Toulouse, France

Waste heat to air-condition offices

When waste is incinerated, part of the heat produced is usually released into the atmosphere. This heat costs less than electricity, especially in summer, so using it to produce cooling is cheaper than conventional electric air conditioning.

In Toulouse, a BROAD absorption chiller runs on hot water from waste incineration and produces the chilled water that air-conditions offices. It is installed outdoors in a custom metal enclosure and was delivered with its own pump set, ready to connect. An adiabatic tower cools the unit: it uses less water and reduces the risk of Legionella.

• Unit type: single-effect hot water absorption chiller × 1 unit
• Cooling capacity: 1.5 MW
• Heat source: hot water from waste incineration (inlet 90 °C, outlet 82 °C)
• Cooling water: adiabatic tower (inlet 31 °C, outlet 36 °C), with 30% ethylene glycol for outdoor temperatures down to -13.7 °C
• Chilled water: supply 7 °C, return 12 °C
• Use: office air conditioning
• Equipment: metal enclosure for outdoor installation, ready-to-use set of 6 Grundfos IE3 pumps