CONDENSERS
A little care goes a long way C
ommercial HVAC systems play a pivotal role for many businesses and building sizes, and maintaining these systems to ensure optimal
effi ciency is essential. Refrigerant leaks are one of the most common issues that arise in HVAC systems, along with auditory noises that may indicate a lack of lubricant or vibration from unbalanced fans, but condensers and dirty condenser coils can be just as problematic. HVAC systems are expensive to repair, and a full scope of assets is highly recommended. That includes condensers which are important assets and are generally the most underrated component in HVAC systems.
The coils inside the condenser are also critical components, often overlooked and, more often than not, an afterthought until something goes wrong. Few facilities or estate managers can pinpoint how much-neglected condensers impact the bottom line. In data centres, which are now categorised as mission-critical facilities, condensers tend to be part of an overall planned preventative maintenance (PPM) schedule – but not always. The lack of condenser maintenance can be detrimental, and the eff ects cumulative. The presence of oil, dirt, and other detritus can cause a number of problems to arise and aff ect the cooling process of chillers. ultimately aff ecting a system’s performance, costing money and wasting energy. In the worst-case scenario this can result in costly downtimes due to premature failures. An ASHRAE study showed that cleaning coils as part of good maintenance practice could improve energy effi ciencies by as much as 10-15%. But it is not just old systems that need cleaning. Advances in technology have led to chiller effi ciencies improving considerably, but systems with higher SEER ratings can lose much of their eff ectiveness when forced to run harder than is necessary. The newer and more effi cient your HVAC system, the more it will benefi t from regular inspections and a cleaning programme. With costs rising and supply chain issues still
prevalent, aff ecting demands on equipment, no processing, facilities, plant manager or maintenance engineer can aff ord to ignore condensers and coil cleaning, which can lead to an unpleasant spike in energy bills and comprise the overall performance level of your chiller system.
Regular maintenance and cleaning are essential for the overall health of your system, so let’s delve
18 March 2025 •
www.acr-news.com
a little deeper and look at what you need to do to keep systems and their condensers functioning at their best. There are diff erent types of condensers, but
every HVAC refrigeration system has one. The heat rejection mechanism can operate with either water or glycol in the case of a water-cooled chiller, whereas air-cooled chillers have integral condensing units. Remote condensers tend to be situated further from the plant, with pipework that also requires regular inspection and good practice design.
Chillers draw in substantial amounts of air over the coils, which are at the point where the heat transfer takes place. The coil construction can either be tube and fi n, microchannel or plate fi n. In order to perform well, coils need to be kept clean. Coils can easily become caked in assorted contaminants from dust particles, general dirt from the atmosphere, vegetation and pollen resulting in the climate. Salt-laden environments add their own unique set of problems and increase the rate of corrosion up to 10 times faster than inland environments, necessitating anti-corrosion coatings, platforms and barriers.
Over time the surfaces of the coils can become dirty - air that moves over them can contain many contaminants such as pollen, dust, dirt and moisture. The build-up of these can decrease the available surface for heat transfer, which in turn leads to increased energy consumption and may compromise system performance. To ensure optimum effi ciency, coils should be regularly inspected and cleaned. Regular cleaning also promotes longevity and
improves indoor air quality, but as condenser coils are located externally, they are continually exposed to dirt, debris, pollen, insects and anything else that blows around the building’s exterior or rooftop. Even if cleaning isn’t a major concern of equipment, it’s worth bearing in mind that dirt and debris will build up over time and get dirtier and dirty condenser coils are one of the most frequent service problems. An HVAC plant is a huge investment for any company. In mission-critical sites such as data centres or process plants, optimal performance year-round is essential. If assets such as condensers are ignored, sites can be compromised and result in costly bills which ultimately comes off the bottom line.
It is also worth noting that many chillers are used
in free-cooling mode where the free-cooling coils are located on the outside of the condenser coils. The same contaminants that have been described as entering the condenser coils also enter the free- cooling coils, which deteriorates the free-cooling capacity and increases energy consumption.
Equipment failure
A rise in condensing temperature from 35ºC up to 40ºC as a result of dirty coils can cut cooling capacity by around 7% and lead to an increase of power by 10%, which over the course of a year could lead to a noticeable increase in operating costs. Biological growth on coils can also be problematic, leading to fi n corrosion, and the growth of contaminants can impact IAQ. Condenser coils are exposed to unfi ltered air, and their exposure makes them susceptible to debris
Download the ACR News app today Condensers are key assets and deserve some TLC says Aermec’s Andy Hawes.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
