CERN and ABB to make laboratories more sustainable

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, has agreed a collaboration with the Zurich technology company ABB. The partnership will work to make laboratory experiments more sustainable, as was reported in a press release. It will identify how to improve the energy efficiency of cooling and ventilation systems used for such experiments.

The partners will initially focus on the cooling and ventilation systems at CERN’s site close to Geneva, Switzerland. Digital performance data will be collected and analyzed by ABB. ABB’s experts will identify precisely where and how much energy can be saved by adjusting schedules and loads or upgrading to high-efficiency motors. CERN and ABB expect this approach to typically yield 15 percent or more in energy savings. This data will enable engineers to plan maintenance proactively.

The partners will also create digital twins using the system, to support CERN’s online diagnostics and test scenarios. This will help in making efficiencies to cooling systems used for new experiments.

The partnership will also act as a blueprint for other energy intensive research institutions that would like to reduce their environmental footprint and improve reliability. The companies will share the learnings of this project publicly.