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Optimal Sequencing of Central Refrigeration Equipment in an Industrial Plant
Abstract
A model was developed to find a viable solution
to the problem of selecting the optimal sequence
of refrigeration equipment (chillers, cooling
towers, pumps) to operate in a Central Utility Plant.
The optimal equipment sequence is that sequence which
has the lowest energy cost to operate at a given plant
cooling load and outside air wet bulb temperature.
and satisfies all the constraints associated with the
refrigeration system. Selection of the optimal equipment
sequence is very difficult given the complexity
of the refrigeration system and the dynamic nature
of the plant cooling load. As a solution a computer
program was developed to generate optimal equipment
sequences to operate for combinations of a wide range
of plant cooling loads and outside air wet bulb
temperatures.
Analysis of the solution identified the need
for a retrofit project to remove "vital" constraints in order to improve the refrigeration
system's performance. The solution to the problem
was then incorporated in the operating procedures
for the Central Utility Plant.
Citation
Fiorino, D. P.; Priest, J. W. (1986). Optimal Sequencing of Central Refrigeration Equipment in an Industrial Plant. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6877.