-shield valve on the return connection of the
heat emitter to achieve an appro"imate 889( drop in temperature
between the +ow and return connections. 1ll other radiators on the circuit
will have less resistance than the inde" radiator. This means that
additional resistance has to be created by ad4usting the loc-shield valves
on the emitters to gain the re.uired temperature drop between the
connections. If no attempt is made to balance the system, poor
performance can result as the heated water will only circulate through the
circuit with the lowest resistance. This may lead to the emitters at the end
of the circuit not reaching the desired temperature.
The Inde" (ircuit needs to be identi!ed so that the pump can be si:ed.
"ample #
The system shown below is divided into two sub3circuits 1 ; /.
1 pipe si:ing calculation would determine which of the two sub3circuits
had the most resistance and therefore which was the Inde" (ircuit.
The reason for $nding the %nde &ircuit is to si'e the pump(
The pressure developed by the pump should be capable of overcoming
the resistance in the Inde" (ircuit.
If the pump pressure can overcome the resistance in the Inde" (ircuit,
then it can overcome the resistance in other circuits of lesser resistance.
If it was found that the Inde" (ircuit was (ircuit %/& in the above diagram
then we would include the +ow of water through radiators <o. 7, = and >.
If we e"amine (ircuit %/& then the Inde" (ircuit +ows past ?adiator <o.7
and <o.= and through ?adiator <o.>.
This would be the circuit with the highest resistance.
If the pump is capable of forcing water through the pipewor- to ?adiator
<o.> then there will be enough pressure to force the water through
?adiators <o.7 ; <o.= since they are closer to the pump.
This is the reason why only one radiator is included in the calculations
for resistance in the
Pump
Sub-Circuit B Sub-Circuit A
BOILER
No.1
No.2
No.3 No.4
No.5
Heat Emitters
Inde" (ircuit.
Si*in& of Expansion Vesse
*i:ing of the $"pansion vessel essential, the vessel must be large enough
to accommodate all the e"pansion of the water.
The following information is re.uired to enable the correct si:e of vessel to
be calculated;
- The volume of water within the system( Manufacturers
supply data includes water capacities of components such as
boilers and heat emitters(
- %nitial pressure of the system, calculated from the static
height, which is the vertical distance from the epansion
vessel to the highest point of the system(
- The boiler )ow temperature
Pump
Sub-Circuit B is
Index Circuit
Sub-Circuit A
BOILER
No.1
No.2
No.3 No.4
No.5
Heat Emitters
Radiator No.5 Included in
Inde !ircuit
capacities of expansion vessel
Typical volumes of water contained within systems are as follows;
&ast iron heat echangers #* litres
+ow water content heat echangers ,(- litres
Small bore pipewor. # litre/.w of system output
Microbore system 0 litres
Steel radiators 1 litres/.w of system output
2ot water cylinder/calori$er 3 litres
The volume found from the previous table shall be multiplied by the
appropriate factor from the table below;
Maimum boiler )ow temperature 4actor
5,6& or greater #(*
+ess than 5,6& but not less than 116& *(5
+ess than 116& *(1
Fiin& t)e Seaed System
2rovision must be made for !llingpressurising the system. The
connection for the !lling a sealed system shall include a stop valve and
double chec- valve assembly to prevent water from passing bac- into
the mains water supply.
1 typical method would incorporate;
- 7 temporary hose connection to the mains water
- 7 stop valve should be installed to the service main outlet
- 7 double chec. valve and stop valve should be installed
to the system connection of the temporary hose
Where an approved flling loop is used, which incorporates all
necessary valves; it must be in accordance with manufacturers
instructions.
P"ess#"isation +nit
1nother method commonly used to pressure a sealed heating system is
with the use of a 2ressurisation unit, which is sealed to atmosphere
therefore the term sealed. 1 pressure sensor is !tted into the system
as indicated in the diagram. If the pressure falls below a set pressure, a
pump is operated which feeds mains water into the system pipewor-.
,hen the boiler increases in temperature, the pressure will also
increase due to the e"pansion of water. This increased water volume is
accommodated within the e"pansion vessel. In the event of a boiler
control fault or the pressure increase being too great, the interloc-
between the pressurisation unit and the boilers will switch the boilers
of until the fault is recti!ed. $"cess pressure is released through a
pressure relief valve. (ontinuous !lling of the system by the pump
would indicate a lea- in the system.
