Customer:
Apothecon Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Project Category:
HVAC Products
Customer Requirement:
Process Application: Air-Handling Unit (AHU) hot-water loop for plant HVAC. Operating Hours: 24 × 7 continuous process. Existing System: Steam-based heating using fossil-fuel-fired boiler. Challenge: High operational cost, heat losses in steam transfer, and rising fuel prices. Objective: Replace steam heating with a chiller-source heat pump that simultaneously reduces cooling load and operational cost.
Project Result:
Successful completion of Solar Water Heating Project
What we did:
The system comprises a 350 kW chiller-source heat pump with a Hanbell screw compressor and dual coaxial heat exchangers. The evaporator extracts heat from the chiller return line (cooling side) while the condenser heats the AHU hot-water loop. System Flow Logic Chiller return water → Heat pump evaporator → Heat absorbed and returned at lower temperature to chiller inlet. Refrigerant → Hanbell screw compressor → Heat upgraded to condenser. Condenser → Hot-water loop (54 °C → 59 °C). PLC controller monitors temperatures, flow rates, and energy data. Existing AHU system remains operational and can be switched back to boiler mode when needed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Key Components Compressor: Hanbell screw compressor with overload protection. Controller: MCS PLC with HMI and INVT VFD. Condensers & Evaporators: Coaxial heat exchangers. Electrical System: Siemens switchgear, Dixell sensors. Expansion Valves: Sporlan/Parker electronic valves. Flow Meter: Wikka SS 316. Safety Devices: Economizer BPHE, oil separator, sight glass, solenoid and shut-off valves, single-phase preventer. Construction: MS powder-coated frame, corrosion-resistant finish. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Replaced 6,000 kg/day of steam generation. -Achieved energy cost reduction of ₹ 22,560/day through dual-side savings. -Annual fuel saving: ~₹ 67.7 lakh/year. -ROI achieved within 6 months (160–177 days). -Annual steam saving: ~18 lakh kg/year (300 days). -100 % electrically driven system with zero direct emissions.
Project Description
Apothecon Pharmaceuticals sought to reduce steam-based heating dependency in their HVAC and AHU system, where boiler-generated steam was used to raise water temperature from 54 °C to 59 °C for continuous 24×7 operations. HeatRay Solar designed and supplied a 350 kW (nominal 264 kW per unit operating @ 65 Hz) chiller-source screw heat-pump system that utilizes the plant’s chilled-water return line as a heat source. The system delivers both heating and cooling benefits—providing hot water for AHU coils and simultaneously assisting the chiller by supplying sub-cooled water. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Replace fossil-fuel-based boiler heating with an electric heat pump. Utilize chiller return water as the heat source to enable heat recovery. Reduce total energy consumption by delivering both hot and chilled water outputs. Maintain system compatibility with existing AHU piping network via simple T-joint integration. Enable 24×7 PLC-based automated operation with real-time energy monitoring. Deliver payback within one year with zero disruption to ongoing operations.
Project Budget:
NA
Completion Date:
2026-01-15T00:00:00
