Buffer tanks – allow greater efficiencies, smaller plant, and are often necessary for heat pump defrost. 

A well designed buffer tank system is like a thermal battery.  It can store energy when there is a surplus of demand and deliver that energy when that demand peaks.  It can keep plant operating at peak efficiency for longer periods of time, and allow it to wait for longer between startups, increasing plant life.  The energy stored can even be used to melt the ice off an air source heat-pump operating under adverse conditions without drawing energy from the building it’s serving. 

In order for a buffer vessel to operate effectively and maximise the benefits above, the size and control of the buffer vessel are key; too small and the effects won’t be fully realised, too large and the costs rapidly mount up while delivering ever diminishing returns.  Connection types to control mixing, pump controls to minimise temperature distortion across the primary and secondary connections, and even temperature sensor and gauge locations all factor into the design process.  

The key, as with many aspects of design, is to understand the specific goals which need to be met.  The expertise at KJ Tait can help to define the brief to optimise buffer tanks’ performance as part of a fully considered system design.  This is one aspect of the strategies utilised by KJ Tait to deliver high performance, robust, and maintainable designs for our Clients.