At one of London’s oldest and most prestigious banking headquarters, maintaining comfort and optimal climate control is mission-critical. When a severe cooling system failure threatened daily operations, ICS Cool Energy was called in to deliver a bespoke solution that safeguarded ongoing operations demonstrating both technical expertise and rapid response.
Challenge
During the height of a busy summer, the client’s landmark building experienced a critical failure in two of its main water-cooled chillers. This posed an immediate risk to the continuity of daily business at a site known not just for its historical significance, but also for its role in the financial sector.
Building infrastructure presented further difficulties. Access to the chillers was confined to two basement lifts: one a standard goods lift, the other a vehicle lift capable of taking a skip lorry below ground. There were also greater technical demands: a significant factor was the building’s chilled water system, which operated at 9.2 bar, considerably higher than what standard chilled water applications run at.
Other chiller hire providers approached for the project, explored air-cooled solutions that relied on external equipment and generators, leading to potential complications with local council regulations and logistical headaches. Alongside these technical and logistical hurdles lay considerable financial risk related with that offering. A temporary generator-driven solution could easily have incurred fuel costs running into seven figures, all without guaranteeing optimal comfort for building occupants.
Solution
ICS Cool Energy addressed the challenge with a consultative, engineering-led mindset. The team identified that a temporary water-cooled chiller solution could be installed entirely within the constraints of the basement, interfacing with the high-pressure system and existing infrastructure.
Seven RTSF100 water-cooled chillers were installed in the basement and linked via nearly 90 metres of custom 8-inch stainless steel pipework and bespoke headers, designed to withstand the unusually high system pressure. This internal installation eliminated the need for external equipment and generators, preserving lift access and avoiding potential regulatory obstacles.
Specialist contractors supported the hard-wiring and electrical work to ensure that the new chillers were reliably powered from within the premises, removing the reliance on costly external fuel sources.
Throughout the process, ICS Cool Energy paid close attention to acoustics and operational disruption, confirming through sound level testing that the new equipment operated more quietly than existing systems.
Results
ICS Cool Energy’s intervention allowed uninterrupted cooling during a period of vulnerability, supporting the bank’s daily operations while safeguarding their valuable assets and data. The project’s technical precision and practical approach reinforced ICS Cool Energy’s reputation as specialists in demanding and sensitive environments.
Crucially, the bespoke solution operated seamlessly for nearly twelve months, well beyond the original three-to-four month expectation, giving the client valuable time to redesign and replace their permanent system. The intervention not only supported the bank’s daily operations, but also demonstrated how engineering expertise and careful project management can deliver critical solutions in a highly regulated, logistically complex setting.
For more information on ICS Cool Energy and its complete range of process temperature control solutions, please visit www.icscoolenergy.com.
About ICS Cool Energy
ICS Cool Energy are specialists in critical and process temperature control solutions to keep industry running. Since 1989, ICS Cool Energy have been providing technical solutions helping businesses meet compliance requirements, reduce their energy consumption, maintenance, and operative costs. ICS Cool Energy offer long term and temporary cooling and heating rental, along with equipment and systems purchase, maintenance and emergency breakdown support. ICS Cool Energy are a part of Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator. For more information, visit www.icscoolenergy.com or www.tranetechnologies.com.
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