The project included the following tasks:

• Cooling production capacity optimization including sea water condensing compressor units (comparison of turbo compressors with refrigerant of R134a and screw compressors with refrigerant of ammonia) and hybrid heat pumps (summer operation: cooling only (sea water condensing), winter operation: heating)
• Dimensioning for process, automation and electrification equipment
• Layout
• Cost estimations for cooling production units, process auxiliary equipment, automation and electrification

Client: Helen Ltd

Helen Ltd is one of the largest energy companies in Finland supplying electric energy to about 400,000 customers and covering more than 90 percent of the heat demand of the capital city with district heat. Helsinki Smart City combines both district heating and cooling networks in a way that enables utilization of waste energies in an innovative and effective way, while reducing environmental load.

Kuopio Energy supplies electricity and district heating as well as associated services to Kuopio and surrounding areas. Kuopio Energy’s electricity production is based on peat which comes from the peatlands of eastern Finland. In Kuopio, District heating covers more than 90% of the city’s heating energy requirement.

This feasibility work was a follow-up for the “Heat Recovery Potential in Kuopio Region” carried out by Greenfield Consulting in during 2014–2015.
The main target of the project was to evaluate a technical and financial viability of the local centralized cooling system including production plant and network against customer’s alternative cooling system.

Lake water condensing compressor chiller (chillers with variable speed drive) plant with free cooling from the lake was selected for the technical concept of the centralized cooling system. Considered customers’ alternative cooling system were based on the multiple individual air condensing compressor chiller units.

The project included the following tasks:

• Cooling production capacity optimization (free cooling / compressor chillers)
• Flow diagram and dimensioning for local centralized cooling plant
• Layout for local centralized cooling plant
• Cooling production simulations (including electricity and water consumptions)
• Investment and O&M cost estimates for the centralized and customer’s alternative systems
• Cash flow model for the centralized and customer’s alternative systems
• Financial analysis
• Advising the Client in preliminary cooling sales agreement

Client: Kuopio Energy Ltd.

The main target of the project is to evaluate a technical and financial viability of the local centralized cooling production system including the production and network for the local industrial area.
The considered cooling production alternatives including electricity driven compressor chillers with different cooling tower options as well as the options to utilize free cooling.
The project includes the following tasks:

• Cooling production capacity optimization
• Preliminary flow diagram and dimensioning for local centralized cooling plant
• Layout for local centralized cooling plant

Client: Hyvinkään Lämpövoima Oy

Cooling capacity development planning, responding to increasing cooling demand in the district cooling network in Helsinki, including techno-economic assessment of several production alternatives.
Considered alternatives including the CHC-station, which is planned to serve both the district cooling and the district heating networks of Helen, and the separate peak load stations.
The key elements considered in the feasibility studies are the following:

• Separate feasibility study for the air condensing compressor chiller peak load plant
• Budgetary offers for the chiller units (2 × 10 MW)
• Investment and O&M costs estimations and least cost analysis for the considered production alternatives

The project design and calculations are carried out by Greenfield Consulting in close cooperation with Helen Ltd.

Client: Helen Ltd

Helen Ltd is one of the largest energy companies in Finland supplying electric energy to about 400,000 customers and covering more than 90 percent of the heat demand of the capital city with district heat. Helsinki Smart City combines both district heating and cooling networks in a way that enables utilization of waste energies in an innovative and effective way, while reducing environmental load.

The project will revitalize approximately 10 acres of Yangon’s central business district aimed at alleviating the severe shortage of tourism and business infrastructure. The project consists of nearly 2 million square feet of hotel, retail, office and residential space, the preservation and adaptive reuse of an 1877 Victorian heritage building, and the first district cooling plant (DC Plant) in Myanmar. The DC Plant will have a capacity of 9,200 ton refrigeration (TR) to provide sustainable, efficient, reliable, and essential cooling to the project. The DC Plant will generate cooling water and distribute it through a network of piping systems to individual buildings of the project.

Greenfield Consulting contribution to the project

Greenfield was assigned to carry out the technical due diligence for the district cooling project. The work involves checking the conceptual design of the district cooling system and the appropriateness of selected technologies, including the following:

• The technical design of the district cooling system including capacities, sizing, specification and selection of major equipment, pipes and fittings, electrical components, instrumentation and controls
• The anticipated performance characteristics of the entire system and their relative fit with the current and projected cooling demand and other cooling requirements of the customers
• The expandability of the district cooling system to meet future demand
• CO2 emission, BOE, and MWh reduction estimates for the project
• Performance guarantees provided by the selected equipment manufacturers/suppliers
• The selected site for the central plant and routes of the major piping network. Inspect the site and see if (i) the area is adequate and available, (ii) relocation/resettlement will be needed; (iii) there will be problems such as securing right of way, disruption of traffic flow during construction, lack of access road for equipment delivery, etc.
• Performance testing and acceptance criteria for each major component and for the entire district cooling system
• Construction schedule including construction and payment milestones and contractors’/subcontractors execution plans. Provide an independent estimation of project completion date.
• Safety assurance program during construction and operations
• Reasonableness of project cost estimates including cost of spare parts inventory (include potential scenario of cost overruns)
• Reasonableness of O&M cost to include cost of routine and unscheduled maintenance
• Level of spare parts inventory and the availability/risk of shortage
• Contractors support and post completion technical risks
• Expected maintenance requirements of the whole system.
• Permitting requirements (construction permit, building permit, environmental permit, etc.)
• Staffing, start up, training program and labor management
• Key staff qualifications, capability and experience including international exposure/capabilities and track records

Client: Asian Development Bank (ADB)

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia. The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and non-regional developed countries. From 31 members at its establishment, ADB now has 67 members – of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.

