Lowering the temperature with heat exchangers

Construction of a cooling network is a significant investment, especially since the pipes that supply refrigeration and carry the heat back are very large, and the water supplied must be very cold. Networks are an ideal solution when three conditions are met:sufficiently high year-round demand, a high concentration of industrial and/or commercial activity, and a real estate contractor or developer that supports this solution from the project outset. Furthermore, two district development partners are essential: the local authorities or contractors, who draw up the general specifications, and the real estate developers who decide on the hook-ups for new buildings.

Although cooling networks represent a modest share of Dalkia's business, they are not a new activity.The SUC network in La Défense (see inset) has been operating since the 1970s, for example. However, the number of satisfied customers has increased in recent years.
- 2006: Singapore Marina South; the Guangzhou University campus and stores and offices in Chongqing, China; city of Montreal.
- 2007: Bahrain Bay and Al Aren in Bahrain; the largest portfolio of cooling networks in the United States (Las Vegas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, etc), following the acquisition of Thermal North America; Paik university hospital in Seoul, South Korea.
Many new projects are on the cards for the future, particularly in emerging economies, where Dalkia is building on its expertise.

Customers of cooling networks and heating networks expect the same things from us - service quality,energy efficiency and environmental protection.
A cooling network will therefore need to be very efficient at optimizing production, especially since a wider range of challenges will need to be incorporated: water scarcity as in Bahrain (see inset) and a desire to reconcile comfort with energy conservation.

Like heating networks, cooling networks centralize production, thereby lowering the cost for the end customer.
In each block or warehouse, the absence or removal of individual equipment frees up useful space. Neither do connected buildings need powerful, complicated electrical installations. Future occupants are not only guaranteed the comfort of air-conditioning, but also the assurance of enhanced safety.