Challenge
Millions of newspapers roll out of DPG Media's printing plant in Amsterdam every day. The production itself is full-electric, but the building's existing heating and cooling system, comprised of two gas boilers, a thermal energy storage system, chillers and a cooling tower, was 25 years old and needed to be modernized and more sustainable.
The new system would provide cooling and heating to the production halls and offices.
Solution
One of the old gas boilers was removed and replaced by a new Trane XStream™ RTWF water-to-water heat pump of about 1200 kW. From now on, the thermal storage installation will no longer only be used for cooling, but also for the heat supply to the heat pump. The hydraulic system in the technical room has been adapted to these innovations.
The other gas boiler will remain as a back-up. The refrigeration system will also remain intact. The delivery system, including air treatment, will also remain unchanged. All of the new parts of the installation work together smartly with the existing control technology.
Results
In the fall of 2023, the new installation with the Trane RTWF heat pump was put into operation. It is now clear that this project is a great success. In the winter of 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, no gas was needed.
The cost savings by using electricity instead of gas are enormous. DPG Media says that they will recoup the investment in this sustainability project in 3.5 years.
The Trane heat pump provides efficiency gains through the use of residual heat. Previously, the heat stored in the ground in summer was discharged to the outside via the cooling tower in winter. While at the same time, natural gas was burned to heat the building: about 400,000 m3 annually. Gas consumption has now dropped to zero.
Since the heat pump uses the thermal storage as a source, the heat from thermal storage no longer needs to be dissipated. The cooling tower does not materialize. This saves DPG Media thousands of euros per year on management costs and chemicals. Fewer chemicals is also more sustainable, of course.
The heat pump also makes it possible to regulate the charging temperature of the cold source. As a result, the cold source is better charged in summer. The existing cooling machines hardly need to be turned on, as it turned out in the summer of 2024. This results in additional cost savings in terms of maintenance and lifespan.