CHC-station (Combined Heating and Cooling Station) alternatives

The considered alternatives included the CHC-station, which is planned to serve both the district cooling and the district heating networks of Helsingin Energia, and the separate peak load station.

The key elements considered in the pre-feasibility studies were the following:

• Heat pump concept and configuration including connections to district cooling and heating networks
• Maximum capacity and optimum unit size taking into account the space available at the plant
• Preliminary layout for heat pump units
• Budgetary offers for heat pump units
• Investment and O&M costs estimations for plant life cycle
• Least cost analysis

The project design and calculations were carried out by Greenfield Consulting in close cooperation with Helsingin Energia.

Client: Helen Ltd

Helen Ltd is one of the largest energy companies in Finland supplying electric energy to about 400,000 customers and covering more than 90 percent of the heat demand of the capital city with district heat. Helsinki Smart City combines both district heating and cooling networks in a way that enables utilization of waste energies in an innovative and effective way, while reducing environmental load.

The project work included the Feasibility Study and Pre-engineering for a cooling and heat recovery system with 3,3 MW_Cooling of cooling capacity and 4,7 MW_Heating) of heat recovery. The work included the following::

• Heat pump capacity optimization
• Connection to the district heating network and to the cooling customer
• Modeling of the heating and cooling production
• Preliminary flow diagrams and layout drawings
• Electrification, automation and HVAC
• Investment and O&M cost estimates
• Least cost analysis
• Preliminary cooling tariffs

The project was managed by Helsinki Energy and will be carried out by Greenfield Consulting in close cooperation with Helsinki Energy specialists on each engineering area.

Client: Elenia Heat Ltd

Elenia heating company produces district heating and electricity and sells and distributes district heating and natural gas in Häme, Central Finland, Northern Ostrobothnia and Heinola. The company operates in approximately 10 municipalities in total. Natural gas is used as a fuel in the company’s operations and distributed to customers in six population centers. Electricity is produced for the national transmission grid at the Vanaja power plant in Hämeenlinna.

Elenia heating business has currently nearly 5 000 customer contracts and some 85 000 end users. There are approximately 200 district heating companies in Finland, the majority being owned by municipalities. Elenia heating company is Finland’s second-largest private supplier of district heating.

Implementation phase; 2012– (in progress)

Helen Ltd. is currently constructing a district cooling station under the city centre of Helsinki.

The implementation phase of the project includes the following sub-projects:

• Excavation
• Construction works
• Process and machinery
• HVAC
• Electrification
• Automation

Performance data of the station (after first construction phase):

• Cooling capacity (accumulator only): 40 MW
• Water volume: 35 000 m³
• Energy capacity: 230 MWh

The installation of heat pump units (2 × 15 MW) depends on the DC customers’ connected capacity forecast; new installations are required when the connected DC load exceeds the production capacity.

Greenfield Consulting contribution to the project

Jussi-Pekka Kuivala M.Sc. (tech.) is assigned to support the project head engineer of Helen Ltd. The tasks include extensive studies and planning works as well as participating in the procurements and procurement control having reference to process and machinery sub-projects.

Pre-engineering of an Underground District Cooling Station, City Centre, Helsinki, Finland; 2011 – 2012

Helen Ltd. was planning to construct an underground district cooling station in the city centre of Helsinki. The cooling station would involve a rock cavern accumulator and a reservation for heat pump units for complementary cooling capacity.

Pre-engineering work included process and mechanical engineering, electrical, automation, HVAC and building engineering sub-projects.

Greenfield Consulting contribution to the project

Greenfield Consulting was assigned to support the project head engineer of Helen Ltd. The tasks involved the cooling station process engineering, including the selection of optimal production capacity as well as the designing of both technically and economically optimal process flow diagram. The layout design was carried out based on the process and machinery engineering.

Client: Helen Ltd.

Helen Ltd. is one of the largest energy companies in Finland supplying electric energy to about 400,000 customers and covering more than 90 percent of the heat demand of the capital city with district heat. Helen Ltd. also produces and sells district cooling, which is considerably expanding in Helsinki.

Among the services provided by Helen Ltd. are the design, projecting and maintenance of energy production and distribution systems.

• District Cooling Network (6 km)
  
• Consumer-end Metering Solutions
• Concept and Capacity Optimization (9 MW)
• Energy Optimization
• Investment and O&M Cost Estimates
• Financial Analysis

Feasibility of District Cooling in Pori for a Large Public Building Complex Area and a Preliminary Business Plan for the Pori Area Wide DC Network; 2011

• Cooling Demand Assessment
• Cooling Production Technique Review
• Concept Design
• Cost Estimates
• Preliminary Financial Analysis

Client: Pori Energy Ltd

Pori Energy Ltd is a municipal energy company providing high-quality energy services having more than 100-year history in the energy sector. Pori Energy’s main products are electricity, district heating, industry energy services and contracting and maintenance services.

• District Cooling Network (18 km)
• Movable Container Units
• Consumer-end Metering Solutions
• Preparation of Permitting Process
• Centralized District Cooling Plant (30 MWc) and Rock Cavern Accumulator (25 MWc, 17,000 m³)
• Investment and O&M Cost Estimates

Client: Fortum

Fortum is the biggest power company in Finland. Their operations focus on the Nordic countries, Russia, Poland and Baltic Rim area. Their activities cover the generation, distribution and sales of electricity and heat as well as related expert services. In 2011, Fortum’s sales totaled EUR 6.2 billion and comparable operating profit was EUR 1.8 billion. Fortum’s shares are quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.