Air-Cooled Chillers Myths & Facts - Issue Oct-Dec 2003

Air-Cooled Chillers : Myths & Facts - Issue Oct-Dec 2003
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Air-Cooled Chillers : Myths & Facts

It is commonly assumed that Air-Cooled Chillers are ineffecient and not suitable for the hot climate prevailing in north India. The factual situation is very different, as explained in this article.
By Nirmal C. Gupta Gupta Consultants New Delhi.
He returned to India in 1957, worked 14 years for Blue Star Ltd. and then started his consultancy business where he continues to remain the principal consultant. He is currently chairman of ASHRAE India Trust. Air-cooled chillers have been used in the USA for a long time with great
Nirmal C. Gupta is a mechanical engineer from Oklahoma State University, USA.
effectiveness, due to their simplicity of design and operation. In view of scarcity of water in the Middle East, major manufacturers in the West, have modified the chiller design, Thus, their use has become quite extensive in the Middle East, with great success, and for a variety of applications. Their use in India has been slow, because of the general perception that these so that they can work satisfactorily even in the hot and humid climates prevailing there.
chillers consume too much power and hence are not suitable for Indian conditions. The experience gained by their use in the Middle East, has been useful in deciding to use
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aircooled chillers in India. It has been found that these units can withstand both high and low temperatures and monsoon rain without affecting their performance. Further, detailed analysis which was carried out on some installations has thrown
up some interesting facts and has established their overall efficiency and suitability,
regardless of climate conditions. It is also a fact that the use of these chillers, results in not have the required quality, hence, requiring extensive treatment.
conserving water resources, which are becoming scarce in many places, and which does The operation of these chillers is simple, because there are fewer parts to operate.
Maintenance costs are also lower due to fewer components and saving in the water treatment plant.
Power consumption (air-cooled system)
The main assumption against aircooled chillers is that they consume too much power and hence are very inefficient. It is true that at an ambient temperature of 44C their the type of compressors being used. power consumption is quite high and is in the range of 1.3 to 1.5 ikW/ton, depending on The lower figure of 1.3 ikW applies to reciprocating and scroll compressors and the
higher figure applies to screw compressors, which are otherwise efficient in watercooled applications. However, the fact to be noted is that in an aircooled system the output of Thus, the power required at 29C (85F) is as low as 0.94 ikW/ton. Overall, the the chiller increases and power consumption falls as the ambient temperature reduces. power required varies between 0.94 to 1.5 ikW/ ton. The power consumption at 35C is quite favorable as compared to watercooled units. This brings about two interesting facts :
maximum of 44C in May/June and again reduces to 27C in November, during which to 31C in May/June and further drops down to 15C in November.
The maximum temperature in north India varies from a low of 30C in March to a
month air conditioning is still required. It also varies from a minimum of 18C in March In the central plains of India, while the maximum temperature is similar to the
North, the minimum temperature is generally much lower. Also, in these places (such as Nagpur, Pune, Indore, Hyderabad, Bhopal etc.) the maximum and minimum temperature reduce considerably once the rains start.
month, but also from day to day, as well as from morning to evening, everyday, and in
Hence, it is clear that the power consumption will vary not only from month to
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all parts of the country.

