Project Updates

The Scottish Prison Service has awarded James Ramsay the contract to replace one of its four on-site steam boilers which has prematurely failed.

The project includes the design and coordination of the works to replace the boiler which is situated in a boiler house alongside a second boiler, both providing 5000kg/hr steam each.

Gary Shepherd, managing director at James Ramsay, said: “As is standard practice with many public services and commercial buildings, maintaining continuity of supply for our customers is vitally important, so we’re pleased to have been selected to support the Barlinnie facility with this critical project and we’re looking forward to installing the new equipment and having the service up and running as soon as possible.”

At Barlinnie, the steam serves as a primary heat source for a number of vital services throughout the site including space heating, domestic hot water services, kitchen and laundry equipment.

With decades of experience working with steam, our qualified steam specialists provide a wide range of services. We have a long track record in heating and process system installation and upgrades, and can provide full turn-key packages including complete boiler house installations and modifications. Find out more here. 

About the Scottish Prison Service

Scottish Prison Service is responsible for the secure custody of around 8,000 people across Scotland. It employs approximately 4,600 staff across its prisons, headquarters, college, and training and storage facility.

It has 16 publicly managed prisons including Barlinnie which is the largest prison in the country, receiving prisoners from the courts in the west of Scotland.

We’re pleased to report that we’ve been appointed by the Scottish Prison Service to deliver a pipework upgrade for the heating and domestic hot water system at HMP Shotts.

The project involves the design, supply and installation of replacement below-ground medium temperature hot water (MTHW) heating pipework, with new pipework sections installed above ground and within new concrete ground ducts, in addition to the isolation, draining and capping of below-ground MTHW pipework being made redundant as part of the works.

Gary Shepherd, managing director at James Ramsay, said “We’ve been working with the Scottish Prison Service for many years and are always proud to support vital public services by working in partnership with on-site facilities and estates teams to minimise disruption during essential work.

“As well as liaising with other contractors to facilitate a safe working environment for all, we also have the in-house resources to support the seamless delivery of the upgrade with temporary service measures to maintain continuity throughout.”

In addition to our team of mechanical engineers, this particular specification will include structural engineering to carry out the full design of the new concrete ground ducts, duct covers and pipework/services supports.

Before work commences, our team will carry out a comprehensive survey of the site services and the site-wide MTHW heating network, including all connected plant rooms, to familiarise ourselves with the requirements of this work scope. Our engineers will also be responsible for commissioning the new system to ensure it is up and running smoothly before a comprehensive handover.

At James Ramsay, we have an expert team of pipefitters and heating engineers with the capability to carry out a wide range of pipework installations, repairs, upgrades and modifications to your commercial and industrial pipework. Find out more here.

About HMP Shotts

Built in 2012, the prison has a capacity of 553 and aims to provide secure, safe, caring and productive environment, while providing opportunities for those in custody to come to terms with their sentences and address their offending behaviour.

Shotts also houses the National Integration Centre (NIC) which holds approximately 60 adult male prisoners who are in the initial stages of sentences of eight years or more and prepares them for eventual movement to mainstream prisons.

We recently completed a successful shutdown project at William Grant’s Girvan Distillery in South Ayrshire – one of the largest whisky distillery facilities in Scotland, and one of the most energy-efficient.

Working to a tight schedule across the weekend to ensure downtime was minimised and production back up to full capacity by Monday morning, our team of five was all hands-on deck.

The project included the installation of new feedwater, condensate, and spillback connections for a hotwell tank in the site’s steam system, as well as new service connections and alterations to the existing river water pipework, treated water tank and RO water tank, facilitating onwards development of these existing systems.

Marc Millar, Steam & Technical Project Manager at James Ramsay, said: “We organised and executed the job well as a team and a huge part of that is having a receptive, experienced and understanding client who knows what it takes to get these types of challenges over the line.  Good communication between us and the client was critical to ensuring the work was delivered efficiently, and we were really pleased to be working with the team at William Grant again.”

The shutdown project engineer at William Grant & Sons Distillers, said: “Shutdowns can be a stressful and chaotic time, and having a good team working on the site helps the business greatly.

