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Adm Apn045 en - 0912 PDF
Adm Apn045 en - 0912 PDF
Figure 1. Tower control for constant-speed chiller (CSPD), (40% load, 65ºF WB) Figure 2. Tower control for variable-speed chiller (VSPD), (40% load, 65ºF WB)
200.0 200.0
minimum total kW
CSPD kW total kW
150.0 150.0
minimum
VSPD kW
kW
kW
100.0 100.0
50.0 50.0
fan kW fan kW
0 0
68.0 70.0 72.0 74.0 76.0 78.0 80.0 68.0 70.0 72.0 74.0 76.0 78.0 80.0
tower leaving-water temperature (°F) tower leaving-water temperature (°F)
* They include Braun and Diderrich4; Cascia5; Crowther and Furlong6; Hydeman, Gillespie and Kammerud7; Kelly and Chan8; and Schwedler.9 Represented in this list are three chiller manufacturers, three
chilled-water system control providers, a utility, and a cooling tower manufacturer.
2 Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 41–3 providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
This is one point in time. How much can be • Hartman11 reveals only concepts with Component performance. Much
saved over the course of a year? In their few details that allow project teams to changes when the condenser water flow
ASHRAE Journal article, Crowther and implement such control themselves. is reduced. As previously mentioned:
Furlong10 found that for the system
• Baker, Roe and Schwedler12 provide a • Pump power goes down.
analyzed, optimal tower fan speed control
simple method for controlling
saved 6.2 percent in Chicago, 4.7 percent in • Chiller power rises (as flow rate goes
condenser water pump speed and
Las Vegas, and 8.5 percent in Miami. down, leaving condenser water
cooling tower fan speed, but the
temperature rises).
In a study performed for this newsletter method may not be optimal for all
(Figure 3), a 720,000 ft2 hotel was analyzed chilled-water plants or at all • Initially, cooling tower heat exchange
in a number of global locations using the conditions. effectiveness gets better, since the
following possible control setpoints: cooling tower receives warmer water.
None of the methods presently available However, as flow is reduced further,
• Fixed tower setpoint at design tower are simple, understandable, all-inclusive, heat exchange effectiveness is
leaving temperature (85ºF in humid and straightforward at this time. So what reduced. This may occur even above
climates, 80ºF in dry climates) are the issues with varying both the minimum flow rate allowed by the
• Near optimal setpoint condenser water pump and cooling tower cooling tower manufacturer.
fan speed?
• Fixed tower setpoint at 55ºF
• There are limitations to minimum Control method. Finally, the optimal
When compared to making the tower water condenser water flow rate. interaction of the cooling tower,
as cold as possible, near optimal control condenser water pump, and chiller is not
• Changing condenser water flow rate
savings ranged from just under 2 percent in simple to determine since optimal control
affects performance of the cooling
Paris to 14 percent in Toronto. Although in a changes at all system loads, operating
tower, condenser water pump, and
relatively dry climate with a short cooling combinations, and outdoor air wet bulb
chiller.
season (e.g., Paris) the savings are small, temperatures. In addition, slowing
it's clear that chiller–tower near optimal • The control method is not easily condenser water pump and cooling tower
control saves energy and operating cost in understandable. fan speeds too much when the chiller is
all locations. This control is available from at heavily loaded and the wet bulb
Let's examine each of these issues. temperature is high will cause a
least three control providers; therefore
highly consider specifying it on new projects centrifugal chiller to surge.
and implementing it on retrofit applications. Flow rate. First, there are limitations to
how far condenser water flow can be An example. To provide a high-level
reduced. The minimum condenser water understanding of the trends, system
Mode 2: Variable-speed condenser water
flow for a specific application is the performance is shown for a 700-ton
pump and cooling tower fans. Now that
highest of: system designed at:
we understand near-optimal cooling tower
fan speed control, let’s add the variable of • The minimum flow rate allowed by the • The AHRI standard rating conditions of
additionally changing condenser water tower provider to maintain proper 3 gpm/ton design condenser water
pump speed. distribution over the fill. Proper flow rate. (column 1, Table 1)
distribution keeps tower surfaces
Recently, a few parties have examined wetted, heat transfer at good rates • The ASHRAE GreenGuide
variable-speed drives on both cooling tower and avoids scaling. recommended conditions; for this
fans and condenser water pumps: example, 2 gpm/ton condenser water
• The minimum condenser flow rate flow rate was chosen. In addition, this
• Taylor provides a methodology that can allowed by the chiller provider to keep system was designed using an
be customized for each specific chilled- heat transfer in an acceptable range. oversized cooling tower to reduce
water system. It requires extensive
• The minimum pump speed required design cooling tower fan power by 50
modeling for each system.
to produce the tower static lift. percent. (column 3, Table 1)
250 250
200
(4%)
200
are shared on p. 6.
