Fire Sprinkler Water Storage Tank Replacement Project
Introduction
A prestigious London skyscraper, home to banking and financial services, faced the dual challenge of aging cooling tower infrastructure and the need for a thermal performance upgrade to meet modern cooling demands. Carter Environmental was tasked with providing an innovative solution to replace the outdated crossflow, coil-based cooling towers with more efficient units, ensuring enhanced maintenance capabilities and minimal disruption to operations.
Client Background
The client, a prominent building in the financial services industry, relied on crossflow, closed-circuit cooling towers installed during its original construction phase. These towers, common in 1980s and 1990s central London buildings with painted and galvanised components, had reached the end of their service life. Refurbishment was no longer a viable option due to significant degradation.
The client required a solution that not only addressed the aging infrastructure but also upgraded the cooling system’s thermal performance. Complicating matters, the cooling towers were installed in a noise-sensitive location, near critical areas like offices and trading floors. Replacement had to be executed without structural modifications to the building and without disrupting operations, as maintaining cooling loads was essential for tenant comfort and infrastructure cooling.
Franklin Hodge Solution
Carter Environmental provided an innovative, modular cooling tower solution tailored to the project’s unique logistical and operational constraints. The outdated cooling towers were dismantled and removed, while new components were delivered in a flat-pack configuration. This design allowed the towers to be transported via the building’s standard loading bay, taken up two flights of stairs, and passed through a single-width door to a staging area just below the roof.
The modular units were assembled on-site, with each completed cooling tower measuring 7 metres in length, 3 metres in width, and 3.5 metres in height. This process was repeated for eight towers, all constructed using stainless steel components to enhance durability and extend service life.
The new cooling towers featured a counterflow design, which is significantly more efficient than traditional crossflow systems, and incorporated an integrated plate heat exchanger. This configuration allowed the system to meet modern cooling demands with improved energy efficiency, while the modular design ensured easier maintenance and component replacement in the future.
Results
The new cooling towers delivered numerous benefits to the client:
- Increased efficiency: The counterflow design and integrated plate heat exchangers ensured higher energy efficiency and enhanced reliability during peak cooling periods.
- Durability: Fully stainless-steel construction extended the lifespan of the cooling towers, reducing future replacement costs.
- Operational continuity: The project was completed in phases within the agreed timelines, without any disruption to daily operations.
- Enhanced maintenance: Improved access for maintenance and cleaning reduced downtime and simplified component replacement.
As part of a comprehensive turnkey package, Carter Environmental also installed ACI control panels with full Building Management System (BMS) integration and an intuitive Human-Machine Interface (HMI). This advanced monitoring and control system optimised performance and reduced the risk of potential issues.
Challenges Overcome
- Crane inaccessibility: The original cooling towers were installed using a tower crane during construction. For this replacement, using a crane was impractical and cost prohibitive. Modular, flat-pack towers addressed this challenge by enabling component transport through existing building infrastructure.
- Noise sensitivity: The cooling towers were located near noise-sensitive areas, such as trading floors. Careful planning and phased execution ensured minimal disruption to the building’s occupants.
- Building constraints: The replacement process was carried out without any structural modifications, and the building remained fully operational throughout the project.
Conclusion
This case study demonstrates Carter Environmental’s expertise in delivering tailored, high-performance cooling solutions for complex engineering challenges. By replacing the outdated crossflow, closed-circuit cooling towers with modular, energy-efficient units, the project not only improved the building’s cooling efficiency but also ensured long-term reliability and durability.
For other businesses facing similar challenges, this project highlights the importance of modular systems in retrofit applications, where flexibility, efficiency, and minimal disruption are key. Carter Environmental’s innovative approach continues to set the standard for excellence in the cooling tower industry.
