Self-sufficient building in Brazil

With its own cogeneration system based on five Alfa Laval heat exchangers, Rochaverá Corporate Towers in São Paulo, Brazil generates enough heat and electricity to cover 100 percent of its needs without interruption.

DATE 2023-11-28

The building, the first in South America to be Green-certified according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), is completely self-sufficient in terms of energy.

Tishman Spyer’s supplier Ecogen, which owns and maintains the system, chose Alfa Laval heat exchangers because they maximize the thermal energy available in the system. The total refrigeration load in the system is an impressive 2080 RT (Refrigeration Tons), where five Alfa Laval heat exchangershelp the system as follows:

  • After-Cooling System: Two T5-MFG, each with 189 kW capacity, cool down the after-cooling system, thus guaranteeing the performance of motors and generators.
  • Heat Recovery System: Two M15B- FGs, each with 1260 kW capacity,are responsible for heating the water that supplies two absorption chillers of 540 RT each. These providethe capacity for the air-conditioningsystem.
  • Bypass: One TS20M-FG, with a 5570 kW capacity. This heat exchanger works as a chiller bypass, rejecting heat in the cooling towers in case of a reduction in the demand for cold water in the air-conditioning system.

Product

Five gasketed plate heat exchangers in a co-generation system.

Gasketed plate heat exchangers 

The building

The Rochaverá Corporate Towers are Green-certified according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Challenge

To make a four-tower office complex self-sufficient in terms of electricity and heat.

Solution

  • Five Alfa Laval heat exchangers in a cogeneration system
  • High efficiency and low operating costs.

The end customer

Tishman Speyer developed Rochaverá Corporate Towers in September 2007 on behalf of Autonomy Investimentos. Ecogen owns and maintains the cogeneration system and chose Alfa Laval heat exchangers because they maximize the thermal energy.