26 March 2025
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An extensive scaffold from the ground-level compound to the roof incorporated an integral hoist
ICS Cool Energy has delivered a critical cooling system upgrade at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington.
Working with construction company Vinci, ICS Cool Energy installed three temporary chillers during the refurbishment of the permanent system, ensuring uninterrupted cooling for the hospital’s operating theatre and essential medical equipment.
The challenge
Princess Royal University Hospital was dealing with outdated cooling infrastructure and needed a reliable and efficient replacement system to maintain precise temperatures for essential medical equipment, sensitive medications, and hospital environments. The chiller plant’s location on the hospital roof posed logistical challenges for dismantling the old equipment and transporting and installing of the new ones. Additionally, providing a temporary cooling capacity of 1.8MW was crucial to ensure seamless hospital operations during the refurbishment.
1.8MW of temporary cooling in the ground-level compound ensured there was no interruption to hospital operations
The solution
Given the logistical challenges posed by the rooftop location and due to the restrictions imposed on crane usage, the specification deemed it necessary to flat-pack all the chillers for removal and installation. Vinci engineered and constructed an extensive scaffold from the ground-level compound to the roof, incorporating an integral hoist to facilitate the positioning of the equipment on site.
The complexity of the temporary install was further amplified by the need for "hot tapping" – attaching to a pipeline without depressurising or disrupting normal operations – which was crucial to putting the hire chillers in place and provide immediate and reliable cooling during the transition.
For the new cooling system, the team selected three 600kW HVAC chillers featuring R513A low-GWP refrigerant, meeting the hospital’s demand for capacity, performance, and efficiency, as well as future-proofing the equipment for the duration of its lifetime.
Three 600kW chillers operating on R513A low-GWP refrigerant were selected for the new system
The flat-packing process involved disassembling the chillers into their component parts, starting with the removal of fans and panelling, and safely extracting refrigerant from the system. Each piece was carefully labelled to ensure accurate reassembly. After reassembly, the system was recharged with refrigerant, tested and commissioned following the completion of pipefitting, fluid filling, electrical supplies, and ducting. The old chillers were flat packed and taken down the same way.
The result
Joe Murray, Project Manager at ICS Cool Energy, said: "We have been working closely with Vinci and the Princess Royal University Hospital. This project was particularly challenging, with numerous logistical hurdles that the team navigated exceptionally well. Notably, this project involved both install and hire teams, and despite tight deadlines and unforeseen obstacles, we delivered the systems successfully. From beginning to end, it was a collaborative effort, and we streamlined the process by providing a single point of contact for the customer, covering all aspects – hire, office, and on-site installation."
A Vinci representative added: ”Vinci's expertise in construction and infrastructure, combined with ICS Cool Energy's ability to provide both temporary and permanent cooling solutions, ensured that the hospital's operations continued seamlessly throughout the refurbishment. The collaboration between our teams was exceptional, and we are proud to have contributed to such a critical and successful project."
