Challenge
Mater Dei Hospital in Malta has 250,000m² of space with some 825 beds and 25 operating rooms. When it opened in 2007, 14 chillers were installed however the system is now obsolete and in bad condition due to the climate and proximity to the sea.
The hospital had multiple compressors failing and coils not functioning. They were looking to replace their costly and dysfunctional existing system with one new more efficient, reliable, and flexible HVAC installation. The provider should be more flexible, polyvalent and reactive than the previous one.
There were several constraints to this project:
• The space availability
• The capability of running at full load up to 50°C and above
• The availability of a smart system to sequence the units and manage the whole plant including pumps and water-cooled units.
Solution
During the customers’ selection process, our local Trane team looked for opportunities to maximize energy efficiency savings with good Return on Investment. As with many hospitals, cooling and heating occurs simultaneously: the perfect opportunity to re-use cooling energy by generating heating with water-to-water heat pumps.
Trane implemented an energy efficient and extra low noise full HVAC solution comprising 14 RTAF Sintesis air-cooled chillers with adiabatic cooling systems and three RTWF water-to-water heat pumps. The installation was completed with a Tracer SC management system and a five-year maintenance contract with Trane. The units have been installed both on the hospital roof and in the technical room.
Our reliable, world-class equipment and our efficient service teams were key considerations.
Results
The largest medical facility of the island significantly reduced their consumption of fossil fuel and related CO2 footprint.
Substantial energy savings have been achieved. In one year, the system reduced fuel consumption – and the tons of CO² emitted – by 23%. "The hospital has already saved 1.4M litres of heating fuel and 3759 tones of CO2 emissions" said Ramon Tabone, Senior Mechanical Engineer at the hospital. The facility lower operating costs can also be attributed to the heat recovery installation that is used both for sanitary water and comfort heating.
This successful installation is a good example of the excellent collaboration between Mater Dei Hospital facility managers and our teams.
