“Cooling is a critical part of our infrastructure and protects the integrity of our systems,” said Luc De Backer, project implementation manager Eurocontrol?. “By switching from an older, less efficient cooling system to this new Engie Axima-Honeywell solution, we have incorporated technology that is strategically designed to meet our needs over the next two decades and future-proofs us for performance, safety, efficiency and environmental impact.”
“We at Engie Axima always want to offer our customers sustainable, tailor-made solutions which help them use energy in an intelligent manner. The Eurocontrol? project was a perfect proof of this approach,” said Bernard Arimont, chief executive of Engie Axima.
According to the data, the cooling system’s design will help achieve annual energy savings up to 1,500 MWh and will reduce Eurocontrol?’S total annual consumption by more than 12 percent – the equivalent of as much as EUR150,000 per year in energy costs.
In addition, the new cooling system is designed to prevent overheating at Eurocontrol?’s headquarters and flight management and data centre facilities in Brussels. Eurocontrol?’s air traffic flow management and data centres require constant cooling for optimal performance and stable operations. A recent EkkoSense survey conducted in the United Kingdom found that thermal issues account for more than one-third of unplanned data centre outages.
The new cooling system – for which Honeywell supplied the refrigerant, and Engie Axima provided the equipment and servicing – is comprised of two Quantum chillers with unique remote condensers and two water-cooled Quantum chillers, achieving a total refrigeration capacity of 5MW. The dual chiller configuration allows for redundancy, with both chillers operating on just 50 percent of their full load capacity. Additionally, the system has been incorporated into Eurocontrol's existing building management system, giving facility managers a complete view of their infrastructure.
The Quantum cooling systems produced by Engie Axima are designed with oil-free, magnetic-bearing centrifugal compressors. They use Honeywell’s Solstice ze (R1234ze) refrigerant, which replaces an older refrigerant R22 that contributes to both ozone depletion and global warming.
Solstice ze has an ultra-low global warming potential (GWP) of less than 1, which is 99.9 percent lower than R22 and other refrigerants. It is based on Honeywell’s hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO) technology and is non-ozone-depleting. Solstice ze is designed for medium pressure chillers to cool large buildings, infrastructure projects, process chillers in refrigeration applications, district cooling and heating, ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle), high-temperature heat pumps, and medium-temperature self-contained refrigeration cabinets.
“With the environmentally preferable technology of Solstice ze, Eurocontrol? is realizing 1,500MWh in energy savings and can expect payback in less than 10 years,” said Julien Soulet, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Fluorine Products Europe, Middle East and Africa. “As worldwide demand for energy efficient technology continues to grow, Solstice ze is one of many solutions that helps customers reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing performance.”