Table 1: Sample hourly calculation City : New Delhi Operating Time : 8AM to 6PM Hours per Day :10
Days per Months 25 Days per months 25
F C
Temp Temp Range limits 85 29

90 32 65 18 25 14 75 25 ----25 75 250 450
Max
Min. Daily Hours of use upto given temprature 90 95 100 105 110
Months
March April May June July August
32
35
--
38
--50 50 50 50 ----
41
---
44
---
Total
250
175 50 --25 25 225 175 -675
Hours
100 38 110 44
70 21
110 44 95 35
80 26 80 26 75 24 75 24 78 25
30 17 30 18 30 18 20 11 20 11 12 7
175 25 25 175 175 ---575
250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 2250
50 50 -----100
125 125 -----250
September 90 32 October
95 35
November A) Sub Total Hours
85 29 X
90 32
72 22
70 21 X
18 10 15 8 X
200
B) Power ikW/ton
0.94
1.00
1.10
1.20
1.3
1.4
Total ikW/ton
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C) sub-Total A X B ikW/ton Mean annual ikW/ton Water Required
423
675
632
240
130
350
2450 1.09
C(Total)A(Total)
24502250
If cooling pads are fitted on chillers)
NA X
NA X
NA X
[top]
a year, depending on the location of the city. Thus, the annual operating hours for
In an office application, the air conditioning system operates for 250 to 300 days in
offices working 10 hours a day, are between 2,500 to 3,000 out of a total of 8,760 hours operates annually at different ambient temperatures in north India. in a year. An hourly chart in Table 1 indicates the number of hours for which a system What emerges is that, the hours of operation in excess of 35C ambient are only
between 500 to 600 or 20% of the total operating time. The system, therefore, operates quite favorable. The average power consumption thus varies between 1.0 to 1.1 ikW/ton and not 1.3 to 1.5 as it would appear at first glance.
between 27C to 35C for 80% of the time and the power consumption at these points is
above 35C will be much less than 20%. This will result in an even lower average ikW/ in this article.
In cases where a system operates for 12 or 24 hours per day, the percentage of hours
ton. This is quite favourable as compared to the water-cooled system as can be seen later As the demand reduces the ikW of the chiller compressor reduces and also the
power used by condenser fans, reduces proportionally because some of the fans shut down on reduced demand and also at lower ambient temperatures. Thus, the ikW remains nearly constant even at part loads conditions.
Added benefit
There is another advantage of aircooled chillers in night application. During night, while the building load falls by 20 to 30%, the output of the chiller increases by 20 to 25%. run 1 water-cooled units for the same load. Thus, while one air-cooled unit may meet the night requirement, it may be necessary to
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Cooling pads on condenser
Another method which can be adopted to improve the efficiency of the air-cooled units, is to provide cooling pads over the condenser. This method has not been tried out sufficiently, but there is no reason for any apprehension or doubt about the unit the ambient temperature crosses 35C (95F).
performance with pads. The water flow on the cooling pad could be activated, only when The result would be that the maximum ikW/ton will not exceed the ikW obtained at
35C and in fact will reduce further. This will reduce the Mean ikW/ton by an additional 5% to 1.04.
water required for a water-cooled system. The increase in generator capacity will only be 5% instead of 20% and this can make the air-cooled systems more attractive than water-cooled systems in certain cases.
The water required for 500 to 600 hours on the pads, is approximately 10% of the
Power consumption (watercooled systems)
The power consumption of a water-cooled system is given here for the purpose of
comparison. The power consumption in a watercooled system is dependent on the variation in wet bulb temperature is much less than the dry bulb temperature.
ambient wet bulb temperature and not the dry bulb temperature. The daily and monthly Further, the variation in water temperature leaving the cooling tower is even lower
than the variation in wet bulb temperature. Hence, the output and power consumption (ikW) of a watercooled chiller does not change appreciably in different ambient conditions, throughout the year.
the condenser water pumps and the cooling towers. Therefore, the result is that while
The total ikW of a water-cooled system also has to include the power consumed by
the ikW of the chiller itself reduces proportionately to the reduction in the requirement, for the system at part loads.
the kW of pump and cooling tower remains constant. This results in a higher overall ikW
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more then 10% of the operating hours. The system loading usually varies between 40% of the water-cooled system is higher than the ikW of the compressor. In view of the above, the net ikW of the two types of system are close and not very different, as is generally assumed. [top]
Normally an air conditioning system does not operate at full load conditions for
to 90% of the full load for most of the operating time. It is obvious, that the overall ikW
Hourly calculation chart
An hourly calculation chart has been devised and prepared, to be able to analyze and calculate the Mean ikW/ton for an air-cooled chiller. A sample calculation has been carried out for the Delhi climate to arrive at the Mean annual ikW per ton. Similar calculations can be carried out for any other city using the weather data and daily variation chart.