“From planning to execution, every work scope was carried out to a highly professional standard.”

We have decades of experience working with steam systems and our qualified team of steam specialists is both knowledgeable and experienced in the most complex of systems across a variety of industries. Find out more about our steam work here.

Belhaven Brewery, Scotland’s oldest working brewery, has appointed James Ramsay to provide a turnkey solution to upgrade its industrial boiler system at the Dunbar site in East Lothian.

The project included replacing the existing aged boiler with the installation of a new Dunphy burner and associated improved controls. We also fabricated and installed a new hotwell tank and frame onsite, complete with a new steam injection kit, water treatment works, and a bespoke level control system. 

The facility will now benefit from a more efficient boiler which in turn will reduce the site’s carbon footprint and fuel costs. 

To support business continuity throughout the upgrade, we provided a temporary backup service connection to ensure the site could continue to operate during the necessary downtime required to facilitate the improvement works. 

Marc Millar, Steam & Technical Project Manager at James Ramsay, said: “We’re proud to be the trusted partner for some of Scotland’s most well-established brands.

“This particular project relies on our expert knowledge of handling and coordinating shutdowns across steam systems to ensure the work is carried out as smoothly as possible, with the least disruption to our client’s business possible.

“Our team’s experience and technical expertise enabled the safe and efficient delivery of this project, and we look forward to continuing to support Belhaven at this fascinating and iconic location.”

Belhaven Brewery is a historic and award-winning Scottish brewery, producing Belhaven BEST, Belhaven Black and other craft beers and ales. Established in 1719, it operates Scotland’s oldest working brewery nestled amongst the rolling barley fields of East Lothian.

Working with our partners at DTGen, we supported the installation of two new 2MVA containerised generators at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, northeast Scotland, adding to the 1.5MVA genset already installed by DTGen to provide the base with full backup and contingency power for the future.

The generators are supported by two 90,000 ltr fuel tanks, and have their own NERS and an enhanced control package consisting of six ComAp controllers operating on a fibre network controlling both the primary and standby switchboard.

The generators synchronise together and will react depending on load demand, synchronising to mains when grid power returns.

James Ramsay was approached by DTGen to supply a bunded oil pipework solution for its fuel delivery pipework from the fuel storage tanks to generators.

We fabricated a bunded supply by welding internal fittings and pipework and then surrounded this pipework with larger bore welded tube. We installed the new pipework on a new support system and the completed installation was tested on site and finished with two coats of paint for protection and identification.

Marc Millar, Steam & Technical Project Manager at James Ramsay, said: “We’re proud to be able to support such critical infrastructure projects thanks to our experience and track record in delivering bespoke, high-quality installations, to the highest standards.”

First opened in May 1939, Lossiemouth is one of two RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) stations that protect UK airspace. The team includes four typhoon combat aircraft squadrons, one Poseidon MRA1 squadron, and an RAF regiment squadron. The personnel and aircraft here also support operations worldwide and host numerous national and international exercises.

Just because school’s out for summer, doesn’t mean the work stops for our project team. In fact, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to clear the decks, and we’re busier than ever supporting our FM clients to deliver essential maintenance work at school boiler houses while campuses are quiet.

For three of the large FM companies, that trust us to deliver quality projects on time, we are currently delivering a range of summer transformations at eleven schools throughout Stirlingshire, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, including complete new plant rooms, essential maintenance on existing infrastructure, and upgrades to meet energy efficiency requirements.

It’s a huge logistical effort to ensure work is completed on time. So, we’re calling on the excellent project management skills and breadth of experience in our engineering team and pleased to be getting our sleeves rolled up to deliver!

To find out more about our maintenance service, visit http://jamesramsayltd.co.uk/services/commercial-and-industrial-burner-and-boiler-maintenance/

When our company was founded more than 100 years ago, our core business was steam. Today, we’re still heavily involved in the steam sector – carrying out new boiler installations, insurance inspections, pipework installations and boiler repairs, and you might be surprised to hear that the way steam is raised has not changed much at all. We use heat from a fuel source, such as oil, gas, biomass, waste heat or nuclear, to heat water and produce steam. The principle is exactly the same now as it was 100 years ago.

