Abu Dhabi (UAE): National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed), the leading regional UAE-based district cooling utility company, and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a part of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology, have completed a 3-year research and development (R&D) pilot project to deliver energy efficiency through enhancing operational performance in district cooling plants. The Tabreed and Masdar Institute joint project, called ‘Optimal Chiller Plant Control’, aimed to develop and operate a proprietary next-generation digital ‘smart controller’ capable of intelligently managing district cooling plants to improve operational performance by decreasing energy consumption.
The pilot project, conducted at Tabreed’s plant in Mohammed bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi, created a prototype for an optimal control system which was implemented following various testing phases. Following the completion of the pilot project, Jasim Thabet, Tabreed’s CEO, said, “We believe that breakthrough innovation such as this smart model will set new standards in performance, energy and operational efficiency and deliver the energy reductions required for the region’s sustainable development.” Tabreed and Masdar Institute successfully developed a prototype digital module that was integrated with the district cooling plants’ control system to measure key external variables that impact the operational efficiencies of the plant, such as flow and temperatures of chilled water supply and return, outside temperature and humidity levels.
