Sky is no limit for Star Indigochiller.
Star Refrigeration has completed the installation of its revolutionary Indigochiller cooling system at BSkyB’s headquarters in London.
BSkyB is a leading broadcaster of sports, movies, entertainment and news. The company operates the UK’s largest digital pay television platform from its headquarters at Grant Way in Isleworth. Cooling solutions specialist Star has installed a range of Indigochillers to provide chilled water for air conditioning and computer server cooling in two studio buildings on the BSkyB site.
Three state-of-the-art Indigochillers were installed to replace existing package chillers located in a compound between the Sky Sports and Sky News buildings. Star combined two existing independent chilled water circuits serving both buildings into a common system, boosting operating efficiency.
The Indigochillers provide chilled water, which is then pumped through insulated pipework to wall or ceiling mounted air handling units (AHUs). Air is circulated across the chilled water coil in each AHU to provide cooling throughout both BSkyB buildings. Broadcast facilities within the two buildings include TV studios, production suites, general offices and computer server rooms.
A carefully phased four week installation programme ensured no disruption to broadcast operations. Temporary chillers were installed to provide supplementary cooling whilst the existing chillers were removed to make way for the new Indigochillers.
Star’s Indigochiller was developed in direct response to proposed F-Gas regulations. The unit’s unique design aims to eliminate refrigerant leakage and have minimal effect on the global environment.
All components are selected to minimise the risk of refrigerant leakage. Each unit features a welded plate and shell heat exchanger, sealed expansion valve and welded steel pipework. Leak detection requirements have been reduced to a few simple checks.
Each Indigochiller features the revolutionary oil-free Turbocor centrifugal compressor, designed to offer reliable operation and low maintenance. The compressor operates on electromagnetic bearings and uses the synthetic refrigerant R134a. This ensures minimal vibration and noise, even when running at very high speed.
The high efficiency, low noise Indigochiller range is ideal for medium to large-scale applications, with capacities ranging from 250kW up to 1,500kW. It features a robust PLC control system to monitor running conditions and optimise efficiency. Additional options include remote access and email alerts via a built-in modem, as well as a direct link to Star’s 24/7 call out facility. The air-cooled unit is available in two noise ranges: Standard (57 dB(A) to 61 dB(A) @ 10m) and Residential (50 dB(A) to 53 dB(A) @ 10m).
Star’s research shows the Indigochiller uses only 60% of the energy required by a standard chiller operating on typical load and ambient profiles. This offers end users a significant saving in energy and running costs.
Following on from the success at Isleworth, two further IA500 units have been installed at the same site and a further three have been installed at BSkyB’s offices in Dunfermline.
