The Costa Rican company, Multifrio, carried out a project to replace ice water systems, fresh air injection, control system, power supply and structural reinforcement.
by ACR Latin America
Background: The Forum complex is one of the largest office building complexes in Costa Rica. Its colonial architecture and its large green areas, make Forum a unique place, since today most corporate projects do not count or do not have the possibility of having such open green spaces and great footage to balance work and nature.
The complex has 17 buildings separated by gardens, lakes, boulevards and green areas that make the view very refreshing. Its departures to Lindora, directly to the province of Heredia, its exit to Route 27 both east and west, make the Juan Santamaría International Airport a few kilometers away.
In the same way, its location is located in one of the most valuable areas of Costa Rica, Santa Ana. Likewise, it belongs to the special regime of Free Zones with a large number of multinational companies.
https://parqueempresarialforum.com/
Project Details
- People: 1,800, in P&G buildings alone. The total area will house more than 3,000 people.
- Application: Oficentro
- 5 Buildings of 4 floors each, each floor with 1100m², for 4400m² per building and 22000m² in the five buildings intervened, with tenants such as Procter & Gamble (P&G), NCI, EY, GTM, Cornestone.
Air conditioning project
The project consisted of the replacement (Dismantling, supply, installation and commissioning of five ice water plants, one for each building, composed of eleven (11) chiller units condensed by air, vertical centrifugal pumps in line with their accessories and the network of carbon steel pipes, thermally insulated and with stainless steel cover.
The project was executed in a period of six (6) months, were carried out in addition to the mechanical installations, civil works such as the concrete beams where the equipment is supported, electrical and control works, to deliver the system to the integrator of the BMS of the building which already existed.
Together with the Chillers, a System of Fresh Air Injection (Make Up units) and CO2 Control were integrated: based on the customer's requirements, five (5) 100% outdoor air handling units cooled by water were supplied and installed, for the injection of fresh air, (the fresh air requirement was 17 cfm / person) and a CO2 control system, composed of CO2 sensors inside each level in each building, which allow the opening or closing of a gate of variable air volume, which provides the Make Up unit with the injection of less air when the CO2 concentration requires it, this thanks to the frequency inverter in the Fan of the Make Up and the air flow control system implemented.
In addition to the purely HVAC and control aspects, the electrical supply of all the equipment was installed and the necessary structural reinforcement was made for the support of all the equipment.
Project challenges
Multifrío, headed by its general manager, Salo Ponchner, and project manager, Juan Alejandro Ramírez, explained that the execution of the project was carried out with the occupied buildings and in regular operation of their respective tenants, which implied making an adequate work plan that allowed to have spaces to work in ordinary hours in such a way that both the service and the affectation to the end users, had the minimum impact, so we worked mostly at night and weekends.
To highlight, the project was worked in the rainiest season of the year, so it depended on wind and rain to be able to do work such as the assembly of equipment on each roof, powered by two cranes simultaneously at some points of the work.
Differential aspects
1. The communication between the different Departments of Multifrío involved in the project made the difference, from the logistics department with the coordination and import of the equipment, the pipeline factory, the contractors and the client. Only in this way was it possible to comply with the stipulated times for the correct progress of the work. It was also important to coordinate with the different tenants of each building and the different disciplines, civil and electrical, included in the project.
2. Simultaneous maritime and air imports were made from the U.S., Mexico and China, to achieve timely installation and commissioning.
3. Working together with the staff of its commercial partner, Johnson Controls, allowed the start-ups of the equipment to be carried out on time. By the nature of the project this process was carried out gradually as changes were made to each building.
The start-up of the different systems was carried out as follows:
1. Pumps and their variable frequency drives: Personal Multifriend
2. Make Up units and their frequency inverters: personal Multifrio
3. Chiller: Personal Johnson Controls and Personal Assistance Multifrio
Project Details
Project site: Forum Edificios A-B-C-D-E Business Park
Client: Improsa Capital S.A
Multifrío Project Manager: Juan Alejandro Ramírez
Multicold Master Supervisor: Carlos Andrés Rodríguez
Multifrío Master builder: Franklin Solano
Technologies used
- Tons of Refrigeration Installed: 1550 TR, in ice water condensed by air.
- Air Conditioning Equipment:
• 11 Air Condensed Chiller with screw compressor with VDF, YORK.
• 5 Air handling unit, YORK with VDF, equivalent to 57375cfm installed.
• 15 vertical centrifugal pumps in line, Bell & Gossett
• 5 Manual Transfers, ABB
• 11 disconnectors from Chiller, Siemens
Runtime: 6 months
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