EnergySavings:VariableSpeedDrivesinChilledWaterSystems ThefollowingarticlewascontributedbyCarrierCorporation.ArticleshighlightingnovelHVAC technologiesshouldbesubmittedtoChapterTechnologyTransferCommitteeChairMark Maguire(c021bog4@ashrae.net)forconsiderationinfuturenewsletters. VariablefrequencydriveusehasrapidlygrowninthepastdecadeinHVACsystemsas advancementsinVFDtechnologyandreductionsinfirstcosthaveincreasedreturnon investment.VFDshaveincreasedinperformanceandreliability,leadingtoVFDsbeing standardinVAVandinsecondaryandprimarypumpingapplications. WhydoVFDssaveenergy? Theenergysavingsoncentrifugaldevices(fans,pumps,compressors)coupledwithavariable speeddrivearedictatedbytheidealfanlaws(orpumpaffinitylaws).

Powerisproportionaltospeedcubed;thisiswhyVFDssaveenergyandhavebecome prevalentincentrifugaldevices.Ascanbeseenfromthegraphsabove,loweringthespeed reducesthepowerrequirementgreatly.Therelationshipbetweenliftandspeedisalsovery importantinapplyingVFDstocentrifugalchillers.Thecentrifugalcompressorliftisnota mathematicalfunctionofspeedasitisforductandpipesystems;thisrelationshipisexamined furtherlater. HowdoVFDswork? VFDsconvertACpowertoDC,thenconvertbacktoACatadesiredfrequency.Incoming3 phaseACpowerpassesthrougharectifier,separatingthealternatingcurrent.Capacitors converttherectifiedcurrenttoDC.AninvertermadeupofIGBTsswitchtocreatethedesired electricalcurrenttomatchthedesiredmotorspeed.

 VariableSpeedPumpBasics VFDsareappliedtopumpstoreduceenergycostsandincreasecontrol.Designingtheoptimal systemforenergyefficiencyandreliabilityrequiresafundamentalunderstandingofthePump AffinityLaws.Speedcontrolallowsthesystemtosupplytherequiredflowatthelowest possiblesystempressureandpower,generatingoperationalcostssavings.

 VariableCondenserWaterFlow Iftheflowrateisvariedthroughachillercondenser,itiscriticaltorespecttheonboardchiller safetiessuchashighcondenserpressure.Variablecondenserflowisnotthenorm,especially forcentrifugalchillersthatdependonheadpressurereductionsatpartload.Incentrifugal chillers,reducedcondenserwaterflowsmayelevateheadpressures,resultinginalossof efficiencyandpossiblechillerinstability.Examinetheeffectontheentiresystem(chillers, pumps,coolingtowers)whenconsideringvariablecondenserwaterflow. VariableSpeedDrivesinChillerApplications Acentrifugalchillerisaturbomachinethatfollowsthesamelawsofoperationaspumpsand fans.Similarly,centrifugalchillerscanunloadwitheitherinletguidevanecontrolorby reducingcompressorspeedwithvfds.

 Acentrifugalcompressormustmoveenoughcompressedrefrigerantflowtoproducetonsof capacity,andproduceenoughlifttoovercomesystemheadpressure(differencebetween condensingandsuctiontemperature).Thekeydifferencesbetweenpumpsandchillers: Pumps:thesystemheadisafunctionofflow Chillers:thesystemheadisafunctionofcondenserwatertemperatureandnotdirectlyrelated toflow. Whencanacentrifugalcompressorreducespeed? Whenlessflowisrequired:vfdscanslowdowntomovelessmassflow orrefrigerantwhenlessthandesigncapacityisrequired. Whenlessliftisrequired:forafixedductorpipingsystem,theliftor systempressureisafunctionoftheflow.However,forchillers,wheneverthecondensing temperatureislessthandesign(e.g.,85Ftowerwater),thevfdcanreducedspeed,saving energy.Centrifugalchillerswithvfdssaveenergyevenatfulltonnagewhenentering condenserwatertemperatureisnotatdesign(e.g.,85F).Reducedheadpressureallowsa vfd/compressortomovemorecapacityatlowerspeedswhileconsuminglessenergy. Howmuchenergydoesavfdsaveonwatercooledchillers? IsfullloadkW/tonagoodindicatorofkWhconsumption?Nochillerplantsrarelyoperateat 100%capacityanddesigncondenserwatertemperatures.Philadelphiaweatherdatashows thatthemajorityofchillerrunhoursoccurataverage6575Fenteringcondenserwater temperatures.Variablespeedoperationisidealbecauseofthelargeamountofoperating

hoursthatoccuratlessthan85Fenteringcondenserwatertemperature.Optimizethechiller formaximumefficiencyatthemaximumnumberofrunhoursbyusingavfd.