Continued collaboration with CERN for EKA and Caverion on sustainable cooling solutions

Fredrik Engelmark at Big Science Sweden and Industrial Liaison Officer for CERN, is pleased with how an AIMday event can spark new business opportunities and collaborations.

The collaboration between the Swedish team and CERN has been so successful that a follow-up assignment was awarded even before the initial pre-study was completed. The project aims to replace CERN’s ageing chiller systems with new, energy-efficient solutions using natural refrigerants, in line with the EU’s updated F-gas Regulation.

CERN

CERN relies heavily on chillers to cool sensitive scientific experiments and equipment. Transitioning to natural refrigerants is not only essential for regulatory compliance but also important for future-proofing operations against refrigerant shortages.

During the pre-study, the project team visited CERN to conduct an extensive inventory of the facility’s existing chillers. In parallel, they engaged with staff from different departments and levels to gain a deeper understanding of the technical requirements, as well as CERN’s ambitions in sustainability.

EKA and Caverion

This successful collaboration highlights CERN’s growing focus on incorporating sustainability early in technical projects, alongside its traditional priorities of functionality and reliability.

 “As we see it, sustainability and high performance go hand in hand,” says Jörgen Rogstam, CEO at Ekanalys. “By integrating environmental considerations from the start, you not only meet regulatory requirements but also ensure long-term efficiency and reliability in complex systems like those at CERN.”