Danfoss has named Arctic Chiller Group the winner of its tenth annual EnVisioneer of the Year award competition. Arctic Chiller Group is using Danfoss Turbocor^® oil-free magnetic bearing centrifugal compressors in the development of its air- and water-cooled chillers with new Arctic Boost option to dramatically reduce first costs of equipment as well as energy consumption.

Launched in 2010, the annual EnVisioneer of the Year award competition recognizes North American original equipment manufacturers, building owners, municipalities, contractors, and end users that have introduced a new product, opened a new facility, or invested in a building or system upgrade in the past 18 months using Danfoss products or solutions to realize significant energy and environmental savings.

Through its new Arctic Boost option, Arctic Chiller Group has enabled its air-cooled and water-cooled lines of oil-free magnetic bearing chillers to extend its low lift operating envelope by approximately 40 percent for either cold condenser water or cold ambient air —allowing the chiller to run for an extended period in an inverted condition. This eliminates the need for other cooling systems to supplement the chiller load, thus reducing first costs and system complexity while also reducing energy consumption and total lifecycle costs.

For a 655,000-gross-square-foot office building in downtown Washington, DC, with a mechanical cooling load ranging from 150 to 200 tons when occupied and about 40 tons when unoccupied, Arctic Chiller Group’s oil-free magnetic bearing chiller with Arctic Boost option has allowed the building owner to quickly benefit from significant energy savings—more than $74,000 just from December 2018 to March 2019. 

According to Tim Blanch of Washington, DC-based real estate development and management company S.C. Herman & Associates, the oil-free chiller solution with Arctic Boost option is a lower first cost alternative that not only is more efficient but also enables buildings to meet water-side economizer code requirements.

“This is yet another example of the tremendous potential of the benefits of the proven, energy-efficient technology available to equipment manufacturers—and the tangible impact for building owners,” said John Galyen, president, Danfoss North America. “We know that the first costs often associated with upgrading to new, high efficiency equipment is one of the building owners’ primary challenges in becoming more energy efficient.”

“Danfoss Turbocor Compressors is pleased to have partnered with Arctic Chiller Group to implement our oil-free compressor technology and further expand the possibilities for oil-free chillers in an increasingly energy-focused building environment,” continued Ricardo Schneider, president and CEO, Danfoss Turbocor Compressors.

The EnVisioneer of the Year award was recently presented to Arctic Chiller Group and S.C. Herman & Associates in Washington, DC.