Free cooling can cut energy costs by up to 70 per cent 24 October 2013

The plastics industry, among others, should be harnessing autumn's reducing ambient air temperatures to save energy and reduce cooling costs by up to 70%.

That's a suggestion from the engineering team at ICS Cool Energy, which suggests 'Free Cooling' technology, as sometimes adopted in industrial temperature control and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems.

Typically, a free cooler is installed in series with a chiller's evaporator (independent or integrated) so that, in lower ambient conditions, partial or 100% free cooling can be achieved – with the chiller's compressors off.

ICS Cool Energy says it recently implemented free cooling technology for an unnamed Midlands-based manufacturer of plastic window profiles.

The firm supplied an Imperium 2197 CA chiller with screw compressors and twin R134a refrigeration circuits, to produce 580kW cooling capacity, with a supply temperature of 13°C and a return of 18°C at 28 litres/second.

The units work with free cooling technology and can be used during spring, summer nights, autumn and winter months – helping to save a claimed 68% on the plastic manufacturer's annual energy bill.

"After saving over £50,000, the plastic manufacturer has since reinvested in a second machine in a bid to achieve further savings and fully reap the benefits of free cooling," says an ICS Cool Energy spokesperson.

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
ICS Cool Energy Ltd

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