Adiabatic Re-Design Overcomes Site Challenges

The Client –

UK Automotive Component Manufacturer


The Challenge –

Failing Adiabatic Cooler + Access Challenges


The Solution –

Replacement Adiabatic With Reduced Footprint

Our design team are used to overcoming access restrictions on sites but an extremely narrow passageway and overhead cabling on a recent project posed a real challenge.

The client, a leading manufacturer and distributor of automotive components, tasked us with replacing an old, failing adiabatic cooler. Removing a legacy unit and replacing it with new equipment is relatively straight forwarded most of the time – but on this occasion things were going to be trickier! A narrow walkway restricted access and overhead electrical and telecommunication cables ran above the site’s fencing, meaning using a traditional HiAB lift wasn’t going to be an option.

Whilst our client wanted a like for like replacement, our engineers used the initial design phase as a chance to reduce the dimensions of the new adiabatic cooler, giving more room for manoeuvre – quite literally! Whilst the new unit could achieve the same duty as the existing, our design team managed to make it significantly smaller in size.

Aqua supplied a 500+kW adiabatic, working on a water supply temperature of 30+°C, with a return temperature of 43.4°C, with a wet bulb of 19°C. Fluid was 25% ethylene glycol/water. By changing the configuration of the unit’s fans, the footprint was considerably reduced.

Whilst replacing the old adiabatic with the new unit wasn’t easy, positioning and installation was made much easier by the unit’s reduced dimensions. It also made navigating the restricted access ways a more straightforward task.

The full Aqua solution included:

  • 505kW adiabatic cooler
  • Bespoke design service
  • Mechanical disconnection & disposal of the legacy cooler
  • Full delivery and installation
  • Hoses and related ancillaries

“This installation is a great example of how important the initial design phase can be” explains Aqua Sales Engineer, Bhaskar Choudhury. “Once we visited site the access and delivery restrictions became clear and the work our design team then did at that early stage made life so much simpler when it came to the final install, saving our client both time and cost.”