There is no sign of the demand for ocean cruises diminishing: in 2016, almost six million Europeans booked a cruise. That’s two million more than back in 2007 (source: Statista). The ocean liners offer comprehensive entertainment features and a pleasant taste of luxury. But chilling out on board naturally also requires the right temperature. Two of the cruise liners run by shipping operator Saga Cruises will now come equipped with Marenum chillers from ENGIE Refrigeration. The two ships are being constructed by MEYER WERFT dockyard located in Papenburg in the German federal state of Lower Saxony. They are scheduled to run the Baltic Sea as of 2019. Each of the 236-metre vessels will see four Marenum chillers installed. This produces a total cooling power per ship of twelve megawatts (MW). “Back in 2013, we added Marenum to expand our range with an energy-efficient, safe and reliable chiller tailored perfectly to meet the requirements at sea. The Marenum technology has proven itself time and again on navy ships. We’re delighted that Marenum will now see use on civilian ships, too,” says Jochen Hornung, Managing Director of ENGIE Refrigeration.
Tough conditions
Marine operation requires refrigeration to function under tough conditions – at sea, chillers need to operate in extremes, weathering exposure to both seawater and heavy swell. Besides their reliability and energy efficiency, Marenum chillers stand out through their compact design, their low noise and vibration emissions, seawater resistant condenser and low maintenance requirements. The system technology is reduced to the main components necessary for refrigeration – compressor, condenser, metering section and evaporator, including the corresponding measurement and control technology. This saves space for the customer, a major concern considering that space is often at a premium in a ship’s engine room. Redundant design with up to twelve condensers per chiller increases reliability.
Seawater resistance prolongs service life
A copper, nickel and iron alloy (CuNiFe), used for the tube sheets and high-performance finned tubes on the Marenum, provides a high level of resistance to seawater. All other parts of the chiller faced with direct contact to seawater are made of stainless steel. In addition, the Marenum’s design prevents its compressor from aspirating liquid refrigerant – even in rough seas.
Free cooling ensures energy efficiency
Its modular design allows the Marenum to be tailored perfectly to the customer’s individual requirements. Another major benefit offered by the chillers to be installed on the Saga Cruise liners is free cooling. As soon as the seawater temperature drops below the desired cold-water temperature, this operating mode becomes available for refrigeration. This makes refrigeration on the cruise liners especially energy-efficient. The customer was also won over by ENGIE Refrigeration’s maintenance concept: the chillers’ design allows the entire filling volume to be transferred to one or both tanks and isolated there. This way, the customer saves space and costs.
About ENGIE Refrigeration
ENGIE Refrigeration GmbH specialises in products, solutions and services for economical and energy-efficient refrigeration and heat recovery. The refrigeration specialist plans, manufactures, operates and supervises refrigeration systems, re-cooling plants and system solutions. The company, based in Lindau on Lake Constance, has a nationwide sales and service network in Germany. As part of the ENGIE Group, ENGIE Refrigeration can draw on the support of the structures of a global corporation. The origins of ENGIE Refrigeration go back to the Sulzer company, which was founded in 1834 and which introduced the world’s first chiller at the 1878 World Fair in Paris. ENGIE Refrigeration GmbH is a member of ENGIE Deutschland. Since June 2016, ENGIE Deutschland has brought together under one roof a number of companies, including ENGIE Deutschland GmbH (formerly Cofely Deutschland GmbH), ENGIE Refrigeration GmbH (formerly Cofely Refrigeration GmbH), ENGIE Deutschland AG (formerly GDF SUEZ Energie Deutschland AG), ENGIE Energielösungen GmbH (formerly GDF SUEZ Energy Sales GmbH), and H.G.S. GmbH. ENGIE Deutschland, with 30 branch offices and approximately 3,000 employees in Germany, generated sales of around 1.8 billion euros in 2016. The share of sales from ENGIE Refrigeration GmbH – with 285 employees – stood at around 80 million euros.
www.engie-refrigeration.de