(3%)
150 150
0 0
Dubai Paris Sao Paulo Singapore Mexico City Orlando San Diego Toronto
providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 41–3 3
Figure 4. AHRI Standard conditions: 90% load, 75ºF wet bulb Figure 5. GreenGuide conditions: 90% load, 75ºF wet bulb
415 415
70% twr
395 395
385 385
375 375
40% 60% 80% 100% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Figure 6. AHRI Standard conditions: 70% load, 65ºF wet bulb Figure 7. GreenGuide conditions: 70% load, 65ºF wet bulb
330 330
chiller + CW pump + tower kW
chiller + CW pump + tower kW
270 270
250 250
40% 60% 80% 100% 40% 60% 80% 100%
% condenser water flow rate % condenser water flow rate
Figure 8. AHRI Standard conditions: 70% load, 55ºF wet bulb Figure 9. GreenGuide conditions: 70% load, 55ºF wet bulb
320 320
chiller + CW pump + tower kW
50% twr
chiller + CW pump + tower kW
50% twr
60% twr 60% twr
300 70% twr 300 70% twr
80% twr 80% twr
280 90% twr 90% twr
280
100% twr 100% twr
260 260
240 240
40% 60% 80% 100% 40% 60% 80% 100%
% condenser water flow rate % condenser water flow rate
4 Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 41–3 providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
Figure 10. AHRI Standard conditions: 50% load, 65ºF wet bulb Figure 11. GreenGuide conditions: 50% load, 65ºF wet bulb
250 250
50% twr
chiller + CW pump + tower kW
50% twr
210 210
200 200
40% 60% 80% 100% 40% 60% 80% 100%
% condenser water flow rate % condenser water flow rate
Figure 12. AHRI Standard conditions: 50% load, 55ºF wet bulb Figure 13. GreenGuide conditions: 50% load, 55ºF wet bulb
230 230
50% twr 50% twr
chiller + CW pump + tower kW
190 190
180 180
40% 60% 80% 100% 40% 60% 80% 100%
% condenser water flow rate % condenser water flow rate
Figure 14. AHRI Standard conditions: 30% load, 55ºF wet bulb Figure 15. GreenGuide conditions: 30% load, 55ºF wet bulb
130 130
120 120
40% 60% 80% 100% 40% 60% 80% 100%
% condenser water flow rate % condenser water flow rate
providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 41–3 5
Table 2. Study trends
System kW Potential % Water flow Tower speed System kW Potential % Water flow Tower speed
range savings control control range savings control control
Figures 90% load 393-412 4.6 Some savings by Little savings by 380-399 4.8 Reducing flow Reducing speed
4-5 75ºF WB reducing flow to reducing speed increases energy increases energy
70% usage usage
Figures 70% load 271-303 10.6 Reasonable savings Some savings by 271-314 13.6 Some savings by No savings by
6-7 65ºF WB by reducing flow to reducing speed to reducing flow to reducing fan speed.
60% 70% 80% Fan speeds below
70% increase
energy usage
significantly
Figures 70% load 246-282 12.8 Reasonable savings Some savings by 245-278 11.8 Some savings by No savings by
8-9 55ºF WB by reducing flow to reducing speed to reducing flow to reducing fan speed.
60% 70% 80% Fan speeds below
70% increase
energy usage
significantly
Figures 50% load 205-243 15.6 Significant savings Significant savings 207-224 7.6 Some savings by Minimal savings by
10-11 65ºF WB by reducing flow to by reducing speed reducing flow to reducing fan speed.
60% to 60% 70% Fan speeds below
70% increase
energy usage.
Figures 50% load 185-221 16.3 Reasonable savings Reasonable savings 185-206 10.2 Some savings by Minimal savings by
12-13 55ºF WB by reducing flow to by reducing speed reducing flow to reducing fan speed.
60% to 70% 70% Fan speeds below
70% increase
energy usage.
Figures 30% load 125-172 27.3 Reducing flow Reducing speed 126-144 12.5 Some savings by Some savings by
14-15 55ºF WB saves significant saves significant reducing flow to reducing speed to
energy energy 70% 70%
Discussion: AHRI Standard • With that said, below 50 percent • Reducing condenser water pump
conditions (3 gpm/ton). chiller load, the spread between the speed is beneficial at reduced
minimum and maximum system ambient wet bulb conditions.