for each month based on ISHRAE weather data for monthly variations and the daily range each month, based on the Carrier Handbook. The daily range is then used in conjunction with the Carrier Handbook chart to
It will be seen that the maximum and minimum temperatures have been worked out
arrive at the number of hours for which the system is likely to operate upto a given copy of Carrier Chart is given in Table 2.
ambient temperature which represents the air entering temperature to the chillers. A
Table 2 : Daily temperature variation Ref.: Handbook of Air Conditioning System Design by Carrier Air Conditioning Corp., USA. Daily Range Dry or SUN TIME of Wet-Bulb AM+ Temperature 8 10 12 (F)* Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb -9 -2 -7 -2 -5 -1
10 15
PM
20
Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb
Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb
-12 -3 -14 -4
-9 -2
-10 -3
-5 -1 -5 -1
-1 0
-1 0 -1 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
-1 0 -1 0 -1 0
-2 -1 -2 -1 -3 -1
-5 -1
10 -8 -2
12 -9 -2
-6 -1 -7 -2
-10 -3 -11 -3
-14 -4 -16 -4
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25 30 35 40 45
Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb
Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb
-26 -7
-24 -7
-21 -4
-18 -5
-16 -4
-10 -3 -12 -3
-14 -4 -16 -4
-6 -1 -7 -2
-5 -1
-1 0 -1 0
-17 -5
-8 -2 -8 -2
-1 0 -1 0
0 0 0 0
0 0
-1 0 -1 0
-2 0
0 0 0 0
-1 0 -1 0
-4 -1 -6 -1
-3 -1
-8 -2
-2 0
-7 -2
-12 -3 -14 -4
-10 -3
-15 -4
-13 -3
-18 -5 -21 -6
-8 -2
-16 -4
-21 -6
-18 -5
-24 -7
-24 -8
-31 -10
-28 -9
lowest dry-bulb temperature during a 24 hour period on a typical design day. temperature + correction from above table.
* The daily range of dry-bulb temperature is the difference between the highest and Equation : Outside Design temperature at any time = Standard Outside Design The power consumption and output at different air entering temperatures are
available from chiller manufacturers. The ikW/ton and hours at each condition have used to work out the Mean ikW/ton for the whole year.
been multiplied to arrive at the total ikW/hours at each temperature. This data has been It will thus be seen that the average ikW/ton is only 1.09 which is not very high. In
the case of a water- cooled system, the net ikW/ ton even at full load works out to 0.95 for reciprocating, scroll and small size screw compressor and at part load this figure increases to 1.0 ikW.
Design of air-cooled chillers
Air-cooled chillers usually contain more then one compressor, except in units of very small capacity. This is true for all units with different types of compressors i.e. scroll, single chiller with upto three independent circuits. reciprocating and screw. The compressors are either connected to separate chillers or a Thus, the units operate as multiple separate circuits, in which case the problem or
failure in one circuit does not affect the performance of the other circuit or circuits. This provides for built-in redundancy and in many cases, in small installations a single unit can provide a certain margin of safety. The condenser coils are also divided in the same number of circuits as the
compressor to provide total separation. There are multiple propeller/axial fans for
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removing condenser heat.
electro/mechanical control system. This cycles the operation of fans in proportion to the demand and helps in maintaining the lowest possible discharge pressure in relation to the prevailing ambient dry bulb temperatures. This process saves on condenser fan power and also tries to achieve optimum ikW/ton based on the prevailing ambient conditions. All the components are mounted on a sturdy composite steel frame work. The
The whole system is operated by either a microprocessor or advanced
weight of the components is distributed evenly for nearly equal loading on the structure. The frame work is large enough, so that the overall loading of the unit does not exceed 500 kg/m2. This loading suits all standard RCC construction. All the electrical components are encased in a weather-proof housing. In addition,
all components, frame work etc. are treated with protective processes to be able to
withstand all types of extreme weather conditions including heat, dust, sea breeze, rain etc. All the operational components are connected to an electro-mechanical control system or a microprocessor- based control system. The function of the control system is many fold as given below : Pre-start check up of all components and system. Sequential start of condenser fans and compressors. To maintain design chilled water temperature.
