CHILLERS Chiller instinct
Chillers have evolved over the years to embrace a variety of environmental enhancements and performance improvements. But where, in particular, have the advances come? Tim Mitchell, sales director of Klima-Therm, has the answer
The new condensers were installed onto that primary steelwork, where the attenuators used to be, putting them into essentially open air and removing all of the air movement restrictions that had previously limited chiller performance.
T
here are a host of compelling health and welfare reasons to take seriously the pressing need to keep people cool. More than 4,500 individuals are reckoned to have died in
the UK as a result of excessive heat in 2022 and this could rocket to 10,000 a year without urgent action to adapt to rising temperatures.
But physical injury is not the only danger posed by extreme heat. It also impacts mental health by worsening the symptoms of psychiatric illnesses, aggravating the side eff ects of medication, and increasing the risk of suicide. And it has wider implications for the wellbeing of the population, including sleep deprivation which, in turn, aff ects workplace productivity. Indeed, the economic costs of extreme temperatures are alarming. It’s reckoned that heatwaves brought on by human-caused climate breakdown have cost the global economy a staggering $16 to $50tn globally since the 1990s.
So, what can be done to mitigate the eff ects of the climate
emergency? One answer is technological, in the form of chillers. Chillers provide excellent heat exchange effi ciency, which means they occupy less space than other cooling technologies, such as dry coolers. A typical commercial air conditioning system incorporating chillers also requires relatively few units to produce optimum results. And chillers are centralised, which means they are fast and simple to set-up, as well as being easier to maintain than a distributed system.
Advances in chiller technology have a range of benefi cial
eff ects including improving performance, reducing noise, boosting energy effi ciency, and increasing environmental sustainability. They can be broken down into the following: Refrigerants – One of the most noteworthy trends in chiller technology is the dramatic shift towards eco-friendly refrigerants including natural coolants such as carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons. With increasing awareness of environmental concerns, refrigerants with lower global warming potential and ozone depletion potential are increasing in importance. Controls – The use of variable-speed fans allows the cooling capacity of air-cooled chillers to be adjusted to match the building’s cooling load. Intuitive cooling controls available through internet-enabled devices, meanwhile, make it easier and more convenient to check the functions of chillers and operate them effi ciently. So-called ‘smart’ or ‘intelligent’ controls use a WiFi or Bluetooth connection to allow free movement around the machine using a smart device such as a tablet or phone to check and control system components and detect and diagnose failures. This
16 August 2024 •
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allows for quicker, more precise maintenance and repairs, while also reducing the need for manual inspections. Which brings us onto… Smart systems – Digitisation (creating a digital ‘bits-and-
bytes’ version of analogue/physical things such as switches and controls) is set to grow at such a rate that industry will be unrecognisable a decade from now. One way to ease the transition to a digital world is a greater take-up of the cloud (a network of servers that use computing power to run applications, deliver a service, or store data). Combining technologies – An example of this is chillers that turn waste heat into usable free cooling, including combined heat, power, and cooling trigeneration schemes. They are also widely used in heat network/district heating applications. For example, Klima-Therm supplies World Energy chillers and heat pumps which use ground-breaking technology to harness waste heat from industrial processes and buildings and convert it into chilled water for process or comfort cooling. Free cooling – Free cooling chillers allow the user to recover up to 80% of cooling energy costs. Instead of power, free cooling chillers use low external air temperatures to assist in chilling water. The ventilating section of the chillers is dimensioned to allow excellent heat exchange with low noise levels. Which brings us onto…
Noise – Noise in air cooled chillers can be generated by
screw compressors and up-blast fans. Water cooled units can make noise as water is pumped and circulated throughout the machine. Units are, however, available with a sound power level as much as 10dBA lower than standard chillers for whisper-quiet performance in noise-sensitive applications. They can restrict noise through a variety of measures including high effi ciency damping of radiating surfaces, sound blankets, fan silencers, and sound curtain barriers. Compressors – Danfoss Turbocor – the world’s fi rst oil-
free magnetic bearing compressor – eliminates the need for oil changes and dramatically reduces energy consumption. Permanent magnet motors and variable speed drives (VSDs) provide unmatched full and part load effi ciency. The VSDs adjust cooling output to match the building’s actual cooling load to save energy and provide smoother operation with less wear and tear on the equipment, resulting in longer life and less maintenance. They are designed for commercial applications, particularly those with year-round cooling demands such as data centres, hotels, hospitals and offi ce buildings that require air conditioning,
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