Chiller Plant in a Container by ENGIE Refrigeration.

An energy-efficient and reliable cooling-system.

Alongside mounting and welding work, Paul Bippus GmbH also produces precision turned parts for breaking and steering systems, emission control systems and diesel fuel injection systems from materials which are difficult to cut. Due to ever-increasing demand for precision turned parts, this supplier to the automobile industry decided to build a new production site in Oberndorf in 2004. In this case, the technology for cooling the production processes proved to be a particular challenge for Bippus. With automatic lathes which produce precision turned parts, the chiller plant is usually assigned to individual machines. Such a procedure does not just mean higher levels of investment, but also higher energy costs compared to a more centralised system. In addition, the waste heat in this case is directly transferred to the production site and not transported away.

Refrigeration Systems

The company was therefore looking for an energy-efficient solution for its new production site where the cooling process could be centralised at a specific location outside of the production facility. The prospective partner to offer such cooling technology in this case would not only have to supply a suitable chiller, but also develop an integrated and energy-efficient cooling concept that is customised to the particular requirements of this manufacturer of precision turned parts. Due to the rapid progress being made with the construction of the new facility, the solution had to be implemented as soon as possible. ENGIE Refrigeration was able to impress by creating a complete refrigeration concept that was custom-made and with the aim of providing an energy-efficient operation. It included a refrigeration container with cooling towers supplying a free-cooling system, a QUANTUM chiller and refrigeration modules as the central refrigeration generator. The QUANTUM oil-free and therefore environmentally friendly operation was not the only important criteria for making the choice - the potential to cool very efficiently with the free-cooling system was also important.