Tabreed bestowed upon awards at Asian Power Awards 2024

The company won two awards for its initiatives in renewable energy and game-changing efficiencies. Tabreed is a leader in sustainable cooling, which has earned them the District Cooling Initiative of the Year – UAE and Geothermal Power Project of the Year – Gold honours at the Asian Power Awards 2024.

District cooling represents a significant advancement over traditional cooling methods and Tabreed, the world’s leading district cooling company, embodies a commitment to sustainability which drives its focus on energy efficiency.

The company recently completed a pioneering pilot study at one of its Abu Dhabi district cooling plants in collaboration with Ireland’s HT Materials Science (HTMS), to explore the potential of a revolutionary nanofluid technology known as Maxwell, which has been engineered to enhance heat transfer. Tabreed discovered that by replacing just 2 percent of the heat transfer fluid with Maxwell, it achieved an impressive increase in cooling system efficiency of approximately 15 percnt.

Maxwell is named after James Clerk Maxwell, the pioneering scientist who first developed the concept of nanofluids. Maxwell is an engineered suspension of sub-micron aluminium oxide particles in a base fluid of water or water/glycol (‘nanofluid’) – a drop-in additive for cooling and heating systems that works by enhancing heat transfer efficiency in cooling systems without requiring complex tools or equipment replacement. For Tabreed’s plant used in the pilot study, this meant replacing only 2.94 cubic metres of the system fluid with the nanofluid.

Analysis

Tabreed utilised an internationally recognised Energy Efficiency Analysis (EEA) to assess the impact of Maxwell. This method focusses on Chiller COP (C-COP) which measures the ratio of thermal power output to electrical power input of the chiller; and System COP (S-COP) which measures the overall efficiency of the entire chiller plant. The post-installation analysis yielded impressive results: a 13.9 percent improvement in chiller performance (C-COP) and an 8.4 percent increase in overall system energy efficiency (S-COP).

As Tabreed’s pursuit of sustainability continues, its adoption of Maxwell nanofluid exemplifies its commitment to a greener future. AlsoTabreed, in partnership with ADNOC, is leading the way in sustainable cooling with its ‘G2COOL’ Geothermal Project in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.

The Asian Power Awards recognises the innovative, ground-breaking projects and initiatives by power companies. It honours those who have taken game-changing steps to address the effects of the climate crisis and meet the growing demand for energy.