A district cooling network generally consists of collective equipment for the production and distribution of chilled water. The chilled water is produced by refrigeration stations and transported by pipes (distribution network) serving the buildings equipped with delivery stations (exchange sub-stations). The chilled water then absorbs some of the heat energy from the building facilities.
A cooling network operates in closed circuit. It therefore always consists of at least two pipes:
- one to transport the iced water to users,
- the other to return the water to the production stations.
The district cooling network therefore requires three basic components:
- the production plants,
- the distribution network,
- the delivery stations or sub-stations.
The water can be cooled by pumping in the sea, lakes, rivers combined with refrigeration units.
Inpal © 2011.