Absolute Zero Refrigeration successfully delivered a full upgrade and modernisation of the site’s chilled water system, resolving long-standing performance issues and replacing aging R22 equipment with a reliable, future-proof solution.
Background: The original R22 water chiller system had reached end of life and was operating on a refrigerant phased out in 2015. The equipment could no longer maintain the required 2 degrees Celsius water temperature to the spin chillers, resulting in excessive load on the secondary cooling system (Beluga ice bank). This caused temperature instability, reduced efficiency, and ongoing operational challenges, particularly during periods of high ambient temperature.
Project Objective: The objective of the project was to retrofit the existing flooded evaporator system to a modern direct expansion configuration. The design incorporated the existing Chester Jenson stainless steel plate heat exchanger to reduce cost and take advantage of its superior heat transfer performance. The upgrade aimed to deliver colder water temperatures, improve system reliability, and provide a scalable design for future chiller replacements.
Engineering Solution: Retrofitting the Plate Heat Exchanger- The Chester Jenson stainless steel plate heat exchanger was retained and fully refurbished. These units are extremely durable and offer excellent heat transfer efficiency at low water temperatures. Their external water flow design avoids many of the common issues associated with traditional plate heat exchangers and shell-and-tube evaporators. Re-using this component eliminated the need for evaporator redesign and reduced project cost.
New Refrigeration Skid Fabrication - A new refrigeration skid was fabricated and installed in place of the old equipment. This allowed minimal disruption to existing pipework and infrastructure, faster installation, easier servicing, and a repeatable design that can be used for future chiller upgrades across the site.
Project Outcome: The upgraded system performed exceptionally well. It consistently maintained 2 degrees Celsius water to the spin chillers, meeting strict production QA requirements even during high ambient conditions. The core of the system consisted of two 130 kW Gree water chillers cooling a primary tank to 2 degrees Celsius, ensuring reliable supply temperatures to support production schedules. All pumps, pipework, fittings, and valves were replaced. The Chester Jenson plate heat exchangers received a complete overhaul, restoring them to near-new condition. The old equipment was removed, and the area previously occupied by the original chiller system was repurposed for site operations.
The project significantly reduced load on other cooling equipment, improved overall system stability, and provided a modern, efficient platform for future upgrades.
