Emergency Cooling Solution for a London Museum

Challenges

• The cooling equipment had to be installed within a confined, tunnel-like section of the building. There was no suitable external location for the chillers, leaving limited space for positioning and installation.
• Conventional lifting methods were not possible. The internal space was unsuitable for unloading standard skid-mounted rental chillers using a HIAB, while external crane operations were restricted due to underground infrastructure, including the London Underground network beneath the site.
• Heat generated by the air-cooled chillers had to be carefully managed. Heat pump chillers can discharge air at temperatures exceeding 90°C as they reject heat from the cooling system. Without adequate extraction, this hot air could recirculate back towards the chillers, raising the surrounding temperature and reducing their cooling performance.
• The cooling system needed to operate independently from the site’s permanent electrical infrastructure. A reliable temporary power supply was therefore required as part of the overall hire package.

Our Solution

• Our engineers selected two 200kW and two 360kW heat pump chillers. These were mounted onto road-towable trailers, allowing each unit to be manoeuvred directly into position without the need for a HIAB, crane or other lifting equipment.
• Once positioned, we connected the chillers to the museum’s basement infrastructure. Two plate heat exchangers were used to create an air-to-water cooling system while maintaining complete hydraulic separation between the rental equipment and the permanent system.
• We then provided temporary power to run the cooling system. Rapid Energy supplied two 500kVA generators and two electrical distribution boards, creating an independent power supply without relying on the site’s permanent electrical infrastructure.
• Additionally, we installed a bespoke extraction system to manage the hot discharge air. Sixteen high-level extraction fans provided a combined airflow of 230,400m³/h, continuously removing hot air from the enclosed space and helping to prevent it from recirculating back towards the chillers.