Client – Health Club
Location – London
Project duration –6 months from concept to completion, project took 2-3 weeks.
Project overview – Integrated adiabatic sprays to a new chiller which resulted in a 28% reduction in electricity costs and a more energy-efficient and sustainable system.
Current Situation/Problems/Challenges
The location had an ageing Trane RTAD180, approximately 20 years old, operating on high GWP refrigerant R134a, utilising screw compressors, which presented inefficiencies, this had become an area of concern for the health club, primarily as it significantly increased running costs. The chiller was unreliable due to age and suffered when faced with high ambient air temperatures and with the average air temperatures increasing to 35°C, the client appointed Newsome to create a solution to cater to this.
Project Solution
Taking a holistic approach, Newsome decided to integrate adiabatic sprays as well as replace the existing chiller with a new 600kW chiller, but with advanced scroll compressors – whilst these sprays were implemented on a new system in this case, adiabatic sprays can be retrofitted to pre-existing systems to improve efficiency and increase life expectancy without having to replace the chiller.
This new chiller, besides being more energy-efficient, uses a low GWP R454B refrigerant, making it a more environmentally responsible choice.
Adiabatic sprays ensure optimal performance even in warmer climates, essentially keeping the incoming air to the condensers within acceptable temperature ranges. The adiabatic sprays have their own fully integrated control panel featuring protection devices such as UV filters. The result? A more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective cooling solution tailored to the client’s needs.
Project Implementation
The old chiller was systematically decommissioned and removed, making space for the new unit. The installation process was seamless and incorporated best practices. Newsome also addressed the site’s specific requirements and nuances, ensuring minimal disruption to the club’s operations.
As with all projects, Newsome took charge of commissioning the new chiller, ensuring everything was in perfect working order and fitting the adiabatic sprays. Moreover, the older chiller components were responsibly disposed of, adhering to environmental guidelines.
Conclusion and Results
The project was a testament to Newsome’s commitment to quality, innovation, and environmental responsibility. Positive results were seen immediately after installation. The integration of the adiabatic sprays greatly contributed to these results and showcased Newsome’s capabilities to go above and beyond to create a solution for the client that wasn’t originally thought of.
There are many benefits to integrating adiabatic sprays into your chiller system – Head of Facilities & Engineering, Ollie Thompson, remarked on the tremendous year-on-year energy savings, highlighting a 28% reduction in electricity costs for June alone because of the new chiller and adiabatic sprays. This substantial saving indicates that the investment in a new chiller system would be recouped within just one summer season. As well as a better system in the North London location, the client plans to propose adiabatic sprays be implemented on existing chillers in many of their locations to decrease power consumption and costs sitewide.
Scroll down for the video of the completed project.