1s well as -eeping the system water levels maintained .The
2ressurisation unit can also pressurise the water in the system. The
bene!t of this is that the boiler +ow temperatures can be increased
above 8@@9( without it boiling. This means the same volume of water
will carry more energy to the heat emitters and smaller diameter
pipewor- may be used which are easier to accommodate within pipe
runs.
T,o-Pipe System
The preferred method of installing the heating circuit is to use two pipes,
one pipe being the +ow from the heat source %boiler&, and the other being
the return to the heat source. The main advantage is that appro"imately
the same +ow temperature is available to each radiator, thus allowing the
correct si:e radiator to be selected in the initial design of the system.
1 total heating system in a property, may be made up of a number of
diferent designs of two3pipe systems serving various numbers of heat
emitters. $ach emitter being supplied by the )eating +ow and return.
Sin&e Pipe System
The single pipe design of water supply to heat emitters is by far the
simplest installed, using one pipe to supply all radiators on the circuit with
heated water. 2ipe si:es and heat emitter si:es are generally larger to
overcome resistance and meet output demands of the system. 1
disadvantage of this type of design is that the same +ow and return
temperatures at the heat emitters cannot be maintained due to the
cooling of the heated water as it circulates through the system.
The reduction in temperature at the +ow and return connections to the
heat emitters through a single pipe system is not desired, with reference
to the diagrams attached. The !rst radiator %1& will receive water at the
boiler output mean temperature at the +ow connection and after
circulation through the radiator, the water will lose temperature due to
some of the heat being e"tracted for the re.uired output of the radiator.
The water is then circulated through the return connection of the radiator
at a lower temperature bac- to the single pipe which has bypassed the
radiator to ultimately mi" at a lower temperature than the boiler output
mean temperature. This water is then circulated further to radiator %/&
where the process continues.
G"a%ity Ci"'#ation
1 Aravity central heating system depends on the diference in density of
hot and cold water. (old water is heavier than hot water and, therefore,
the cold water will drop and the hot water will rise. These types of systems
were initially the only types used, until through the years they were
gradually modernised by the further installation of controls and
components.
This type of system comprises of a heat source %boiler& installed to a
system of pipewor-, which in turn circulates the heated water through the
system to the radiators and calori!ers.
,hen the boiler is raised to temperature this allows the heavier cold water
to fall through the return pipe and return to the boiler to be reheated, thus
in turn displacing hot water within the boiler into the system and
repeating the process.
F#y P#mped Heatin& and Domesti' Hot .ate" System
Bodern practice is to use a positive form of circulation, for both )eating
and )ot water, this removes the reliance on gravity as the main form of
circulation along with all its inherent disadvantages.
2umped circulation, to both heating and hot water, allows for smaller
diameter pipewor- and a more +e"ible approach to the routes of pipes
and in general a cost efective and e5cient installation.
The use of the pump, to serve both the main )eating circuit and the )ot
water circuit %primary&, allows the independent control of both domestic
hot water and heating. The other advantage being speed of recovery and
the control of temperature within the system.
Instaation Fa'to"s
The installation of a fully pumped system, is dependant on a number of
important factors;
- 8ump position
- 8ump head
- Open vent and &old feed position
- &orrect pipe si'e
- 8ipe layout
- The pressure within a system, both negative and positive
being correctly understood
- The correct installation of controls
- 9etermining the :inde radiator; on the circuit
- Balancing of the system

(oie"s
,hen the total heat re.uirements of the system have been calculated, the
installer will need to select a boiler to meet both the system and client
re.uirements.
1 number of considerations must be made before the selection of the
boiler such as;
- +ocation
- <oiler heat output
- &lients speci$c re!uirements
- 8hysical si'e of boiler
- 4uture design plans of the system and to the total heating
re!uirements
- Type and &ompatibility
- Type of fuel supply
)aving considered all of the above then the selection of the boiler can be
!nalised, the boiler should be matched to the total calculated hot water
and heating. It is normal to select a boiler of a larger output in the event
of the system being e"tended in the future. Cltimately the boiler will be
either Open3+ued or ?oom3sealed.