• Not surprisingly, when design
power (% max savings) is large.
condenser water pump power and • Reducing tower fan speed has little
Proper control at these loads is
cooling tower fan power are high, or no benefit until chiller load is less
imperative when the system design
there are significant system energy than 50 percent.
condenser water flow rate is high
savings (4 to 27 percent) available at
(3 gpm/ton). Therefore energy-saving
all part load and reduced wet bulb Overall conclusions.
retrofit control opportunities are
conditions.
available on condenser water systems • On existing systems designed at
• Reducing condenser water flow with design flow rates of 3 gpm/ton. AHRI conditions, reducing
rate is beneficial at all the condenser water pump speed and
conditions examined. Discussion: GreenGuide conditions cooling tower fan speed offers
• Reducing cooling tower fan speed (2 gpm/ton was used). significant savings.
is beneficial at 70 percent chiller • Since pump and tower fan power are • Designing new systems at the
load and lower—and necessary to lower at design conditions, there is AHRI standard flow rate
reduce system energy use at chiller less advantage to optimizing the off- significantly increases the risk of
loads of 50 percent or lower. design control. control decisions resulting in
• At most operating conditions, • Reducing condenser water pump inefficient system operation—at all
optimal system control can reach speed is detrimental at high wet bulb load and wet bulb conditions.
that of a system designed at a conditions.
lower condenser water flow rate. continued on p. 8
6 Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 41–3 providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
Condenser Water System Let's turn our attention to cooling tower Chillers. A chiller's compressor must
performance as fan speed is reduced. It produce the pressure difference (lift)
Components is important to understand how tower between the evaporator refrigerant
This section provides an overview of fan speed and airflow reduction affect pressure and the condenser refrigerant
how condenser water system cooling tower fan energy. pressure. The evaporator pressure is
components react to changing determined primarily by the chilled
conditions; these facts are used At off-design conditions, cooling tower water leaving temperature. Often
throughout the newsletter. fan speed may be modulated. people think of the entering condenser
Figure 16 shows that the tower fan water temperature as setting the
power varies with the cube of the pressure the chiller's compressor must
Cooling towers. Cooling towers
speed—so reducing fan speed by just produce. That is incorrect. The
reject energy (building load and heat of
30 percent (i.e., to 70 percent) results condenser refrigerant temperature and
compression) from water-cooled
in a power reduction of almost pressure are determined primarily by
chilled-water systems.To reject heat,
66 percent. the leaving condenser water
water is passed through the cooling
tower where a portion of it evaporates. temperature—which in turn is
Note that even when the tower fan is determined by the entering condenser
How close the leaving tower water off, due to convection there is still heat
temperature is to the outdoor air wet- water temperature, chiller heat
rejection available—often a bit above rejection, and flow rate.
bulb temperature is called the 15 percent of the tower capacity.
approach.
As shown in the first two columns of
The approach changes as outdoor Condenser water pumps. Condenser Table 3, for a given cooling tower, as
condition, heat rejection, and cooling water pumps supply the required flow rate is reduced, the entering
tower airflow vary. The lower the condenser water flow rate and tower water temperature rises. Note,
approach temperature, the colder the overcome the pressure drop through the range difference is 4.7°F, but since
water temperature will be leaving the the chiller's condenser, the condenser the tower approach temperature
cooling tower. The approach is water pipes, elbows and valves, and lift improves, the entering tower water
important because the tower leaving the water from the basin to the top of temperature only increases by 2.8°F.
water temperature is the same as the the cooling tower (the static lift). As Entering tower water temperature is
chiller entering condenser water flow varies, the pressure drop through the same as the chiller leaving
temperature. the system and the condenser vary condenser water temperature. So, as
approximately with the square, but flow rate is reduced, the chiller leaving
During operation, approach changes as static lift remains constant. condenser water temperature rises, as
follows:13 does the chiller power.
The equation for pump power is shown
• At a decreased heat rejection load, below. As flow rate and pressure drop
approach decreases. Figure 16. Cooling tower fan performance
decrease, the pump power decreases.
45.0
• At a constant heat rejection load, The effect of condenser pump power 40.0
as wet bulb decreases, approach reduction on optimal system operation
fan power (hp)
35.0
30.0
increases. is considered on p. 3 of this newsletter.
25.0
20.0
• As water flow decreases, approach Condenser water pump kW = 15.0
decreases.* 10.0
gpm x ΔP x 0.746 5.0
• As tower fan speed is reduced, 0.0
3960 x PE x PME x PDE† 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
approach increases. % tower fan speed
AHRI flow rate 100 78ºF 9.3ºF 2100 7 85ºF 94.3 100 40
Same tower, GreenGuide 100 78ºF 14ºF 1400 5.1 83.1ºF 97.1 100 40
recommended flow rate
Oversized cooling tower 100 78ºF 14ºF 1400 5.5 83.5°F 97.5 100 20
(37% more cost)‡
* At some reduced flow rate the approach increases, even if the flow rate is above the minimum for the tower. This is due to reduced heat transfer effectiveness.
