Water-cooled Turbocor chiller

HVAC system modernization on The Parade, Swindon

The main drivers which fuelled the modernization of a cooling plant at 4.000 sq. meter outlet were rising energy bills and a sharp increase in maintenance costs. The original chiller plant which included units contained ozone-depleting refrigerant was in need of replacing with more efficient and quiet equipment. Based on the survey and energy analysis performed by Kaltra engineers, the new equipment necessary to replace the existing equipment for an energy saving modernization was specified, including two 300kW variable speed drive chillers, together with quieter dry coolers.

Being based on the Turbocor compressors and charged with R1234ze refrigerant, the proposed solution combines excellent energy efficiency at partial and full heat loads and environmentally friendly cooling. In addition to high efficiency, Turbocor compressors are oil-free, which excludes the oil management system and eliminates the need for lubrication, thus reducing maintenance downtime and associated costs.

To decrease the fan speed and related noise, Kaltra offered dry coolers equipped with low air resistant MCHE coils. As a result, the sound pressure was reduced to less than 40dB(A) measured at a 10-meter distance. The evaporative dry coolers used in the cooling plant design achieve the same purpose as the originally installed units however, they perform more efficiently by using evaporation process to reduce the workload on the cooling coils.

In addition to optimized maintenance costs, the projected chiller plant power savings is 25%, or a quarter of the annual operating expenses, compared to the original facility. The cooling plant configuration with variable primary water flow allows a close capacity match, tight temperature control, and thus contributes to a further saving in power costs.

The solution included mechanical modernization, pipework reconfiguration for the new equipment, and connection to the building automation system has been completed by the local contractor in close collaboration with Kaltra design engineers.

