The project

Epsom Downs Racecourse is best known as the home of Britain's richest horse race, the Derby, for three-year-old thoroughbreds. It has long been one of Britain’s great sporting events, attracting worldwide attention. The course dates back to the seventeenth century and has been updated and extended regularly ever since. Today’s main Duchess Stand cost £24 million and has a capacity of 11,000 with a 10,000 square feet function area. Recent improvements to the Duchess Stand by owners The Jockey Club have involved a complete M&E overhaul, under its main contractor Integral UK. In turn, Integral UK commissioned A1 Flue Systems.

Our design 

This design, manufacture and installation task was to eradicate issues with the existing flue system. It involved connection to three existing pressure jet boilers, each rising into a 500mm-diameter sub-header system, running horizontally to connect into a main 1000mm square duct fan dilution system. The duct attaches to an inlet louvre via a duct box, then rises to a high level within the plant, continuing horizontally through stainless steel attenuators and a dilution fan unit. Discharge is now via a new outlet louvre. Because of the proximity to the racecourse public, noise levels needed strict control and involved bespoke attenuators.

 

Comments

“There were space restrictions throughout. In order to access the area above the ducts, external scaffolding was erected and part of the louvre panels removed to allow the flue components, attenuators and fan to be fed in from outside. The header and connections to the boilers allowed a bit more space for working, but there was limited access in general. We are used to these on-site problems. The team overcame the issues without fuss and to the satisfaction of all concerned."

Richard Slate, Contracts Department Engineer, A1 Flue Systems

Facts at a glance

Client name: Integral UK

Location: Epsom, Surrey

Project value: £41,000

Time to complete: 10 weeks