ENERGY - Odebrecht Informa

vantages, such as abundant sunshine and cooling
breezes, and will be equipped to make it eco-efficient.
“This building is a showroom for sustainable
processes and high technology, including the
use of solar energy and low heat absorption glass,
100% sewage treatment and water recycling to
water the garden and flush toilets, as well as an
economic air-conditioning system,” observes Odebrecht
Project Director Sidney dos Passos Ramos.
With the energy efficiency of the enterprise in
mind, Petrobras and the OCCH joint venture opted
for a modern air-conditioning system that uses
water to cool every room. The Radiant Ceiling
system was installed in the offices and the main
building. “This is the first real estate development
in Espírito Santo to use this kind of technology,”
says Sidney.
According to Antônio Morais Telesforo, the Utilities
and Electromechanical Installations Manager
at the joint venture, water is more efficient than air
when it comes to heat exchange, and requires less
energy to cool the building. “The Radiant Ceiling
reduces water and power consumption by about
30%, and keeps out drafts and noise. It regulates
the temperature and humidity, providing more
comfort for the building’s users,” he explains.
It is a closed-circuit system composed of 5 km of
insulated pipes, which hold 200,000 liters of chilled
water that circulate between the floors of the complex
and the chillers in the utilities building, where
the process begins.
The new Petrobras Building’s Chilled Water Plant
contains four chillers of three types: electric, where
heat is expelled (similar to the process of cooling a
refrigerator), absorption, using chemical reactions
to absorb heat, and air, for emergencies, equipped
with 12 fans. “The temperature of the water is 5°C
when it leaves the plant and 15°C with returns,”
says Edimauro Conde Arouca, Project Coordinator
at Eleven Systems, one of the joint venture’s partner
companies.
After being chilled, the water is pumped through
the pipes until it reaches coils coupled to metal plates
in the Radiant Ceiling. “The coils radiate the cold to
the surface of the plate, which radiates it into the
room,” explains Edimauro. The water then returns to
the chiller and the process starts all over again.
To control humidity and the amount of CO2 in the
air, the Radiant Ceiling also uses an air-cooled system.
“Since there is no air exchange with the external
environment, a device called a fan-coil removes
the dirty cold air and clean fresh air comes in,” says
Antônio Morais. “The rooms have been divided into
comfort zones to maintain the same temperatures
and save energy. Users will not even notice that the
place is air-conditioned,” he adds.
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