† PE = Pump Efficiency; PME = Pump Motor Efficiency; PDE = Pump Drive Efficiency
‡The larger cooling tower can be paid for by the reduction in the condenser pipe and pump installed cost. In this case, the tower fan power was reduced by oversizing the tower.
providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 41–3 7
Summary
What about the operator?
1 Use the ASHRAE GreenGuide
guidance of 12-18ºF ΔT for Engineers
Newsletter
All of the previous analysis is predicated
on optimal control working properly, and condenser water systems
being allowed to continue to work
without “manual override.” Often the
chilled-water system operator wants to
(2.3 - 1.6 gpm/ton) to reduce plant
installed and life cycle costs. LIVE!
For event details and registration
understand system operation, so he or 2 Consider varying cooling tower fan contact your local Trane office.
she can change that operation when
speeds on all installations.
necessary. For example, they may ask,
“What is the cooling tower setpoint?” 3 Consider varying condenser water October 2012
When condenser water pump and
pump and cooling tower fan
cooling tower fan speeds are varied,
there is no cooling tower setpoint—since speeds on systems not designed Air-to-Air Energy
the leaving cooling tower temperature is using the ASHRAE GreenGuide
a result of the system operation guidance, and where the plant Recovery
decisions. This can be unsettling to operators are on board, trained,
some system operators.
and retrained when the operators Join Trane for a discussion of
So it is imperative that the system change. When used, keep the the various technologies used
operator be “on board” with the control control method understandable, for air-to-air energy recovery
methods, understand them, and have transparent, and as simple as and the importance of properly
the ability to both monitor and change controlling these devices in
possible (but not any simpler).
them if necessary.
different system types.
By Mick Schwedler, manager, applications
engineering, and Beth Bakkum, information
• Control is project, load, and designer, Trane. You can find this and previous
issues of the Engineers Newsletter at
ambient condition dependent. www.trane.com/engineersnewsletter. To
comment, e-mail us at comfort@trane.com
• On new projects, designing to the
ASHRAE GreenGuide conditions [6] Crowther, H., and J. Furlong. 2004.
(12–18°F temperature differences “Optimizing Chillers and Towers.” ASHRAE
Journal. 46(7): 34–40.
resulting in 2.3 to 1.6 gpm/ton) and
oversizing the cooling tower to References
[7] Hydeman, M., K. Gillespie, and R. Kammerud.
reduce fan power offers savings at [1] American Society of Heating, Refrigerating 1997. National Cool-Sense Forum. Pacific Gas
all conditions and savings are less and Air-Conditioning Engineers. 2010. ASHRAE & Electric (PG&E).
dependent on coordinating system GreenGuide: The Design, Construction, and
Operation of Sustainable Buildings, 3rd ed. [8] See note 2.
control—especially at lower load Atlanta, GA: ASHRAE.
conditions. [9] Schwedler, M. 1998. “Take It to the Limit…or
[2] Kelly, D. and T. Chan. 1999. “Optimizing Chilled Just Halfway?” ASHRAE Journal. 40(7): 32–39.
Simply put, designing condenser water Water Plants.” Heating/Piping/Air Conditioning
systems at flow rates of 1.6 to (HPAC) Engineering. 71(1). [10] See note 6.
2.3 gpm/ton results in reduced
[3] Taylor, S. 2011. “Optimizing Design & Control [11] Hartman, T. “Direct Network Connection of
installed costs as well as a much of Chilled Water Plants; Part 3: Pipe Sizing Variable-Speed Drives.” HPAC Engineering
higher probability that the system will and Optimizing ΔΤ.” ASHRAE Journal. (March 2003): 22–32. Available at <http://
operate efficiently—no matter how the 53(12):22-34. www.hpac.com/member/archive/pdf/2003/
condenser water pump and cooling 0303/hartman.pdf>
[4] Braun, J.E., and G.T. Diderrich. 1990. “Near-
tower fan are controlled. Optimal Control of Cooling Towers for Chilled [12] Baker, M., D. Roe, and M. Schwedler. 2006.
Water Systems.” ASHRAE Transactions. “Prescription for Chiller Plants.” ASHRAE
(Volume 96, part 2, paper number SL-90-13-3): Journal 48(6): H4–H10.
806–813.
[13] SPX Cooling Technologies. 1986. “Cooling
[5] Cascia, M. 2000. “Implementation of a Near- Tower Performance: Basic Theory and
Optimal Global Set Point Control Method in a Practice.” Marley Cooling Tower Information
DDC Controller.” ASHRAE Winter Meeting Index. Available at <http://spxcooling.com/pdf/
Transactions: 249–263. CTII-1.pdf>
Trane, Trane believes the facts and suggestions presented here to be accurate. However, final design and
A business of Ingersoll Rand application decisions are your responsibility. Trane disclaims any responsibility for actions taken on
the material presented.
For more information, contact your local Trane
office or e-mail us at comfort@trane.com