ACS has already completed many Makro store designs at Polokwane, Nelspruit, Cape Gate, Bloemfontein, Alberton, Amanzimtoti, Springfield, Riversands, Cornubia and now Port Elizabeth. All stores have Thermal Storage Air-conditioning Systems. They also capture discharge waste heat form Refrigeration and Air-conditioning systems to provide free heating for winter space heating and domestic hot water.
The new Makro store in Parsons Vlei, Port Elizabeth is the largest and most ambitious project that ACS has undertaken so far. We were involved in the design and coordination of the majority of Mechanical Services involved on the project: HVAC, Plumbing, Drainage, and Refrigeration.
What made this project particularly exciting was that it features the first Trans-critical CO2 combined HVAC & Refrigeration plant in the country.
Normally in South Africa the HVAC and Refrigeration plants are kept separate, designed and built by completely different Consultants and/or Sub-Contractors. However, when Makro wanted to explore the feasibility of combining the two, they turned to ACS.
Working closely with refrigeration experts in the country, ACS was able to design this new cutting-edge cooling system. Not only did this new combined system save Makro costs in construction, but the new system is also more efficient and environmentally friendly.
CO2 as a refrigerant (also known as R-744) is a more environmentally friendly option as it has a Global Warming Potential of only 1, compared to GWP values of the more common R-134a and R-410A which have values of 1300 and 3260 respectively. To put that into context, 1 ton of R-134a in the atmosphere has the same effect as 1300 tons (or 1.3 million kilograms) of CO2. However, the efficiency does not stop there. The plant comes equipped with an Ice Thermal Storage System, which freezes ice overnight (when electricity is cheaper to buy) and then slowly thaws this ice to aid in the cooling process. Once again, not only providing Makro with a more environmentally friendly plant but saving operating costs as well.
