W L Douglas and Sons Ltd
Ground Source Heat Pump 8.2MW System
Client
W L Douglas and Sons Ltd, located in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland. A progressive agri-business in the Borders that have just completed their third significant renewables installation through Calibrate.
Project
3 heat pump installations over 4 years (1MW, 6.2MW and 1MW) to expand the capability and capacity of their offering and future-proof their grain farming and transport business. In 2020/21 they completed the installation of a massive 6.2MW Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) based on the success of their original Calibrate 1MW installation in 2018/19, followed by a modified capacity extension in 2022 with an additional 1MW GSHP. An intelligent bespoke Calibrate controller (Calibrate Analyser) allows remote access and monitoring.
Timeline
2018
This original system was the first-of-its-kind to provide simultaneous heat and chill to dry one of the largest tonnages of grain of any GSHP in the UK. The customer, Ian Douglas, approached Calibrate in 2018 to look at ways they could speed up and streamline
the grain drying and cooling process and also reduce the company’s carbon footprint. It was agreed that Calibrate’s 1MW heat pump heat/chill system was the perfect fit for their 40t/hr continuous flow grain drying system.
2020/21
Fast forward 3 years and W L Douglas and Son added an impressive 6.2MW system. This significant heat pump includes 60km of below ground array pipework, 170m2 of heat exchanger surface area and 150L/s fluid flow rate. 2021/22 Benefitting from the Ofgem modified capacity scheme, another 1MW heat pump was added to the original ground array in
2022 to create additional space and water heating for the production shed, taking the system’s full capacity to 8.2MW. This 1MW addition equates to 229 extra tonnes per annum of carbon saved.
2021/22
Benefitting from the Ofgem modified capacity scheme, another 1MW heat pump was added to the original ground array in 2022 to create additional space and water heating for the production shed, taking the system’s full capacity to 8.2MW. This 1MW addition equates to 229 extra tonnes per annum of carbon saved.
The Process.
The key driver for the upgrades was the success of the original system and rapid growth of the business, which resulted in a grain and grass drying requirement of some 30,000 tonnes. A Calibrate heat / chill pump heats and dehumidifies the air up to 45°C before it is passed through the grain and grass on the drying floor and also chill the produce post drying prior to storage to 8-12°C below ambient which aids the overall efficiency of the system and ensures quality of product.
Calibrate’s cloud-based software remotely manages the full process from a smart device, enabling the client to have a ‘hands off’ approach as well as allowing real time tariff generation and power consumption readings. The Calibrate team put together an outline plan to pre-heat the air onto the burners to 45°C, whilst also using the free chilling to cool down the product to 8-12°C below ambient, prior to storage.
The Outcome.
Using Calibrate’s ground-breaking technology, the client has future-proofed their business. With a large capacity of over 8MW over 3 heat pumps, they are cutting fossil fuel usage along with reducing their carbon footprint. The system is multi award-winning.
The system enables reduced fossil fuel usage and derives a high 20 year RHI tariff and speeds up the process throughput by chilling the grain after drying. With the further benefit of little or no mechanical ventilation within the storage sheds afterwards, and more importantly peace of mind that the valuable product is stored correctly. The Calibrate 20 year maintenance and extended warranty package means that there is no unexpected outlay for the lifetime of the tariff.
