Technology is advancing at a rapid pace
and the HVAC & R industry is no different. So, how has the chiller changed
over the years?
Although
the basic components of refrigeration systems and fluid chillers have remained
unchanged for decades, improvements in compressor technology, refrigerant
gases, manufacturing methods, and electronic controls have developed chillers
into high-tech equipment with increasing functions and applications in not only
comfort applications, but also in the industrial sector.
Electronics,
building management systems (BMS) communication, and data analytics have become
powerful and are used to control chiller systems more efficiently than
previously possible. These days, a single chiller control module can have up to
52 inputs/outputs and links via Modbus, BACnet, and other BMS communication
protocols.
Basic
chiller controls now include proportional integral derivative (PID) algorithms
that read information during the operation of the chiller, monitor system
parameters, and then control various functions, such as fans, compressor
loading, and expansion valves, to achieve the required set point, and do so
without overshoot or cycling on and off, thus saving energy.
Smart
functions allow low noise operation during night-time periods, as well as
floating set points, which can be controlled via ambient temperature probe
readings. It even allows free-cooling during low ambient conditions and various
methods of heat recovery with multiple set points for either domestic hot water
generation or heating water for comfort applications.
Controllers
have become more user-friendly, interactive, and multifunctional. The interface
is now also available in multiple languages. The evolution of chiller
technology made chiller repair in Dubai,
companies like Artic Mount to establish their online presence strong and fast
resolve the chiller Industry running problems.
One
of the biggest areas of development in chillers has occurred in terms of
controls. Chillers have become far more suited towards part load conditions.
Previously, building managers and owners would assess a chiller on its
efficiency. Today, they look at its part load efficiency, as chillers seldom
operate at 100%. In reality, most applications for chillers demand them
spending less than 1% of the time operating at full load. As such, we have seen
the emergence of variable speed drives (VSDs), as well as variable speed
compressors and fans that have played a big role in the major design change.
In
fact, VSDs are on everyone’s list of notable new technology in terms of
chillers. “The advantages of the variable speed drive technology applied
particularly to four-pipe smart heat pumps, and displays top-level efficiencies
especially at partial loads, which are the most common conditions throughout
the entire year in a traditional comfort application. A multipurpose unit is
actually sized to cover the maximum peak demand which, depending on the country
where it is installed, may be in summer or in winter. However, in traditional
comfort applications, the HVAC plant usually works at full load for a few hours
every year; this implies that for most of the time, the unit works at partial
load.
The
presence of variable speed drive technology allows units to effectively follow
each combination of thermal loads required by the system, achieving total
efficiency ratio (TER) values (calculated considering the unit’s performance in
hot and cold water production) of up to 19% higher compared to traditional
fixed-speed units. Another big development is the move to design the chiller
and controls around the entire building. Previously, the chiller would be set
to create water at a certain temperature. However, buildings or facilities do
not require water to be chilled all day and night. This uses a substantial
amount of energy and as such, we have seen the integration of chillers with BMS
to dynamically offset the performance based on the conditions of the building.
“In the past, the chiller would be self-sustained, but now we are seeing the
intelligence reside outside the chiller in BMS.
Another
major change we have seen in controls is the ability to connect the chiller to
the ‘cloud’. Information is sent from the chiller to the cloud where it is analyzed,
which enables reporting to be generated on how the chiller is performing or if
there are potential issues or problems. It can even alert the building owner to
a problem before the tenant reports it and highlight imminent failures before
the chiller actually fails. We are also seeing machine learning incorporated
into the analysis, which can provide the user with suggested ‘fixes’. This makes
maintenance and uptime easier and delivers more predictability. Johnson
Controls has approximately 6 000 ‘connected’ chillers that make use of the
cloud.
One
thing is sure, innovative solutions in HVAC design will decide the top
positions in Chiller Maintenance and repairing companies, as industries supposed
to produce more heat, more cool chiller maintenance technologies are needed.
