Seawater cools National Oceanography Centre
A unique Sea Water Cooling (SWC) system at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), located in Southampton's dock area, is saving energy and helping to reduce the building's carbon footprint.
The NOC is the UK focus for oceanographic research, with sites in Southampton and Liverpool. The Southampton Centre is an energy intensive building housing over 100 laboratories, 300 office spaces, cold stores, a computer server room and an aquarium.
Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and commissioned in February 2010, the new SWC system is unique, the only one of its kind and size in the UK. Designed by Peter Brett Associates, the system allows the Centre to use its dockside location to reduce annual electricity consumption.
Seawater is pumped from the adjacent dock to the building's energy centre. Using a heat exchanger, the seawater is then used to pre-cool water feeding a central chiller plant, which supports air conditioning systems within the building.
Seawater is returned to the dock no more than 2 degrees Celsius warmer than when it originally left the dock at the intake. The heat exchange process is most effective in the winter season, reducing electricity demand of the chiller plant by approximately 20% per annum. This equates to an estimated total carbon dioxide equivalent saving of 117 tonnes per annum. "The SWC system represents a major commitment by NERC to reduce the carbon footprint of one of its major facilities," said Lewis Rennison, Head of Facilities at the NOC in Southampton.
The SWC initiative contributes the actions across the estate to lower emissions and helps to maintain the Carbon Trust Standard which commits the NERC to Year on Year carbon reductions.
The system was formally opened on Friday 16 April 2010. For further information on the system please email: environ@noc.ac.uk.