To maintain design head pressure at varying ambient temperature. Protect the components from damage due to high/low pressure, freeze up etc. The operation of the multiple condenser fans is decided by the ambient temperature so that the head pressure of the system remains as low as possible at Generally, the head pressure is not allowed to fall below the pressure corresponding to an ambient temperature of 28C. fans.
a given ambient temperature and is consistent with the safety of the compressors.
The control of head pressure is achieved by cycling the number of condenser The operation of the number of these fans also allows the ikW to remain
proportional even at part load, unlike water-cooled units, where the power of [top]
condenser water pumps and cooling towers remains constant even at part loads.
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Heat pumps
The use of air cooled chillers offers another advantage in places where both cooling and heating are required. These units can efficiently provide both cooling in extreme hot "Heat Pump" mode. weather and heating in extreme cold weather, when the machines are configured in a In winter, the air-cooled condenser becomes the evaporator to extract heat from the
atmosphere. The unit chiller then acts as a shelland- tube condenser, to produce hot of the hot water can be as high as 55C, but is usually designed for 50C to achieve a reasonable balance between cooling efficiency and heating demand.
water, which can be used for providing heating in the premises. The outlet temperature
an electric boiler by using less then approximately 40% of electricity as compared to an an electric hot water system.
The advantage of the heat pump is that it produces the same amount of hot water as
electric boiler. This can reduce the overall cost of winter heating by 50% as compared to A further provision in the aircooled chiller or heat pump is that of a superheat (or
auxiliary) condenser to generate hot water. This auxiliary condenser removes the excess superheat from the discharge gas, before it goes to the condenser without affecting the performance of the refrigeration cycle. This heat from the discharge gas is available both in cooling cycle and the heating cycle. The bonus hot water thus becomes available both in summer and winter or for nearly 10 months in a whole year. The hot water produced by this extra condenser can be used to meet the hot water
requirements of the kitchen and toilets without any additional operating cost. This bonus heat improves the overall performance of the air-cooled system.
Heat pumps for winter
Heat Pumps are also available for providing maximum efficiency during the heating only in winter and where electricity is the main source of energy. during winter months.
cycle. These heat pumps represent an ideal solution for places which require heating The addition of an auxiliary condenser can meet the other hot water requirements As stated earlier, the use of heat pumps for winter heating would reduce energy
consumption by over 50% and thus pay back the extra cost within a short time.
Cost of air-cooled system
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The cost of this system is generally quite favourable, for capacities of upto 1,000 ton. This is evident from the fact that in an aircooled system, one single unit (the chiller) replaces the following components of a water-cooled system: Induced draft cooling tower. Condenser water pump. Condenser water piping, valves and fittings. water pump.
Electricals i.e. panel, cables etc. to connect the cooling tower and the condenser Water treatment plant. system.
Underground and overhead storage tanks for the treated water and its pumping Several comparative analysis have found that the cost of an air-cooled system varies
between 95% to 105% of a similar water-cooled system. The variation in the cost of the two types of system depends on the size of the plant and whether indigenous or imported chillers are selected.
significant in the overall context.
There is however, an additional cost due to a bigger D.G. set capacity, but this is not
Comparative chart
A chart showing the advantages and disadvantages of an air-cooled and water-cooled system is given in Table 3.
Table 3 : Comparison of the Air-cooled and Water-cooled Chilling Units. (Based on 100 TR) 1. S. No. Description Water-Cooled Air-Cooled
Water Requirement
2.
Power Consumption
Lower power Slightly higher by consumption at full load approximately 9% capacity. However, the difference reduces at part load as the pumps and cooling tower consume
Water consumption will be @ 12 LPH / ton or 12,000 litres / hour for 225 days in a year.
