FUJITSU TEN SPAIN
Energy Optimization of the Production Industrial Unit
Location: Málaga, Spain
Year: 2016
Description
The company wanted to reduce the energy consumption of its production indrustrial unit due to overheating, improving the properties of the part of the facade that is older and less isolated.
After conducting a radiation analysis, it was clear that these walls did not pose a risk of overheating. On the contrary, considering that the majority of thermal loads came from the interior – machinery and lighting – and that these walls were little exposed to solar radiation, their high transmittance was, in fact, beneficial for the release of heat to the exterior. Any reduction in conductivity would result in an increase in energy consumption; any increase in thermal inertia would also mean an increase in energy consumption (the ship operates 24/7); any change in its solar absorbance would have a very small or no effect. Instead of recommending the intervention on the facade, the focus was placed on ventilation. It was found that the energy consumption could be significantly reduced (up to 33%) by combining free-cooling with the use of the false ceiling space as a return plenum to reduce the thermal loads due to the recessed lighting and the incident solar radiation on the roof. In this way, the refrigeration loads could be completely eliminated during the winter and substantially reduced during the rest of the year.