Harrogate International Centre
About 
Taking centre stage in a town which was once a favourite spa retreat for the Victorians, the Harrogate International Centre is now one of the world’s top conference and exhibition venues. The 2000-seat auditorium of the Harrogate International Centre (HIC) is interlinked with eight exhibition halls and hotel, together offering integrated conference, exhibition, banqueting and entertainments facilities with diverse cooling load requirements.
The challenge
Avoiding any interruption to normal business operation, HIC management wished to replace two ozone-depleting, potentially hazardous R11 chillers installed when the HIC was opened in the early 1980s, with a more efficient system that would provide a reliable, comfortable environment for audiences, delegates and visitors alike.
Continuous system operation is essential in the business critical and entertainment arena of HIC and, faced with escalating fuel costs and stricter environmental regulations, an energy efficient system is regarded as a priority.
Airedale solution
- Two Ultima™ Water Cooled (UWC) 1200D packaged screw compressor chillers
With a nominal capacity of 1100kW, the UWC chillers designed for HIC are dual circuit, fully-packaged and configured with two screw compressors set in an acoustically-lined enclosure. Screw compressors are noted for their reliability, durability and lower sound levels.
Set as ‘run and standby’ and pre-supplied with non-ozone depleting R407C refrigerant, the two UWC chillers utilise far less refrigerant charge than the chillers they have replaced and are a lot more efficient. One unit is able to manage the whole system.
“The changing needs of our clients and visitors now dictate that we have an up-to-date and effective method of “comfort cooling” across the HIC complex, which hosts over 300,000 business visitors every year from across the world. The system was introduced with no disruption to our events programme and has delivered the performance required of it.”
Stuart Quin, Director, Harrogate International Centre