Not Required
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3. 4.
Installed Power capacity Covered space requirement
constant power.
Less then air cooled by 20%.
5.
Space for Cooling Tower on ground or Terrace
Covered space is required for all equipments e.g. chiller, pumps, electrical panel etc. approximately 150 m2.
20% higher capacity is required.
Covered space is required only for pumps and Electrical panel approximately 15 m 2.
6.
D.G. Set size
7.
Staff for Maintenance and Operation
D.G. set of lower capacity D.G. set of higher is required. capacity is required as the power demand of the system is higher at full load.
Space for cooling tower is No cooling tower is required, approximately required. Space to 80 m2. accommodate chillers will be 120 m2.
8.
Descaling of condenser tube Water Softening plant requirement
More number of staff is 50% less staff is required required because of more because of less number of number of equipments. equipments to operate and maintain. Descaling of condenser tube is required twice a season. Water softening plant is required. Descaling of condenser is not required. Water softening plant is not required.
9.
[top]
Water saving
The water-cooled system requires approximately 12 litres of water per hour per ton It should not be turbid or contain suspended impurities. alkaline or corrosion when PH value is acidic.
capacity. This water has to be of a reasonably good quality as per factors given below: The PH value must be between 6.5 and 7.5 to prevent salt deposition when it is The total permanent, CaCo3 hardness should be below 120 PPM, otherwise the scaling on condenser tubes will require very frequent cleaning.
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be filtered and softened, with a water softener for the make-up water system. If the condenser, which reduces heat transfer and raises the ikW of the chiller.
Since most available water has impurities and high hardness level, the water has to
water is not softened, it will cause deposition of salts on the tubes of the water-cooled As the air-cooled system does not use water, all the above processes of descaling etc.
become unnecessary and irrelevant. In addition, there is a saving of water of nearly 120 litres per day per ton or 12,000 litres per day for a small 100 ton system.
Simple operating system
The high side equipment in an air-cooled system consists of only two main components i.e the air-cooled chillers and chilled water pumps. This is, in contrast to the high side chilled water pumps, but also requires: Cooling towers Condenser water pumps equipment of the water-cooled system which not only requires water-cooled chillers and
Additional condenser water piping Additional electrical equipment Water treatment plant Water storage for cooling towers Pumping system for make up water operation. It also requires greater effort to make sure that there is adequate quantity of suitable quality of water in the cooling tower at all times and that the water treatment system is always functional. If there is a shortage of water, the system may stop in mid-operation, and poor It is clear that to operate the aircooled system, no such care is required. The system It is obvious that the additional equipment requires more steps to put the plant in
water quality will lead to scaling in the pipes, condenser etc.
can simply be put in operation in just two steps of starting the water pumps and the chiller at any time. The conclusion of simplicity of operation is obvious.
Ease of maintenance
Air-cooled systems are also simple to maintain, as there are fewer components, in view of the fact, that the condenser water pumps and cooling towers are not required.
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accumulates in the sump. It is necessary to make sure that there is sufficient quantity of water in the cooling tower at all times to ensure proper functioning of the system. The water treatment plant requires constant attention, so that the makeup water is
The cooling towers require periodic cleaning to remove the sludge which
always below the required hardness. There is also a need for regular descaling of the condenser tubes, so that the condenser efficiency is maintained near its peak. In comparison, the air-cooled condenser does not scale and therefore, it only
requires annual cleaning with hot water to function properly. It is quite clear that there
are very few components or functions which need to be checked in an aircooled system. the air-cooled system.
