Operational advantages of mobile refrigeration using a closed loop heat rejection configuration

Abstract

The operational advantages of localised cooling, in particular moving the cooling source as close as possible to the area where cooling is required, has been investigated by different authors over a number of years. A notable advantage is the energy efficiency potential associated with cooling locally, mainly due to the savings obtained from a reduction in cooling water and the reduced dewatering pumping power of water back to surface. The challenges with supplying water from the cooling source to the remote areas where the cooling is required led to the development of mobile refrigeration units capable of providing localised cooling. The developed mobile refrigeration air cooling unit (ACU) alleviates some of these problems by increasing the amount of cooling that can be done per litre of water available. These result in more effective and energy efficient cooling, but these units do however still require cooling water to operate. This paper looks into the possible operational advantages, including energy efficiency and reliability, when the condenser circuit of the ACU is not connected to the main cooling water supply, but rather connected in a closed loop heat rejection configuration with the return airway (RAW)