Sustainability Transformation Series – Episode 4: Futuristic Chillers in Sustainable Cooling

Cooling is critical across various settings—from data centers to large commercial buildings and especially in process industries, where cooling needs are essential to maintain operational stability. In this episode, we’ll look at how advanced chiller technology and Vapour Absorption Machines (VAMs) together offer a powerful, energy-efficient cooling solution. With real-time insights from Bosch Deepsights, we’ll see how this hybrid approach can maximize efficiency and minimize emissions.

Here’s a glimpse of a recent conversation I had with industry leaders on this topic:

Sustainability Lead: Our cooling systems are one of the largest electricity consumers in our production processes. Can we reduce energy usage and emissions without impacting operational performance?

Me:

For cooling-intensive industries, especially in process applications, combining high-efficiency chillers with VAMs can be a game-changer. VAMs use waste heat—often generated by boilers, engines, or production processes—to produce cooling without relying on electricity. This hybrid approach allows us to use VAMs for baseline cooling and supplement with high-efficiency chillers during peak times.

Let me give examples with some numbers to see the impact. If your current chiller system consumes 1,000 kW of energy to meet your cooling needs and operates at around 70% efficiency, you’re effectively losing 300 kW.

CFO: Interesting! So, what would the savings look like if we switch to this hybrid system?

Me:

By upgrading to a 95% efficient chiller for peak needs, you only lose 50 kW, saving 250 kW every hour. Now, with the VAM, we can offset part of the load by utilizing waste heat, reducing electricity dependency further. Let’s assume VAMs cover 30% of your cooling needs, so instead of 1,000 kW, you’re using only 700 kW for the chiller.

Here’s the potential energy savings with this hybrid setup, assuming 6,000 hours per year (250 days) of cooling considering electricity savings from VAM & efficiency savings from upgraded Chiller - It's a total energy saving of 3,300,000 kWh. At an electricity rate of INR 8 per kWh , the cost savings would be approx INR 2.6 Cr.

Plant Manager: But with different systems working together, how do we ensure maintenance isn’t a hassle?

Me:

That’s where Bosch Deepsights is invaluable. Deepsights integrates seamlessly with both chillers and VAMs, allowing you to monitor and optimize each system. For example, it can track cooling output, heat exchange rates in the VAM, and efficiency levels in the chiller.

Deepsights also uses predictive maintenance to alert you of any performance issues early—whether it’s a drop in the VAM’s heat absorption efficiency or a compressor anomaly in the chiller. This proactive monitoring reduces unplanned downtime, reduces TCO and ensures smooth operation of both systems.

Operations Head: This hybrid setup sounds good, but will it handle variable cooling demands, especially for intensive cooling in production processes?

Me:

Exactly. VAMs provide steady, baseline cooling from waste heat, while high-efficiency chillers kick in to handle peak demands. This dynamic setup can adapt to fluctuating cooling requirements, whether in continuous production or data-intensive operations. Deepsights oversees the entire operation, switching between VAM and chiller load based on real-time data to meet cooling needs efficiently.

In a process cooling setup, this hybrid system can reduce electricity dependency by up to 30-40% while maintaining cooling stability.

Sustainability Lead: We are focussed on emissions impact as well. Can we quantify the CO2 reduction from this setup?

Me:

Yes! Suppose your current chiller emits 0.5 kg of CO2 per kWh. With 3,300,000 kWh saved annually, CO2 reduction will be to the tune of 1650 ton, which will ensure a major step in meeting your sustainability goals.

CFO: How soon can we begin implementing this and get business benefits?

Me:

With a structured plan, benefits can start appearing within 6-12 months. Deepsights will monitor and optimize both the chiller and VAM systems from day one, fine-tuning efficiency as it learns from real-time data.

In Episode 4 of the Sustainability Transformation Series, we explored how a hybrid cooling solution—combining VAMs and high-efficiency chillers—can drive substantial energy savings and CO2 reductions, especially for process cooling needs. Bosch Deepsights enables seamless integration, predictive maintenance, and adaptive control, ensuring a smooth, sustainable cooling setup.

Stay tuned for Episode 5, where we’ll discuss how HVAC systems contribute to CO2 neutrality for industrial and commercial environments.