Therefore, fewer number of staff are required for the operation and maintenance of
Space saving
The air-cooled chiller has to be installed in an open space without any roof cover on top. Therefore, these units are installed either on the roof of a building or in an open space, outside the building. The space required for them is 50% to 80% more than the space normally required for installing cooling towers of the water-cooled systems.
building or adjacent to the building, thereby saving usable space and the cost of
This means that these plants do not require a covered plant room either within the
constructing such spaces. A small pump room is however required for the air-cooled of pump room requires approximately 10 to 15% of the size of a regular plant room. usable space. [top]
system, which is built near the place where the air-cooled chillers are installed. The size Thus, the total space required is much less and usually does not represent prime
Case studies
A few case studies are given to illustrate various applications. These are : India.(950 tons)
1. Videocon Plaza, New Delhi. The largest air-cooled installation in north 2. Apartment Building, Laburnum, Gurgaon. A system providing summer 3. Tala Hydel Authorities Gedu, Bhutan. Winter heating only for offices and
cooling, winter heating and hot water throughout the year. (120 tons) club house building. (6,75,000 Kcal/hr.)
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Videocon Plaza, New Delhi-(capacity-950 tons)
This is a 16-story office complex located in New Delhi near Karolbagh. It has a built up capacity at 44C. area of 19,500 m2 and is air conditioned by nine, air-cooled chillers each of 106 tons
building. The pumps and electric hot water boilers are also installed on the terrace in a room of 50 m2.
The total plant capacity is 954 tons. All the chillers are installed on the terrace of the
space in the basement. The system requires a staff of only three people to operate.
This system has saved 1,20,000 litres of water per day and approximately 200 m2 of
Laburnum Apartments (capacity-120 tons) Gurgaon, Haryana
This building has 17 high end apartments varying in size from 1-bed studio to 5-bed All apartments are centrally air conditioned . There is provision for equitable
room set. It is located as part of a housing complex in Gurgaon, a satellite town of Delhi. payment through a Building Automation System, so that each user pays according to the quantum of air conditioning that is used. The use of air-cooled heat pumps, with provision for hot water, was chosen for the complex, since a simple, reliable, maintenance-free system was required.
installed. In winter, the total heat output is 500 kW which is three times the
Accordingly, two air-cooled units of 60 TR each cooling capacity (total 120 TR) were
requirement. The auxiliary condensers provide hot water for toilets and kitchens of all during mild season when neither heating or cooling is required. automatic with minimum operational problems.
apartments. Standby heaters are provided in the hot water calorifiers to heat the water The system is controlled by a BAS, so that start-up is instant and operation is
Tala Hydel project - 750 kW heating output, Bhutan
This installation is located at Gedu, Bhutan at an elevation of 2,700 m above M.S.L. Hence, only a heating system is required.
Summers are comfortable and winters are long and cold (for nearly 5 to 6 months).
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Electricity was the referred medium since these offices were meant for a new 1,000 mW hydel project and Bhutan is surplus in electricity. The requirement was assessed at 6,75,000 kcal/hr requiring electric hot water
m2 and club house and auditorium facility measuring 3,000 m2 i.e. a total of 10,000 m2.
The requirements called for central heating of an office complex measuring 7,000
boilers of 750 kW or 780 kW including pumps, AHUs etc. The use of heat pumps was conventional system.
suggested as an alternative, even through the initial cost increase was nearly 50% over a The advantage of the above system was that it reduced the electric demand from
780 kW to 280 kW which meant a release of 0.5 mW electricity for better use else where.
totaling 750 kW. All the units together require input electricity of 250 kW. The heat defrost arrangement for the evaporator.
The system is operated with five, air-cooled heat pumps each of 150 kW heat output
pumps will give the design output of 50C at 5C ambient and are equipped with a The system is in its first year of operation and is functioning satisfactorily. This is the
first installation in this region, where pure heating is being done using heat pumps resulting in considerable saving of electricity.
Conclusion
It will be seen that the air-cooled chillers represent a fairly efficient and cost effective alternative to the watercooled system. These chillers can be used very effectively for installations upto 1,000 tons. capacity.
In the milder climate of south India, there is no practical limit to the overall plant They are very useful for heating /cooling applications as well as pure heating [top]
applications.
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Air-Cooled Chillers Myths &amp; Facts - Issue Oct-Dec 2003

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