Lakeland – Establishing a Deliverable Process Cooling System Upgrade Through FEED
Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study
Key Results
Lakeland Laboratories identified that their existing cooling system was unable to maintain stable pressure, temperature and flow when multiple production vessels operated simultaneously. The system had no automated control, relied on manual intervention, and presented a growing risk to product consistency and production continuity. A FEED study was undertaken to define a replacement cooling system capable of supporting up to fourteen production vessels, establish a clear engineering and commercial basis, and provide Lakeland with the confidence to proceed to detailed design and construction.
Context
Lakeland Laboratories manufactures surfactant products across multiple production vessels at their facility in
Manchester. Precise temperature control during complex chemical reactions is critical to product consistency and
output quality.
The existing cooling system was:
- Unable to maintain stable pressure when multiple vessels operated simultaneously
- Experiencing differential pressure collapse across vessels under peak demand
- Relying on fixed-speed pumps that conflicted with local control valves
- Suffering from uneven distribution patterns across the vessel network
- Dependent on manual overrides that had become normalised operational practice
The requirement was broader than equipment replacement. The site needed to understand:
- What the future system needed to deliver to support up to fourteen production vessels
- How stable pressure, temperature and flow could be maintained across all operating conditions
- How automation could be introduced progressively without disrupting existing production
- What level of investment would be required
- How the project could be delivered within a live manufacturing environment
Role of the FEED Study
A FEED study was undertaken to bring clarity to these questions before any capital commitment was made.
The objective was to develop a coordinated engineering position that would allow Lakeland Laboratories to:
- Make an informed investment decision based on validated process data
- Understand the thermal and hydraulic performance required across all vessel combinations
- Establish a control philosophy that would deliver consistent process temperatures
- Define a system architecture that could support progressive automation
- Reduce technical and commercial uncertainty before proceeding to detailed design
- Progress to procurement and construction with confidence
The FEED study drew on measured performance survey data (reference 52098, October 2024) and direct engagement with
the client to establish a validated design basis grounded in real operating conditions rather than assumptions.
Engineering Approach
A structured approach was adopted, beginning with a performance survey of the existing system and progressing
through process definition, hydraulic design, mechanical specification, controls philosophy and commercial definition
in sequence.
Each stage built on the last, ensuring the final design was developed as a coordinated whole capable of supporting
batch process operations across fourteen vessels.
Process and Thermal Definition
The starting point was to establish a clear and validated thermal design basis using measured vessel data.
This included:
- Guaranteed heat rejection requirement of 2,851 kW based on measured vessel duties
- Design heat rejection of 3,280 kW including 20% capacity margin
- System flow rates of 94 m³/h (design) derived from 78 m³/h guaranteed flow plus margin
- Operating temperatures of 55°C supply to 25°C return
- Design wet bulb temperature of 20°C
- Simultaneous operation of up to eight vessels under maximum load conditions
The duty derivation was based on measured results for vessels V10 and V53, with calculated flows for two new larger
vessels based on connection size and maximum velocity. This stage defined the performance envelope that all
subsequent design decisions were measured against.
Hydraulic System Design
The hydraulic arrangement was developed as a two-header distribution system with pressure-controlled pumping to
maintain stable delivery across varying vessel demand.
This included:
- DN150 cold-water supply header and DN150 hot-water return header
- Main flow and return pipework at approximately 1.5 m/s calculated velocity
- DN100 vessel branch pipework at approximately 1.3 m/s
- System pressure drop below 3.0 bar from pump discharge to tower inlet
- Minimum flow protection at 68 m³/h (70% of design flow) via modulating bypass
- Allowance for up to 1,200 litres of transient water loss during vessel changeover
A key design decision was the bypass/recirculation arrangement from pump discharge to the hot return header,
providing both minimum flow protection and temperature moderation of cooling tower inlet water during batch
transients.
Mechanical System Development
Based on the process and hydraulic requirements, the mechanical system was specified.
This included:
- New GRP cooling tower (EWK 930/09) with high-temperature packing suitable for up to 85°C, colour RAL 7050
- Pumping arrangement of 2 duty + 1 standby with variable-speed drives for modulated control
- Thin-walled 304-grade stainless steel ring main distribution network
- External pipework insulated with 30mm foil-faced mineral wool and PIB finish
- Copper make-up line to BS EN 1057, WRAS compliant at 16 bar rated
- PN16-rated isolation valves, non-return and balancing valves with stainless mesh strainers
- Valved 2″ connection stubs at high level for each vessel connection point
The N+1 redundancy philosophy ensures cooling service is maintained during single pump failure or planned
maintenance without system shutdown.
Controls and Automation Philosophy
A comprehensive control philosophy was developed to deliver stable, automated operation across the full operating
range.
The three-tier control hierarchy established:
- Pumps stabilise system pressure and flow via PID control to maintain 2.5 bar(g) at the
hydraulically worst vessel inlet - Cooling tower fan stabilises cold-water supply temperature at 25°C setpoint via VSD control
- Local valves perform trim adjustments only — not primary control
The design includes full automation on two new vessels (V31 and V32) with the necessary infrastructure for
progressive automation of the remaining twelve vessels. This allows for temperature control based on in-vessel product
temperature, process optimisation and recipe management as the system matures.
Operating modes defined include start-up sequencing, normal automatic operation, standby/low-load with maintained
circulation, and controlled shutdown with ramp-down to reduce hydraulic shock.
