Visit the Energy Systems Laboratory Homepage.
Integrated Chiller System Reduce Building Operation and Maintenance Costs in Cold Climates
Abstract
Although water-cooled chillers are more energy
efficient than air-cooled chillers, a majority of chilled
water systems use air-cooled chillers. In cold
weather climates, air-cooled chillers are capable of
functioning in low ambient temperatures with few
operational concerns, where as water-cooled chiller
systems must be equipped to prevent cooling tower
freezing. The integrated chiller system attempts to
take advantage of each chiller's strengths and
eliminate any cold weather operational concerns. An
integrated chiller system includes a cooling tower and
air-cooled condenser. During the summer, both the
cooling tower and air condenser can be operated. In
cold weather, the cooling tower is drained and the air
condenser is used to dissipate the heat of the cooling
system. The integrated chiller system eliminates the
water storage tank and frequent charging and
discharging of the cooling tower system. It reduces
the size of the mechanical room and simplifies the
operation of the system. The integrated chiller system
is most suitable in climates where the mechanical
cooling is required on a short-term basis during cold
weather periods. This paper presents the system
configuration, system design, optimal control, and
energy impact. An example is used to demonstrate
the design concepts of the integrated chiller systems.
Citation
Sheets, N.; Liu, M. (2003). Integrated Chiller System Reduce Building Operation and Maintenance Costs in Cold Climates. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /5224.