Chiller installation in Jebel Ali 

Chiller installation in Jebel Ali: local context

Jebel Ali hosts the port and the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), one of the region's largest logistics and industrial hubs, alongside industrial areas and staff housing. Building stock is dominated by warehouses, factories, cold stores and labour accommodation. Manolia completed MEP works for a Technopark warehouse here. Operations here run around the clock, so works inside existing facilities are planned to avoid disrupting logistics.

• Projects typically go through Trakhees for building and fire approvals in its zones, with Dubai Municipality covering other plots; the channel depends on the plot location.
• Warehouses and factories need large electrical supplies, motor control centres and power factor correction, plus ventilation for heat-generating processes.
• Fire protection for high-piled storage involves high-flow sprinkler systems, large tanks and diesel or electric fire pumps sized for warehouse hazard classes.

Building types we serve in Jebel Ali

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

• Review of plant capacity, redundancy and part-load profile so the number and size of chillers matches how the building actually operates through the year.
• Structural and acoustic coordination for roof or plant-room locations, including spring isolators, inertia bases and maintenance clearances around each machine.
• Rigging and lifting plans for heavy chillers onto roofs or into basements, coordinated with crane availability and site logistics.
• Primary and secondary chilled-water pump installation with suction diffusers, strainers, check valves and flexible connectors.

Systems we install

• Water-cooled centrifugal chillers with cooling towers
• Chiller plant managers sequencing machines on load

UAE site and climate challenges

• Dust and sand clog condenser coils and reduce heat rejection, so coil cleaning access, coatings for coastal sites and a planned cleaning regime are built into the handover.
• 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

Hassani Group factories & HQ, DIP

Dubai Investments Park (DIP) · MEP · Completed

Factory complex, HQ and staff accommodation, all served from one central cooling station.

6 buildings G+2

Driving centre (6 buildings), DIP

Dubai Investments Park (DIP) · HVAC · Completed

HVAC on district cooling with an underground chilled-water network.

Frequently asked questions