So, against the backdrop of diverse new fuel sources and innovative technology in the HVAC sector, we’re still going strong in steam.

Most recently, we’re pleased to report winning several new steam work contracts with end users, including new steam and condensate pipework to support the expansion of a large commercial laundry, the installation of pipework for a new press machine in a textiles business, on-going upgrades and compliance work to support the existing steam infrastructure at a life sciences facility, as well as the installation of metering equipment at a world-famous distillery.

We have decades of experience working with steam and our qualified steam specialist’s offer a range of services including the repair, supply, installation and re-tubing of steam boilers; steam pipework installation, repairs and modification; and steam system surveys.

The full strip down inspection of steam boilers and systems is a statutory legal requirement, and we’re well known and respected by most of the major insurance companies for this type of work. As a result, we also undertake recommended repairs, refurbishment and replacement of system components as instructed by the assessor.

To discuss your requirements, contact sales@jamesramsayltd.co.uk or call the office on 0141 774 2602, and we’d be delighted to help.

We’ve been busy in the workshop supporting Cochran fit out its temporary boiler hire fleet with this range of trailer installations.

David Weild, Industrial Boiler Business Manager at Cochran, said: “As part of our hire boiler investment programme, we turned to James Ramsay knowing the high standard of workmanship, impeccable professionalism and work ethic. Ramsay’s produce a first-class job time after time, and the speedy turnaround of excellent quality work is building a solid basis for future ventures.”   

This latest project for Cochran supports the delivery of its flexible, short and long-term boiler hire service – a critical resource for clients whose existing equipment is undergoing essential repair and maintenance work, or whilst awaiting the arrival of new capital equipment. These trailer-mounted and containerised solutions offer a cost-effective remedy for many different applications.

With our expertise in boiler installation, industrial boiler and burner maintenance and pipework, and specialist fabrication team, we love a challenge like this, and it’s great to see the fleet taking shape and hitting the road. 

We’ve been appointed by global life sciences firm, Thermo Fisher Scientific, to install two new Dunphy gas fired burners at its Inchinnan facility, near Glasgow, where it uses novel technology to make products for drugs which treat flu and other diseases.

In a drive to improve efficiency, the new equipment replaces older, out-dated systems with an upgraded solution that will reduce fuel consumption by five percent.

Gary Shepherd, managing director at James Ramsay, said: “A high demand site requires a high-performance burner to optimise operating efficiency. This new equipment has the potential to save five percent on fuel, and the digital combustion management system ensures accurate control and maximises combustion efficiency across the turndown range.

“We’re increasingly working with customers on measures to improve sustainability, and with environmental targets at the forefront, this is a great example of a pro-active approach to delivering really meaningful results and long-term cost savings.”

We’ll be managing the full CDM package as well as providing all the man-power, plant and material to execute the project from start to finish, including supply of the new Dunphy TG4.550MESC burners.

The project is now up and running with the installation of a new permanent steam and condensate pipe set up, including a fully engineered solution for expansion and trapping to allow the connection of a temporary steam boiler that will assist with the site load while each individual burner is replaced. Once the temporary set up is proven and made operational, the team will isolate the existing boilers, disconnect from the gas and electricity supplies, and remove, as well as removing the existing, out-dated burner control panel.

The existing boiler will then be modified to accept the new burner equipment. The new burners will be mounted and new burner control panels fitted, and installed with interconnecting wiring between the panel and burners.

James Ramsay, alongside trusted supply partner Dunphy Combustion, will carry out commissioning of the new burner in full load conditions, and conduct a full safety function check in conjunction with the site engineer and insurance inspector.

The new Dunphy TG series is hydrogen-ready and comes with a Ratiotronic 6000 digital combustion control system, Axial air flow forced draught fan, 10:1 turndown of modulation range, high-integrity self-checking photocell for 24/7 operation, and DN125 gas train for low pressure drop, so no booster is required.

Ewan McRory, Site Expansion Project Engineer at Thermo Fisher Scientific, said: “James Ramsay was selected following a competitive bid process. Progress to date has been to programme, a quality installation from all involved.”