Spain. The home of Club Atlético de Madrid, the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, received a refurbishment and is now equipped with Conex Bänninger's K65 fittings and Wieland's K65 tubes, which are part of the CO2 solution for kitchen spaces designed by the manufacturer Pecomark.
A key requirement for this 68,000-seat football space was to equip it with the latest technologies, including a new cooling system that allowed for significant energy savings, compared to HFCs/HFOs. This is why the stadium has received a transformation with a state-of-the-art facility, a state-of-the-art transcritical CO2 system with parallel compressors and multiple ejectors, which provides cooling to its large kitchen, which serves various restaurants inside the building, as well as vip lounges.
The facility has cold rooms at 0 °C for fresh food, -20 °C for frozen food, fast freezers at -30°C and kitchens at 10°C. All this with heat recovery from the hot water production system and heating of the football field. In addition, the new system counts on delivering water at high temperatures and works effectively, although the cold rooms are far from the engine room. This solution is designed to work at an ambient temperature of 38°C and includes the installation of four low-temperature units and 12 medium- and high-temperature units.
José Miguel Rueda, Director of Conex Bänninger's Business Unit for Spain, indicated that they were delighted to have been chosen for this high-tech stadium project and added that "K65 accessories are ideal for high-pressure ACR applications, as they offer best-in-class pressure rating up to 130 bar (1740 psi), while enhancing the green credentials of any construction project by using the high-pressure CO2 R744 refrigerant."
In that sense it is relevant to note that the K65 system is lightweight, but extremely durable, has burst pressures above 500 bar, with accessories easily identifiable by the manufacturer's brand. In addition, the material is slightly magnetic and can be easily distinguished from copper by means of a neodymium magnet, a useful and practical advantage for installers and system builders.
Finally, it should be concluded that Pecomark designed the system in collaboration with a large number of suppliers, including Conex Bänninger and Wieland (fittings and tubes), Fagor (industrial cookers), Danfoss (ejectors), Bitzer (compressors) and ECO (gas coolers and evaporators).
