A Free Cooling Based Chilled Water System at Kingston

Abstract

In efforts to reduce operating costs, the IBM site at Kingston, New York incorporated the energy saving concept of 'free cooling' (direct cooling of chilled water with condenser water) with the expansion of the site chilled water system. Free cooling was employed to satisfy the winter chilled water load of approximately 3000 tons resulting in electrical savings of up to 70% in the winter with wet bulb temperatures below 38 oF. Other energy efficient features included variable speed pumping, high efficiency motors and chillers with reduced entering condenser water limits. This paper will describe the various possible operating modes and their associated savings using computer simulation techniques.