SS Great Britain in Bristol has introduced a new conservation system to cut the amount of gas and electricity needed to control the environment around the former ocean liner.
The SS Great Britain Trust, the charity that cares for the ship, needs to maintain the carefully controlled environment that protects the fragile hull. To save energy, it has installed new sensors and software to control the gas supply more accurately, along with new direct drive fans that circulate dry air over the hull. A heat recovery device has been installed for each of the two dehumidifiers which, alongside air heat recovery pumps, is providing the significant reduction in gas and electricity usage.
“This energy recovery device is part of a series of upgrades to make our unique dehumidification system more resilient and reduce its carbon footprint,” said SS Great Britain Trust conservation engineer Nicola Grahamslaw.
The trust added the new technology with support from a £13,770 Green Business Grant from the West of England Combined Authority. Following the upgrades in 2021, the predicted annual CO2 saving is roughly equivalent to flying 50 people to Australia.
Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the SS Great Britain is the world’s first iron-hulled, screw-propelled ship, and was the largest and most technologically advanced at the time of its launch in 1843.
