Customised rental cooling: QUANTUM air chillers offer sustainable added value for major radio and television broadcaster

Mr Barkhofen, today we're talking about the rental refrigeration services for a major German radio and television broadcaster. How long has ENGIE Refrigeration been supporting the channel in the refrigeration sector?

Hans-Werner Barkhofen: We have been working with the public broadcaster since 2008. As their studios are located on the second basement floor and the interior rooms heat up quickly when exposed to light on warm days, they depend on a reliable and efficient cooling supply. Our chillers have already been used successfully several times in the refurbishment of a large number of the broadcaster's buildings. Our parent company ENGIE Deutschland also provides facility services for the film studios at another location. The ENGIE Refrigeration team takes care of the entire large-scale refrigeration system with customised maintenance services.

Modernisation is an ongoing process. In which modernisation projects is the customer currently planning to use chillers from ENGIE Refrigeration?

Hans-Werner Barkhofen: Fortunately, several of them, because the broadcasting and radio station is gradually expanding its modernisation activities in the area of cooling. The focus is currently on the extensive modernisation of the recooling systems at two locations. This means that not only the recoolers but also the water-cooled chillers will be out of action for a certain period of time. During this phase, we are guaranteeing continuous security of supply with four rental chillers from the QUANTUM Air series. These will be delivered between January and March 2024 and will be in operation for at least two years. We are also responsible for rental refrigeration services, such as the professional support and maintenance of the systems.

What convinced the broadcaster to choose ENGIE Refrigeration as its service partner for rental refrigeration?

Hans-Werner Barkhofen: Our technical expertise and positive customer contact were the deciding factors, which the customer emphasised several times and we are naturally pleased about. We had an engineering office that supported our customer with the order for the major refurbishment and provided targeted advice on technical issues relating to the rental chillers in advance. In addition, our mechanical engineers succeeded in designing our QUANTUM-Air systems technically in such a way that they precisely meet the broadcaster's special requirements. For example, the broadcaster is obliged to comply with certain noise protection requirements, meaning that sufficient noise reduction in the studios is of enormous importance. The local conditions are equally challenging: the chillers must not be too long, as they have to be transported through a narrow gate to the inner courtyard, nor must they weigh too much due to the studios' basement. The output range is also limited, while the expectations in terms of supply reliability and efficiency are very high.

How do the QUANTUM rental chillers fulfil the customer's specific technical requirements?

Hans-Werner Barkhofen: Thanks to our Supersilent package, the sender receives our QUANTUM rental chillers in a whisper-quiet design. We also have other sound insulation measures up our sleeve that our customer can utilise if required. Our experts achieve the right dimensions for the systems by reducing the size by two modules, which means that the machines are only eight metres long and weigh less. By comparison, conventional rental chillers from other suppliers are eleven to twelve metres long. Our two chillers, each with a cooling capacity of around 1,000 kilowatts and with two integrated circulation pumps, ensure redundancy - and ultimately an all-round efficient cooling supply. Our customer received a complete solution for rental refrigeration from ENGIE Refrigeration, including delivery, installation, set-up, chilled water connection and electrical connection at both locations.

Apart from the broadcaster's studios: what other sectors are ENGIE Refrigeration's rental chillers particularly suitable for?

Hans-Werner Barkhofen: "This project shows once again how much flexibility there is in our machine portfolio for rental refrigeration - whether in terms of capacity, size, weight or sound intensity. And not to forget: Our QUANTUM chillers save CO₂ emissions thanks to their low refrigerant charge, making them sustainable and future-proof. This opens up new opportunities in the field of refrigeration supply for various industries, for example in the automotive industry, in hospitals, in data centres or in technical building equipment. They are also predestined for air conditioning in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, the manufacturing industry and the food and beverage industry. As you can see: Flexible rental cooling offers long-lasting added value for many applications despite short operating times.

Dear Mr Barkhofen, thank you very much for the interview!