Challenge

For this ground-up new construction, the client requested a high-efficiency boiler system with more than 90% energy efficiency. With design plans requiring the boiler room to reside in a tight space, our particular challenge was to provide an extremely efficient system within the room’s constraints.

Solution

Wales-Darby, Inc. worked with GKA to find the most efficient boiler system. We chose three HydroTherm KN-20 modular condensing boilers, with each boiler producing two million BTUs per hour. For ease of service, we installed a Taco 4900 high velocity air separator with PALL ring technology and detachable covers to remove air, dirt and microbubbles from the system.

The system maintains a small footprint, with all maintenance conducted from the front so that the boilers can be placed tightly. Every pump has a standby, firing in parallel to ramp up and slow-down in concert, based on the heating demand. The boilers modulate based on outdoor air temperature to meet the current heating demands of the building—including 177 rooms and suites, kitchen facilities and a rooftop bar—and increasing efficiency of the system to heat water to a certain temperature, which is then supplied to terminal units throughout the hotel.

Products on the Job

HydroTherm KN-20 modular condensing boilers
Taco 4900 high velocity air separator with PALL ring technology and detachable covers