Davyhulme waste to energy plant boilerhouse complete 12 June 2014

The £1.5 million boiler house for United Utilities' innovative £4.3 million waste-to-energy plant, at Davyhulme in Manchester, has completed final testing and been handed over for operation by Spirax Sarco.

The new plant uses sewage to supply gas for a CHP (combined heat and power) plant – recycling the waste heat from electricity generation to produce steam in the boiler house that can then be used in the process.

This plant will eventually generate enough energy to offset the electrical power needs of Davyhulme, one of Europe's largest wastewater treatment facilities.

"We usually go to at least three suppliers for a project of this size," says John Thornton, project manager for main design and build contractor Black & Veatch.

"In this case, we needed a lot of guarantees from down the supply chain to meet quality assurances and project deadlines," he continues.

"Overall, Spirax Sarco provided the best commercial and technical offer, including the guarantees we were looking for."

The scope of Spirax Sarco's contract included three boilers, two boiler feedtanks and a full water treatment system.

It also covered controls to enable the boilerhouse to run unmanned, while maximising energy efficiency – including automatic TDS and bottom blowdown systems.

Black & Veatch carried out comprehensive operational and performance testing with the client over a 28-day period. Tests were successfully completed in March.

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Black & Veatch Consulting Ltd
Spirax Sarco Ltd

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