Chillers

Will Rea and Paul Pilutti

October 18th, 2011
Motivation
Why use Chillers?
People dont like to sweat!
Efficient heat rejection machine
Chilled water is simple to use
Simple to control


Contents
Fundamentals
Vapour-Compression
Chillers
Technology
Heat Exchangers
Refrigerants
Compressors
Applications
Dual compressor
IPLV/NPLV


Fundamentals
Types of Refrigeration
Vapour Compression
Refrigerants evaporated and condensed
99.9% of chillers

Absorption
Use excess heat to drive refrigeration cycle
Selling one will get you fired!

Refrigeration
Ideal refrigeration is to the right
1 Cold Gas enters the compressor
2 Hot gas leaves compressor
3 Hot gas is condensed into a liquid
4 Pressure is reduced
causing a liquid begin to evaporate




1
2
3
4
Chillers
Chiller Basics
Make cold water by removing heat
Reject heat to water loop, or ambient air
Scroll, Screw and Centrifugal compressors
Constant/Variable Speed
Ball, Oil, or Magnetic Bearing
Efficiency rated on weighted average

Air Cooled
Advantages
Packaged product no cooling tower
Can have integral pumps and airside economizer
As small as 3 Tons

Disadvantages
Inefficient compared to water cooled (average 0.85 kW/Ton)
Noise/architectual concerns
Not custom designed
Limited to about 550 tons
Water Cooled
Advantages
Very efficient (average <.35 kW/Ton) (chiller only)
Located inside a building
Wider size range (30-8000Tons)
Centrifugals are semi-custom designed for each application
Disadvantages
Require separate condenser water loop and cooling towers
Require additional set of pumps
Take up floor space indoors

Oil
Great Lubricator
Used to lubricate moving components
Oil is miscible in refrigerant
Proper refrigerant velocity is crucial to maintaining oil balance

Great Insulator
Causes a 1-3% reduction in performance at startup
Can reduce efficiency by up to 20% in an older machine
Chiller and VRV have sophisticated oil management



Refrigerants
Chiller Refrigerants
Most common R-11,12, 123, 134a, 410a
R410a used for scroll low temp machines
R-134a used for screw/centrif and high temp machines

Ontario R-11 Phase-out (Reg. 463/10)
R-11 operation banned January 1 2012
R-11 becomes hazardous waste July 1 2012
Hundreds of machines left in GTA alone
Dave Ross, Ministry Of Enviornment


Positive vs. Negative Pressure
Positive Pressure York, McQuay, Carrier
Refrigerant circuit is always a higher pressure than the ambient
Leaks out rather than in, easy to find a leak

Negative Pressure - Trane
At some points the refrigerant is a lower than atmospheric pressure
If a leak develops can suck in contaminants to refrigerant cycle
Used with R-123, production of new machines banned after 2020,
production of refrigerant banned after 2030, 19 years away

Efficiency Ratings
All of them are an expansion of energy used per BTU of refrigeration
EER, COP, kW/Ton are full load ratings
IPLV, NPLV, SEER account for part load conditions

Equipment Water cooled Air Cooled
Rating kW/Ton EER
Good Rating 0.6 9.5
Exceptional Rating 0.5 11
Part Load Equivalent IPLV or NPLV IEER
Good Rating 0.45 12
Exceptional Rating 0.3 19
Fundamental Review
Vapour compresion chillers
Oil helps lubricates, also helps insulate
Refrigerants are changing, and being phased out
Real life refrigeration is not 100% efficient
IPLV vs. NPLV







Technology
Components
Condensor
Compressor
Refrigerant
Evaporator
Starter/Drive
Condensers/Economizers
Water
Shell and tube is standard
Discharge gas rains off the tubes as a liquid

Air
Airside coil that condenses refrigerant
Big push for micro channel (car radiator)

Economizer
Hydronic fin and tube coil
Begins to work with 2F approach




Evaporator
Brazed Plate
Cost effective, great performance
No availability above 120 Tons

Flooded
Shell is flooded with refrigerant
Offers better performance

Direct Expansion
Refrigerant expanded in tubes
Low refrigerant volumes

Evaporator Falling Film
Try and create flooded effect, with minimal refrigerant
Coating tubes would create the same effect
Use a plate to rain refrigerant down
Can reduce refrigerant charge by 30-50% in a chiller
Starters/Drives
Solid State/Star-Delta
Reduces inrush current
Protects compressor
Can not turn down machine

VFD
Slowly ramps up frequency
Allows low inrush current
Allows impeller to be slowed down
Starters/Drive Open vs. Hermetic
Open Drive York/JCI
Motor is open to the outside
Contaminants can reach the motor
Refrigerant seals may fail and cause leaks
Adds heat to mechanical room

Hermetic Trane, Carrier, McQuay
Compressor is completely sealed as part of the refrigeration circuit
Motor is cooled by refrigerant, no excess heat
No seals on moving parts

Compressors - Scroll/Screw
Scroll
Two off-centre scrolls oscillate
Very robust compressor
Expect VFD models in the future

Screw
Contains 1 or 2 interwinding screws
Screws machines for decreasing volume through machine
Great for high lift applications (ice making)


Compressors - Scroll






Compressors - Screw






Compressors Centrifugal
Uses velocity pressure to compress the refrigerant
Most efficient, tightest operating envelope
R-134a machines use a high speed
Smaller impellers, smaller compressors, gear ratio
Use variable inlet vanes, diffuser plates, VFDs to unload



Compressors Magnetic Bearing Centrifugal
Electromagnets levitate shaft
Offers exceptional part load efficiency
Removes oil management system
IPLV of <.40kW/ton is common, <.35 kW/ton
possible



Technology Review
Chillers have 5 components
Refrigerant constantly changing
Condensor
Evaportor different types, falling film new
Starters/Drives -
Compressors -

Application
Dual Compressor
Single Circuit Dual Compressor
60% capacity with one compressor running
Offers excellent part load performance


Dual Circuit Dual Compressor
Fully independent systems
Offers full redundancy in a single machine
Counter flow design offers improved full
load efficiency


Series Counter-Flow
Used in multi compressor situations
Compressors in series
Condenser flows opposite evaporator
Used for large campus applications
Reduces lift on both compressors


OEA
Operating Engineers Act
Mandates requirements for refrigeration plants
Positive displacement/Centrifugal
Based on full load kW hookup
Medium systems need maintenance schedules
Large plants require engineers on standby



LEED Credits
Credit 4 Refrigerant Management
Credit for Efficiency Management


Aermec
New line by HTS
Made in Verona Italy
Worlds Quietest Fan Coil with NC-25
Line of chillers and air to water heat pumps from 3-250 tons
Integral pump and buffer tanks
Full waterside economizer (free cooling below 30F for 44F water)

Application Review
Dual Compressor
Series counterflow
OEA
LEED


Questions?
Questions?
Next Time November 23, 2011
Natatoriums
Equipment
Humidity Control

Low Grain Dehumidification
Equipment
Liquid vs. Solid Desiccants
Application