ABB Cable Management Products Ltd is a long-established manufacturer of flexible conduit and cable protection systems, supplying industrial and commercial markets worldwide. Part of ABB’s low voltage products portfolio, ABB is recognised for robust, high-performance solutions designed to protect power, data and control cabling in demanding environments. Its products are widely used across automation, machinery, infrastructure and manufacturing applications where reliability and durability are essential.
At its UK facility, ABB relies on consistent and dependable process cooling to support production across multiple machines. However, the site’s existing cooling infrastructure had reached the end of its service life. The chiller, tank and pump sets were all located externally in a sectioned plant area and had become increasingly inefficient, difficult to maintain and costly to operate.
With energy efficiency, reliability and minimal disruption to production as key priorities, ABB Cable Management engaged Summit to design and install a modern replacement system that could integrate seamlessly with the existing internal pipework.
The ABB Cable Management Challenge
The project required a complete replacement of the external cooling plant while retaining all internal factory pipework. New equipment had to connect directly to existing connections on the outer wall of the building, significantly limiting layout and design flexibility.
Further challenges included:
- Extremely confined space for equipment installation
- The need for full system redundancy to eliminate production downtime
- Integration of free cooling to reduce energy consumption
- A very tight shutdown window for removal, installation and commissioning
In addition, the customer specified the inclusion of a spill bund to protect against any potential loss of water or glycol from the system.
The Summit Process Cooling Solution
Summit designed and installed a bespoke cooling solution centred around a high capacity 300 kW HITEMA chiller with integrated free cooling. The system was supported by dual duty and standby pump skids to provide full redundancy and operational resilience.
The existing system was removed and the new installation completed, filled and fully commissioned within a seven-day programme, spanning a weekend and finishing two days before Christmas. Despite the restricted space, detailed planning, careful sequencing and precise pipework design ensured the installation was completed efficiently, safely and to specification.
Equipment Supplied and Installed:
- 300 kW HITEMA chiller with integrated free cooling
- 4,000 litre GRP weir tank
- Dual duty and standby process pump skid
- Dual duty and standby chiller recirculation pump skid
- Spill bund
- Interconnecting 4-inch stainless steel pipework
System Design Overview
The chiller supplies 12°C water to the cold side of the weir tank. From there, the process pump skid delivers chilled water to the factory, feeding 11 individual heat exchangers serving multiple machines.
The warmed return flow is directed back to the hot side of the weir tank, where the chiller recirculation pump skid returns it to the chiller, completing the cooling cycle.
Both pump skids operate in duty and standby configuration, allowing automatic changeover in the event of a fault. This design ensures continuous operation and removes the risk of unplanned downtime.
The spill bund provides an additional layer of protection, containing the full system volume in the unlikely event of a major leak or failure.
The Result
The new cooling system has delivered a clear improvement in performance, reliability and energy efficiency. Integrated free cooling reduces energy consumption when ambient conditions allow, while the fully redundant pump arrangement provides confidence that production will remain protected.
“Summit delivered exactly what we needed from this project. The new cooling system has significantly improved reliability and performance, while fitting neatly into a very restricted external space. The installation was well planned, completed within a tight timeframe and commissioned with minimal disruption to our operations. We are very pleased with the final result and the professionalism shown throughout the project, from design through to installation and commissioning.” – Gregory Prentice, Engineering Manager for ABB Cable Management Products Ltd
Despite the challenges presented by the confined installation space and tight programme at ABB Cable Management, the project was delivered on time and to specification. The customer was highly satisfied with both the quality of the installation and the final system performance, confirming that the design worked effectively within the available footprint.
