BRONSWERK Marine Success Through Innovation
BRONSWERK Marine has long been a major partner to the Royal Canadian Navy, starting with their work on the Canadian Patrol Frigate program back in the 1980’s. Since then, BRONSWERK has grown to become one of the major HVAC&R players on the world stage.
Their success is driven by one objective to take full performance responsibility. BRONSWERK feels that if HVAC&R equipment bears the name, then it must work in harmony with the other components of the system. When BRONSWERK is contracted to install HVAC&R equipment on a new ship, they are making a 40-year commitment. Through their in-service-support (ISS) division, BRONSWERK still services some systems that are in use well beyond their original intended lifespan. Providing excellence in their systems and equipment design not only serves the requirements of their customers but increases their ISS business.
THINKING OUT—OF—THE—BOX
Based on the philosophy, in marry instances, BRONSWERK will challenge the original design of a vessel’s HVAC&R system to ensure the best value for the client and users.
Francis Fontane, BRONSWERK Groups CEO said “We encourage our protect teams to challenge specifications that they know can be improved, and to propose solutions that meet the client intended goals as this olden brings true innovation in the process.”
In order to provide their customers with the best possible end product, BRONSWERK must think outside the box.
Case in point AS part of their recent work on a DND contract BRONSWERK led an innovative solution to develop chilled water plants for vessels which will primarily operate in cold climates. These ships are also required to operate in the topics as well. So, this meant that the cooling capacity of the plants would have to be 1200KW, which is extremely high for a ship of that size. Since cooling demand changes with environmental conditions, BRONSWERK determined that the demand could be as low as 60KW for extended periods at times. As such, through the ingenuity of their refrigeration team, BRONSWERK developed an innovative modular system, where four 300KW chilled water plants modules were installed. Not only did BRONSWERK deliver this fully automated modular system but it did so on time and on budget. “By working hand-in-hand with our client and the end-user, our Engineering team was able to propose an innovative solution enhancing the redundancy and flexibility of the system” said BRONSWERK’s Director of Innovation and Through Lite Support, Augusto San Cristobal.
TRUE ENGINEERING VALUE
As it can be seen with their work for the RCN, BRONSWERK offers true engineering value to the projects it works on. Through its close partnerships with shipyards, naval architects and end users, BRONSWERK manages costs and schedules while ensuring optimal and reliable systems on board. Supporting their customers with value-added solutions seems to be a proven approach for BRONSWERK, as it often means developing tailor-made solutions for refrigeration plants, chilled water plants, air handling units, controls and even fan coil units and NBC systems.
In speaking with BRONSWERK we learned of their patented CUBE solutions, a compact condensing unit that can be used for both refrigeration and air conditioning. With its small footprint and plug n’ play design, this solution was developed for submarines. This added cooling capability allows the submarines to keep essential goods. Such as food,with added flexibility allowing to extend the length of a submarine’s time underwater.
BRONSWERK’s expertise and reputation has had a huge impact in the work portfolio as more and more customers seek their level of professionalism and quality for their vessels. This unique position allows them to build and invest in the future while supporting and assisting current designers and naval architects, promoting the right solution and helping them to achieve their goals.
LEVERAGING INDUSTRY 4.4
As Naval HVAC&R systems continue to grow in complexity every year, modern Navies are looking to incorporate new technologies to improve their maintenance processes. BRONSWERK considers industries 4.0 as one of its next innovation challenges. They introduced automation with data trending for large HVAC&R plants over a decade ago, and more recently miniaturized these capabilities for smaller equipment like fan coils. BRONSWERK is now working on developing predictive maintenance systems that can simulate and predict the behaviors of their equipment and systems aboard ships allowing better visibility in preventive and corrective maintenance activities. These new technologies are also helping with systems performance assessment as well as training the crews. Since all BRONSWERK equipment is designed in a 3D environment they are working to consolidate all of these models onto a true digital twin concept HVAC&R.