Electrical and Panel Design
The electrical and controls basis was defined to support the automation strategy.
The main control panel specification includes:
- Panel isolator and VSDs for pump pressure control
- VSD for cooling tower fan control
- PLC and HMI for system monitoring, alarm management and trend logging
- Pressure and temperature transmitters for closed-loop control
- Flow transmitter for tower feed flow measurement
- Provision for secure remote access via independent 4G/5G cellular router and VPN
Alarm philosophy was defined with categorised alerts (Advisory, Alarm, High-High), time-stamped logging, and
configurable delays to avoid nuisance alarms during normal batch transitions.
Survey and System Assessment
A detailed performance survey of the existing system was undertaken to capture real operating data and validate the
design basis.
This included:
- Measurement of flow, pressure and temperature at key points in the distribution network
- Assessment of flow stability, temperature stability and pressure stability across operating conditions
- Identification of interface points and equipment locations
- Confirmation of pipe sizes, velocities and pressure drops in the existing system
- Determination and agreement of the new cooling system location
This survey data formed the foundation of all thermal calculations and directly informed the vessel duty derivation
used throughout the design.
Commercial and Delivery Definition
Alongside the engineering work, the study defined how the project could be delivered within a live manufacturing
environment.
This included:
- Clear definition of Vistech scope as Principal Contractor and Principal Designer
- Defined battery limits separating Vistech and client responsibilities
- Decommissioning strategy for the existing cooling tower and hot/cold well
- Installation strategy including tie-ins to services and distribution arrangements
- Full document deliverables package covering process, mechanical, electrical, controls and project
documentation - Commissioning philosophy including pre-loaded PLC/HMI functional testing and site acceptance testing
The Detailed Design phase was priced at £9,280, providing a fully defined system with accurate cost estimate for
implementation. Upon client approval, the project proceeds directly to detailed design and rapid implementation.
Operational & Financial Outcomes
While the primary driver for this project was production consistency and system reliability, the FEED study also
identified measurable operational improvements through the introduction of modern controls and variable-speed
equipment.
The design directly addresses the failure modes identified in the existing system — differential pressure collapse,
uneven distribution and reliance on manual intervention.
FEED Deliverables
The study produced a coordinated engineering package providing a structured basis for progressing into detailed
design, procurement and construction:
- Design basis document (DBD)
- Heat and mass balance
- Process flow diagram (PFD)
- Equipment list and datasheets
- General arrangement drawings
- Pipework line diagram and valve schedule
- Piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID)
- Electrical load schedule and wiring diagrams
- Functional description and control philosophy
- Instrument list and alarm strategy
- Constructability review and risk register
- Programme outline and tie-in strategy
- Scope of works document
- Cost estimate and detailed proposal
Outcome
The FEED study provided Lakeland Laboratories with a defined and coordinated solution to replace a cooling system
that was no longer capable of supporting reliable production.
In practical terms, this resulted in:
- A validated thermal and hydraulic design basis grounded in measured operating data
- A system architecture capable of supporting fourteen vessels with eight in simultaneous operation
- A clear control philosophy eliminating reliance on manual intervention
- A progressive automation pathway — two vessels fully automated with infrastructure for the remaining twelve
- Confidence that the solution could be implemented within a live manufacturing environment
- Full visibility of cost, programme, battery limits and delivery responsibilities
- A reduction in both technical and commercial uncertainty
Following completion of the FEED study, Vistech was awarded the contract to deliver the full cooling system upgrade
— managing detailed engineering through installation, commissioning and final handover.
FEED Study Context
When a FEED Study Adds the Most Value
A FEED study becomes particularly valuable where there is uncertainty, complexity or operational risk.
Typical scenarios include:
- Batch process environments requiring precise temperature control
- Systems serving multiple users with competing demand profiles
- Existing systems reliant on manual intervention and operator workarounds
- Sites requiring progressive automation rather than a single conversion
- Capital projects requiring clear justification and defined scope before investment
- Projects where hydraulic instability is affecting product quality
- Live operational environments where disruption must be minimised
What Typically Happens Without FEED
Where projects proceed without a structured FEED stage, a different pattern often emerges:
- Process requirements are not fully validated against measured data
- Equipment is selected in isolation without a coordinated system design
- Hydraulic interactions between multiple users are not assessed until commissioning
- Control philosophy is developed reactively during installation
- Battery limits and responsibilities remain ambiguous, creating disputes
- Design changes occur late in the programme as site constraints emerge
- Costs increase as issues are resolved reactively rather than by design
Summary
This study established a structured pathway from an underperforming, manually operated cooling system to a defined,
automated and deliverable replacement solution.
By progressing from performance survey through process definition, hydraulic design, mechanical specification,
controls philosophy and commercial definition in sequence, the project was developed as an integrated system rather
than a collection of individual parts.
The result is a project that has proceeded from FEED to contract award with clarity, confidence and a significantly
reduced risk profile.
“The new plant will enable us to operate much more efficiently, saving both electricity and water consumption. The cooling processes for products are improved, not only in the speed of cooling but in its consistency, enhancing the quality of our products, and with the ability to cool more vessels simultaneously, we will gain significant capacity. We're looking forward to the installation of the system and benefiting from the opportunities this presents.”
— Jamie Clark, Lakeland Laboratories' Engineering Director