Case Study
St. James’s Hospital, Dublin:
Turnkey Chiller Installation
The chilled water plant at St. James’s Hospital in Dublin required replacement due to high energy consumption and the fact that the chillers were end-of-life. Reliability of critical utility and energy efficiency were the highest priorities on this project so Sirus was engaged to install the new cooling solution at the hospital.
The Solution – Turnkey Chiller Installation Project
Sirus installed 2 no. 750 kW QUANTUM Air-cooled Turbocor Chillers to replace the two chillers which had been serving the hospital for the last 15+ years.
The chillers are located on the roof and surrounded by buildings so a 500-tonne crane was required for the project. The chillers were replaced one at a time allowing for a seamless transition while maintaining continuous critical cooling to the hospital.
The two 750kW QUANTUM Air-cooled Chillers give an installed capacity of 1.5MW. Both chillers were configured to work in tandem or separately in order to maintain the building load.
The installation of these chillers involved:
- Transportation and contract crane lift.
- Recovery of the refrigerant and oil from the old screw chillers.
- Removal and safe disposal of the existing chillers.
- Pipework modifications to suit the new chillers including new valves, strainers and DRV’s.
- Installation & commissioning of an Endress+Hauser meter on each chiller.
- Lagging of pipework.
- Supply of relevant O&M materials, drawings, handover pack and training.
The Result
In the first contract year (Dec 2021 – Dec 2022), the chillers achieved an average EER of 8. They yielded a total energy saving of 884,828 kWh which equates to 386 tonnes of CO2 saved in the first year of operation.
The contact-free magnetic-bearing Turbocor® compressors allow for very low turndown ratios (<15%) achieving ESEER >9 during part-load operation.
The exemption of oil not only increases operation life but also maintains higher efficiencies and reduces environmental impact. The chillers operate extremely quietly with no vibrations.
The use of EC fans (with auto speed adjustment, PLC with control system optimisation including optimised fan control) means that all condenser fans modulate airflow, therefore further reducing energy consumption.
Remote access allows for monitoring and further optimisation where necessary.
About the Energy Performance Contract
St James’s Hospital has signed an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) with Veolia in partnership with the Carbon and Energy Fund Ireland (CEFI).
Under the EPC agreement, Veolia installs and operates energy-efficient equipment in the hospital. The contract will deliver €26 million in guaranteed energy and operational savings. The hospital’s carbon footprint will be reduced by approximately 118,380 tonnes, cutting electrical consumption by 26% per annum.
Sirus is proud to assist all parties in the transition to a near-zero energy world.
