Chiller installation in KEZAD (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi) 

Chiller installation in KEZAD (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi): local context

KEZAD, formerly known as KIZAD, is the industrial free zone near Khalifa Port between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, hosting manufacturing plants, logistics warehouses and cold stores on large plots. It has expanded since the early 2010s. Manolia completed HVAC works for a packaging manufacturing facility here. Facilities are often built quickly to meet production start dates.

• Manufacturing plants need process cooling, ventilation for heat-generating machinery and controlled environments where product quality depends on temperature and humidity.
• Coastal plots near the port combine salt with blowing dust, so equipment needs both corrosion protection and robust filtration.
• The location sits between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so manpower and material logistics from Dubai are practical with planning.

Building types we serve in KEZAD (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi)

For factories and industrial plants, the work concentrates on process cooling and ventilation, heavy LV distribution, hazard-appropriate fire protection and plant that tolerates dust and high ambient temperatures.

Scope of work

• Rigging and lifting plans for heavy chillers onto roofs or into basements, coordinated with crane availability and site logistics.
• Header, bypass and expansion arrangements with air separators, chemical dosing pots and make-up water connections.
• Plant manager and BMS integration for sequencing, staging and alarm reporting, followed by manufacturer start-up and performance verification.
• Refrigerant leak detection and plant-room ventilation where water-cooled machines sit indoors, wired to alarm and to start the emergency extract fans.

Systems we install

• Water-cooled centrifugal chillers with cooling towers
• Chemical dosing and side-stream filtration on the chilled-water loop

UAE site and climate challenges

• Air-cooled chillers lose capacity as condenser inlet air rises, and UAE design conditions around 46 to 50°C mean machines must be selected for that ambient, not catalogue ratings at 35°C, or the plant will fall short on peak days.
• Water-cooled plants with cooling towers face high water consumption and Legionella risk in warm basins, so dosing, drift eliminators and treated or TSE make-up water are considered at design stage.
• Refrigerant choice, where lower global-warming refrigerants may be preferred by green building assessors but can affect chiller availability, efficiency at high ambient and service technician familiarity.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions