Chiller replacement is ‘keyhole surgery’

Replacing four chillers in a basement plant room called on the use of ‘keyhole surgery’ skills by Chillmech. Managing director Michael White explains that when the original R22 reciprocating chillers were installed in the basement of Sanctuary Buildings, home to the Department for Education & Skills, 20 years ago, the plant room was built around them. Replacing the chillers, which supply chilled water to 1320 fan-coil units and roof-top AHUs serving the 8-storey building, involved complex and careful planning to ensure that it was never without cooling during the working week. To allow access to the plant room, a 1.5 m2 hole, the largest allowed by surrounding obstacles, was cut into the plant-room wall. The original chillers were dismantled one by one and removed through the hole, with associated piping. The floor surface was prepared before the first two Carrier chillers, each 3.9 m long, 2.1 m high and 1 m wide, were taken in piece by piece and reassembled in the plant room, together with chilled-water pipework, electrical services and a BMS interface module. The chillers were removed and replaced in pairs.

Related links:

• www.carrier.com