Challenge
A leading maker of French pasta, based in southeastern France, wished to increase its existing chiller set-up to provide an additional 150 kW cooling power during the summer months. The specific requirement was to achieve cold water temperatures of -8°C/-4°C and hot water temperatures of 60°C/55°C.
The customer already had two Trane RTAD chiller units on site with partial heat recovery. One of the units features Adaptive Frequency™ Drive (AFD) which provides industry-leading seasonal efficiency to reduce energy consumption. The customer’s existing heating solution was a 300kW propane boiler.
Cost was a major driver for the customer who was opting for rental as a means to achieve its goals in the most cost-effective way.
Solution
Trane was able to work closely on the project with the company’s Energy Performance Manager – an enthusiastic contact who was passionate about energy saving. One solution that Trane suggested would have been simply to supply an additional RTAD unit. This unit would work solely with cold water to provide the additional cooling need required.
However, by looking at the company’s energy needs as a whole – not just the cooling requirement – Trane recommended a solution that would satisfy both cooling and heating demand.
The installation of two rental City™ RTSF Water-to-Water Heat Pumps – rather than a cooling-only chiller unit – would enable the company to switch off its propane boiler altogether and thus achieve substantial energy savings . The additional two RTSF Rental units provide “free heating” – overall a very cost-effective solution despite the higher initial outlay on rental costs.
Results
Trane’s technical expertise was a significant factor in the customer going ahead with the heat-pump solution and it was a simple exercise to integrate the RTSF units with the customer’s existing HVAC set-up in an outdoor location. The RTSF 070 and RTSF 050 units were rented for a period of 15 weeks.
The customer’s need for cold water temperatures of -8°C/-4°C and hot water temperatures of 60°C/55°C lay well within the operating map of the RTSF units and it’s anticipated that the customer will follow up its 2022 rental by purchasing an RTSF unit in 2023.
Trane’s RTSF chillers and heat pumps use near-zero GWP refrigerants and are part of the Trane EcoWise™ portfolio of products that are designed to lower environmental impact with next-generation, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and high-efficiency operation both in cooling and heating.
