Domestic Hot Water Heat Exchanger Upgrade for NHS hospital

Valveforce were approached by an NHS hospital to upgrade their Domestic Hot Water (DHW) system from shell and tube heat exchangers to fully integrated plate heat exchanger skid packages.

What was the problem?

Within the NHS, a range of heat exchanger technologies are in use, including shell-and-tube heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, and fully off-site manufactured heat exchanger packages.

Our NHS customer required an upgrade to their Domestic Hot Water (DHW) system. They wanted to move away from traditional shell and tube heat exchangers to a fully off-site manufactured, integrated plate heat exchanger skid package. The reason behind this was to improve efficiency, reliability and ease of maintenance.

How Valveforce helped

Following a detailed assessment of the existing plant room, Valveforce designed a bespoke DHW skid tailored to the available design envelope. This ensured seamless integration with the existing infrastructure while addressing operational limitations of the old system.

The incoming steam pressure of 8 bar was carefully reduced to 2.5 bar, allowing the new plate heat exchanger to safely and efficiently deliver 300 kW of heat output. Additionally, robust condensate steam trapping was incorporated to ensure reliable condensate removal under all operating conditions.

The system features a dedicated control panel with full BMS integration. All components were fully modelled in SolidWorks, pre-built and pre-wired off site and delivered to site as a complete, finished package - minimising on-site installation time and disruption.

Scope of works

Detailed plant room survey and assessment
Design and fabrication of a bespoke DHW plate heat exchanger skid
Steam pressure management and condensate trapping
Pre-building and pre-wiring of all components off-site
Dedicated control panel with full BMS integration
Delivery and installation of a complete, ready-to-use package, minimising on-site disruption
All components were fully modelled in SolidWorks to ensure accuracy and quality before delivery to the site.

Benefits of a Domestic Hot Water Heat Exchanger Upgrade

Improved efficiency and reliability of the DHW system
Reduced on-site installation time due to pre-fabrication
Seamless integration with existing plant infrastructure
Simplified maintenance and operational control through BMS integration
Safe and effective heat delivery, optimised for steam pressure and condensate handling

Valveforce are here to help

Valveforce specialises in delivering tailored, off-site manufactured DHW solutions for NHS facilities and other healthcare environments. Our fully integrated skid packages minimise disruption, improve efficiency, and offer long-term operational reliability.

Contact us today to discuss how we can upgrade your DHW system and enhance performance across your site. Call 0121 711 1908 or email info@valveforce.co.uk