When the roof of the new Centre Court at Wimbledon is closed to enable all-weather play, sophisticated air-conditioning systems using Aermec chillers will be called into play to provide the optimum environment for the grass and comfort for spectators.
Nine Aermec RV 3603E low-noise chillers with screw compressors using R407C will provide chilled water to air-handling units for the Centre Court and debenture suites. Each chiller has a cooling capacity of 850 kW. They are being supplied by AiAX, Aermec’s sole UN distributor.
A key design requirement was that the performance of the machines has to be tested at design conditions for performance and noise. All Aermec chillers are Eurovent certified and routinely run tested prior to despatch. In addition, Aermec can provide witness testing in its environmental test chamber, which can control conditions from -15°C to 50°C.
With the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in a quiet residential area, noise reduction was a key design issue, and the Aermec chillers can operate at noise levels of 52 dB(A) at 10 m.
The chillers are located across the road from the main courts in an area only available for the few weeks around the annual tournament. After the close of the tournament, the chillers will be removed and placed in store. Each chiller will be returned to the same position each year, with locating pins set in the footings to ensure correct alignment for the water connections.
Distribution pipes for chilled water were installed below ground by Skanska in excavations by Galliford Try Construction. They are routed under a road that separates the chiller farm from the courts.
Single-core flexible cable to each electrical phase allows the same cable to be used each year. Lugs and glands at the chiller ends of the cables make for easy removal. The other ends of the cables are terminated with camlocks at the distribution panels.
Staff from AiAX will man the chiller farm throughout the tournament to ensure equipment availability. Each chiller is equipped with Aermec’s remote monitoring, control and reset system enabling 2-way communication between engineers and the chillers using mobile telephones.