ICS Cool Energy Delivers Cooling Upgrade at Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington

ICS Cool Energy, an international market leader specialising in complete temperature control solutions, in partnership with Vinci, an international construction company, has completed a critical cooling system upgrade at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington. By installing temporary chillers during the refurbishment of the permanent system, ICS Cool Energy ensured uninterrupted cooling for the hospital’s operating theatre and essential medical equipment.

The Challenge

Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington was dealing with outdated cooling infrastructure and needed a reliable and efficient replacement system to maintain precise temperatures for essential medical equipment, sensitive medications, and hospital environments. The chiller plant’s location on the hospital roof posed logistical challenges for dismantling the old equipment and transporting and installing the new ones. Additionally, providing a temporary cooling capacity of 1.8 MW was crucial to ensure seamless hospital operations during the refurbishment.

The Solution

Given the logistical challenges posed by the rooftop location and due to the restrictions imposed on crane usage, the consultant’s specification deemed it necessary to flat-pack all the chillers for removal and installation. Vinci engineered and constructed an extensive scaffold from the ground-level compound to the roof, incorporating an integral hoist to facilitate the positioning of the equipment on site.

To maintain the uninterrupted operation of the hospital’s critical systems and operating theatres throughout the project, ICS Cool Energy leveraged its decades-long expertise in temporary cooling solutions. With a selection of  500kW high-performance chillers readily available for hire and rapid deployment, the team quickly delivered and installed the three chillers as temporary support.

The complexity of the temporary install was further amplified by the need for “hot tapping” – attaching to a pipeline without depressurizing or disrupting normal operations – which was crucial to putting the hire chillers in place and providing immediate and reliable cooling during the transition.

For the final new cooling system, the team selected three 600kW HVAC chillers featuring R513A low GWP refrigerant, meeting the hospital’s demand for capacity, performance, and efficiency, as well as future-proofing the equipment for the duration of its lifetime.

The meticulous flat-packing process involved disassembling the chillers into their parts, starting with the removal of fans and panelling, and safely extracting refrigerant from the system. Each piece was carefully labelled to ensure accurate reassembly. After reassembly, the system was recharged with refrigerant, tested and commissioned following the completion of pipefitting, fluid filling, electrical supplies, and ducting.

The old chillers were flat-packed and taken down the same way.

The Result

This comprehensive approach to the project ensured that hospital operations continued uninterrupted, demonstrating ICS Cool Energy’s commitment to delivering a complete and reliable cooling solution in even the most challenging scenarios and tight turnaround requirements.

Joe Murray, Project Manager at ICS Cool Energy, shared insights: “We have been working closely with Vinci and the Princess Royal University Hospital. This project was particularly challenging, with numerous logistical hurdles that the team navigated exceptionally well. Notably, this project involved both install and hire teams and despite tight deadlines and unforeseen obstacles, we delivered the systems successfully. From beginning to end, it was a collaborative effort, and we streamlined the process by providing a single point of contact for the customer, covering all aspects – hire, office, and on-site installation.”

Vinci representative also added: ”Vinci’s expertise in construction and infrastructure, combined with ICS Cool Energy’s ability to provide both temporary and permanent cooling solutions, ensured that the hospital’s operations continued seamlessly throughout the refurbishment. The collaboration between our teams was exceptional, and we are proud to have contributed to such a critical and successful project.”

For more information on ICS Cool Energy and its complete range of process temperature control solutions, please visit www.icscoolenergy.com.

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