The Client –
London theatre venue
The Challenge –
Legacy HVAC chiller struggling in high summer ambient temperature
The Solution –
An Aqua adiabatic retrofit system
With summer temperatures hitting 35°C in central London, a local entertainment venue was left without air conditioning when their legacy HVAC chiller started to struggle.
Situation
The 500kW chiller powering the comfort cooling system had been in situ for over 15 years. The building itself is grade II listed, and the chiller had been installed on the rooftop where space is extremely limited. With summer temperatures steadily rising over recent years, equipment specified so long ago has come under increasing strain because it would have been designed to work at a lower maximum temperature than what’s now required. The roof top chiller was failing, leaving the venue without air conditioning. Staff & thousands of visitors were being impacted, and the theatre faced having to cancel performances. Not only would this effect customer experience but they’d also lose much needed business income.
Solution
The theatre’s management team thought they’d need to replace the chiller with a larger unit. However, this was causing concern on two fronts. Firstly, from a budget perspective but, secondly, there was no additional space on the roof to accommodate a larger, higher capacity, chiller unit.
But often, the most obvious solution isn’t always the best and, in this case, Aqua were able to offer a quick, low-cost fix with our adiabatic retrofit system.
Put simply, an adiabatic retrofit reduces the ambient air temperature around your cooling equipment by up to 15°C. Adiabatic spray bars were attached to the HVAC chiller frame and then a small amount of mains water is now sprayed into the oncoming air when temperatures rise. It works with any existing equipment that has a large external heat rejection system, so is ideal for HVAC and process chiller applications.
The adiabatic retrofit system was added on site, in just two days. It uses standard mains power and there was no business downtime whilst the upgrade work was taking place. The system is also sustainable and very safe. An in-built pump keeps water usage minimal by atomising the water to ensure it is evaporated, and an industrial UV grade filter and automatic drain & flush keeps the water system clean and free from bacteria build up.
Results
“Within two days of visiting site, the venue’s comfort cooling system was back to full operation, despite the heatwave conditions in London” explains Aqua Sales Engineer, Will Hughes.
“The adiabatic retrofit solution is ideal for anyone operating older equipment that just isn’t able to operate as it should when temperatures rise. It also works with air blast coolers, condensing sets, cold storage systems and large VRV/VRF air conditioners so is really versatile.
It’s made such a difference to the venue team, not only is their air conditioning restored, but they no longer have the worry of cancelled performances, ticket refunds and disappointed customers to contend with. They’ve also avoided having to invest in a new chiller, which would have cost considerably more than the retrofit, plus the theatre is future proofed for the summers ahead.”
For more information on Aqua’s adiabatic retrofit technology, chat with the team today on 0333 004 4433.
