MAINTENANCE Continued from page 12


universal products available in the marketplace, it would be benefi cial to have a fl uid analysis carried out on any hydraulic circuit prior to the administration of glycol/antifreeze. It is equally important to ensure the fl uid is checked regularly. The water/glycol solution must be regularly sampled and tested to ensure there are no underlying or progressive contamination and/or corrosion issues arising.


Adiabatic systems – protection fi rst If your system is equipped with dry air coolers or


adiabatic coolers, they have unique requirements. They are a cost-eff ective and environmentally friendly alternative to a cooling tower. Providing signifi cant savings on water usage, they require signifi cantly less maintenance and operational costs and no ongoing chemical treatment or registration with local authorities, while operating at optimal effi ciency in high ambient temperatures. Given their operational nature, adiabatic systems can be vulnerable in winters. In winter, the glycol level must align with the predicted lowest ambient temperatures. In case there is no glycol/antifreeze in the system, switching off and draining down the adiabatic system will prevent the pipe work from freezing. Alternatively trace heating can be applied to protect the adiabatic feed pipework.


Managing dormant equipment For equipment left dormant in winter, the risk isn’t


just freezing, but also the degradation of moving parts. Regular circulation prevents the fl uid from settling and keeps the internal components lubricated. With no glycol/antifreeze in the system, it’s important that the system pumps are switched on to circulate the fl uid particularly when ambient temperatures drop below 3°C. If this happens for an extended period of time, the pump will heat the fl uid and this may require to switch the chiller back on to make sure the fl uid temperatures are controlled.


Embracing technological upgrades Both large and small companies are under


pressure to reduce energy consumption and improve the operating effi ciency of their equipment. Winter is also a good time to embrace technologies that are not just an effi ciency measure but a step towards sustainability that will benefi t the operations throughout the year. Heat Recovery - With cooling systems, comes the potential of heat recovery. Recycling waste heat from cooling systems will help to increase the effi ciency of the system. Combined heating and


14 October 2023 • www.acr-news.com


cooling applications provide unique opportunity to reclaim or harvest energy available within the same plant or building. The waste heat energy from cooling, that would have been rejected to the atmosphere, can be harnessed eff ectively and re-used by heat recovery at medium temperature for space heating, preheating water, etc. or the recovered energy can be boosted up to 120°C with High Temperature Heat Pumps for other processes.


Combining Heat Recovery from chillers with a booster heat-pump opens an untapped opportunity to lower overall energy demand and reduce CO2


are large thermal effi ciency opportunities when using heat recovery and heat pump boosters. Variable Speed Drives (VSD) - Controlling


the fl ow of air and water in process temperature control systems is an eff ective, permanent way to meet the ever-changing demands put on a system and enhance its effi ciency, therefore it’s important to consider technologies that maximize part-load effi ciency. Constant volume cooling systems operate at one speed, regardless of the cooling load. This means that they consume the same amount of energy, whether the cooling load is high or low. By contrast, installing a VSD - an electrical/electronic system that provides infi nitely variable speed control of AC induction motors - you can meet varying system fl ow rate requirements or just increase energy effi ciency. Variable speed components meet the actual


load required during any given time over a wide operational range, meaning their speed and output varies to refl ect the conditions and demands. By precisely matching output to the cooling demands, compressors and fans operate at their fastest levels when demand is high, and modulate to slower levels when demand is lower, for a high Seasonal Energy Effi ciency Ratio (SEER), a measurement of part–load performance. The result is lower annual energy use and typically smaller annual energy bills. Variable-speed technologies are applied by chiller manufacturers across product portfolios,


but VSD technology can also be retrofi tted to existing chillers, making it an excellent option for businesses looking to improve the effi ciency and reduce the energy consumption of their cooling systems. Variable speed pumps are also key to matching


emissions. Low temperature processes


the fl ow of the system to the required capacity. They avoid wasted power and energy compared to traditional on/off pumps and have the potential to save up to 50% on pump energy. What’s more, the cost and power output savings are magnifi ed on larger systems with pumps greater in capacity than 15kW, with the initial investment quickly off set by energy bills and prolonged equipment life. Free Cooling - Any organisation using an


externally sited chiller to cool their process can benefi t from free cooling. It can be implemented whenever the outside temperature is low enough to cool down the process fl uid without the intervention of a chiller (mechanical cooling). This can be in the form of partial free cooling (where the chiller’s compressors are still doing some of the work to cool) to full free cooling (where the full load on the chiller is off set). In contrast, an externally sited chiller’s compressors with no free cooling capabilities will be working fl at out to achieve the same. Free cooling can be achieved in one of two ways, either by integrating a free cooling coil into an existing chiller installation, or as a standalone (sometimes referred to as a bolt-on) unit. Standalone and integrated free cooling off er many benefi ts depending on the application and the site in question.


As the ambient air temperature continues to fall, the amount of process heat taken out of the process fl uid by the air increases, progressively reducing the load on the chiller. At 5°C Celsius below the process supply fl uid temperature, all the process heat is removed by the ambient air in the free cooler – providing full free cooling. This makes free cooling the cheapest and greenest way to provide cooling.  www.icscoolenergy.com


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