Munich opts for air conditioning with natural refrigerants
Air conditioning for exhibition halls at the Munich Trade Fair Center
The Munich Trade Fair Center in the city's Trudering-Riem district was built in the 1990s. Since then, the site has hosted international trade events like Bauma, the world's leading construction machinery trade fair. The most recent edition of this trade show covered an area equivalent to 100 footballs fields. New halls were added to the Munich exhibition center in 2018 and the management chose GEA ammonia chillers for the air-conditioning system in the new buildings.
Air conditioning technology for halls accommodating thousands of fair visitors
Now that construction on Halls C5 and C6 is complete, Munich's exhibition center is well prepared for large-scale events. Each of these two buildings is 143 m long and 71m wide. Together they offer more than 20,000 sqm of exhibition space. A conference center accommodating up to 1,000 participants is located on the upper floor of the corner building along with three additional event areas and smaller conference rooms. Additional exhibition space also requires more ventilation, heating and cooling capacity. Hot and cold air is dissipated via central ventilation systems, which also provide fresh air in the halls. Smaller auxiliary heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in the basement and on the roof of the buildings are used for the conference rooms on the upper level.
We opted for ammonia chillers for two reasons: one, they use a climate-neutral refrigerant and two, they are extremely efficient." - Danilo Freire, Engineer in Supply Technology, Munich Trade Fair
- Danilo Freire, Engineer in Supply Technology, Munich Trade Fair
Air conditioning with liquid ammonia chillers
The Munich Trade Fair Center has relied on ammonia liquid chillers for its cooling systems since the site opened in 1998. "We opted for ammonia chillers for two reasons: one, they use a climate-neutral refrigerant and two, they are extremely efficient," explains Danilo Freire, who supervised the Hall C5/C6 construction project in Munich.
NH₃ chiller trio offers a wide performance range
Three GEA chillers serve as the backbone of the new cooling system. All three machines use screw compressors that can be operated at variable speeds – which makes it easier to adapt the capacity to specific needs. The system uses one GEA BluAstrum 1000 chiller with 1,130 kW cooling capacity at 16°C/10°C and two GEA Grasso FX PP 1500 units each with 2,304 kW at identical inlet/outlet temperatures. Along with an excellent price/performance ratio, the chillers were chosen for their outstanding efficiency in full and partial load ranges, low discharge temperatures, robust design, and the infinitely variable capacity adjustment over a wide range.
Installation of the chillers in modules
Due to a narrow passageway in the building, the large GEA chillers could not be brought into the equipment rooms in one piece. Therefore, they were prepared at the GEA factory for delivery in modules. The frame – which is normally one piece – was divided into sections on which the system components were pre-assembled. Installation only required the frame elements and components to be assembled and the pipes reconnected on site.
Preparations, including the delivery of the liquid chillers in modules, played a key role in completing the project on time – despite the tight time window. According to Danilo Freire from the Munich Trade Fair Center: "Our planners and plant engineers had more time for the other hall projects. For Halls C5 and C6, it only took about 18 months from the start of construction to final completion of the project."
Contact
GEA BluAstrum
GEA Grasso FX P
