Do I need a water treatment system for my chiller?
Seminar Overview. While much planning goes into designing, installing and maintaining your facility’s HVAC/R system, often little thought goes into water treatment of that system. This one day seminar on Water Treatment for Boilers, Chillers & Cooling Towers is designed to help your employees overcome that. Precise planning can prevent ...
How long does a water chiller last?
Feb 14, 2017 · 5. Chemically flush your system and chiller immediately after installation. As soon as a new chiller is installed, the whole system should be flushed immediately to ensure the fluid is completely free from contaminants and at the highest quality possible, with no legacy debris or surface contamination present to cause damage to the fluid, the ...
Does chiller water treatment generate harmful chemical by-products?
Feb 21, 2017 · Brent Hall, Technical Manager at temperature control specialists ICS Cool Energy, offers his top six tips for prolonging a chiller’s life and help keep it performing as efficiently as possible. 1 Don’t forget inhibitors. Glycol is an essential element of any heat transfer fluid used as part of a chilled water system, as it allows the fluid to be sufficiently chilled without freezing.
Do I need to clean the condenser tubes of my chiller?
Jul 18, 2013 · Chemically treating the water helps prevent this accumulation of contaminants on heat-transfer surfaces. Open systems, such as condenser-water systems, that include a cooling tower require an ongoing program of chemical water treatment. Closed systems typically require only a one-time chemical treatment.
How long should a chiller last?
However, they are not a ‘fit and forget’ solution, and there are some easy ways to look after your chiller to ensure it lasts 10 years and more. Water treatment is a fundamental part of a chiller’s operating and maintenance.
What pH level should a chiller be?
While chiller pH tolerances will vary slightly depending on the materials used, I would recommend limits of 8.0 – 8.5. Incorrect pH levels may indicate that either not enough inhibitors have been used, or the glycol levels are too concentrated. Both scenarios can very quickly cause high levels of corrosion throughout a system if left unchecked, leading to costly maintenance bills and unplanned downtime.
Is glycol a heat transfer fluid?
Don’t forget inhibitors. Glycol is an essential element of any heat transfer fluid used as part of a chilled water system, as it allows the fluid to be sufficiently chilled without freezing.
Can water samples be taken from one location?
Corrosion and degradation can happen anywhere within a system and it’s not enough to take water samples from just one location. Samples need to be taken from available access points around the system and especially from high risk areas such as heat exchangers, cooling jackets and any other sensitive product-fluid interfaces.
Chiller Water Circuit
The above picture is showing the chiller circuit in simplified form. All the lines are either carrying either cold water or chilled water.
Available Water Treatment Methods
Although chemical dosing is the most widely used method, to make the chemical treatment effective, it is recommended that more than one of the following methods should be used simultaneously in order to obtain the maximum benefits:
Saving Costs with Chiller Water Treatment
Chiller water treatments should be a must for most chiller plants… where the pipes are made up low carbon steel and normal water is used as the make-up water. Statistics say that for a 1,000 ton chiller, a whopping $15,000 (approx.) saving on the energy bill is possible by opting for an appropriate water treatment program.
Make Hay While the Sun Shines
First, you need to determine if it is worthwhile to replace a chiller earlier than originally planned. Ask a consulting engineer to evaluate options. An engineering study typically includes expected replacement cost alternatives, energy savings projections and a life cycle cost analysis.
Reasons to Chill Again
Many older centrifugal chillers operate at full load energy performance between 0.75 to 0.90 kW/ton; however, this performance becomes worse with age. Modern chillers have full load efficiencies ranging from 0.4 to 0.6 kW/ton, as well as vastly improved part load performances.
Chiller Options
There are many different types of chiller technologies available in the market, including centrifugal, screw, scroll, modular and magnetic bearing to name a few. Each technology option should be examined by an engineer, based on your building’s noise considerations, energy reduction potential and physical space available.
Chilled Out and Time to Monitor
If you’re thinking about changing your chiller for next summer due to its condition or for energy savings, Ross Morley, mechanical engineer at M & E Engineering, recommends you should temporarily install electrical meters on your chiller to have this data ready for when you apply for incentives.
BOILERS
Even though parts of Canada have experienced scorching temperatures of 30 degrees plus this summer, now is actually the time to think about your boilers, too. Cold weather isn’t far off, especially for building owners who want to retrofit a heating plant.
Hitting a Boiling Point
Boilers require periodic service in order to operate effectively and reliably throughout their service life. Large cast iron or flex-tube type boilers typically last from 20 years to 35 years. The service life of heating plant equipment varies significantly in line with how well it is maintained.
Put the Heat on Planning Ahead
An engineer will design a proper boiler specific to your building that will maximize operating efficiencies and provide the required heat. Condensing boilers require cold inlet water temperatures to achieve their high operating efficiencies.