When is it time for chiller repair?

Operating used chillers call for more attention that new ones, naturally. A refrigerator at home is an example. Like any other thing, they also age and the wear and tear may be visible depending on how it is handled. Chiller maintenance also plays a great role in the efficiency of used chillers and its ability to maximize its optimum potential. When all else fails, chiller replacement for process chillers is the last step to be considered. But we all know that chillers aren’t small, inexpensive things. Chillers cost a lot of money thus replacement shouldn’t be done in haste. There are times when the only thing needed to get your process chillers running again is repair.

When can you tell if your used chiller calls for a repair?

- An excess vibration is a sign that there is an extreme wear on the bearings of the chiller. If this is the case, a technician who specializes on chillers should be asked to remove and check the bearings.

- An increase in Refrigerant approach temperature is one of the first signs that a chiller is not operating well. In these cases, a repair is likely needed. A technician should be contacted to check and investigate the problem that may have caused this.

- An obvious refrigerant leak is a sign that the chiller is in need of a repair. Even if the leak isn’t obvious but the refrigerant level is low, it’s still a cause for alarm. Chiller maintenance should be called for to avoid a loss in refrigerant and to avoid inefficiencies.

Should you replace your industrial chillers?

Chillers are big ticket items which mean they cost more than other equipments. Industrial chillers are examples of this. The purchase of an industrial chiller is a big cost to the company’s finances thus taking good care of it should be done properly and regularly. Minor defects could bring down the entire system’s maximum efficiency and when that happens, you’re paying more for a lesser performance. Because industrial chillers are expensive, replacing them should be done with utmost care and thorough decision making.

Here are some tips and tricks on how to evaluate your used chillers to see if they need any replacement:

• The age of the used chiller should be taken into consideration. For air cooled chillers, typical life span is about 12 years while it can be more than 20 years for water cooled chillers. If they chiller’s age is near or beyond these numbers, a replacement is better than repair.
• The major repairs done on the chillers should be given much weight. It may be cost effective to buy a new one rather than paying for repair over and over.
• The noise level should be checked. If you need chillers that aren’t noisy, the new chillers have lower decibel ratings compared to that of before.
• The efficiency rating of the chiller should also be checked. New chillers nowadays have improved efficiency ratings.
• The size of the chiller is also important especially for limited places. There are new chillers released that are small, compact and just as powerful and efficient than big chillers.

Before buying a new replacement, ponder over the things mentioned above. They might come in handy so you can end up in a decision you won’t regret.

The truth about chiller replacements

Industrial chillers are great equipments that bring in a lot of great benefits to industries. But they’re also expensive. In fact, they may be the most expensive equipment in other companies.  This is the reason why it is important to observe chiller maintenance and make sure that chillers aren’t abused. Chillers need to be taken cared of if industries want them to perform and serve them for a long period of time. But all good things must come to an end. However with industrial chillers, caution and thorough decision should be done before making a choice.

The biggest mistake in chiller usage is thinking that just because chillers, no matter how used, are still operating mean that they are still ok. Used chillers are still operating but not efficiently anymore and the overall cost for electricity charges may be more than the initial cost of actually buying a new one. However, one must think of all the factors before getting a replacement for used chillers.

A chiller’s condition is important and how old it already is. Changes have been made over the years and if the chiller started operating 10 years ago with a specific set of load, chances are they have changed as well. This may have caused an oversizing of the chiller. You can do a review of the load profile of your current building and re-evaluate the maximum cooling load that the chiller needs to meet. If it can’t be met, it’s a good sign for the chillers to be replaced but it still needs to be evaluated thoroughly.

How efficient are air cooled chillers?

For some of us who have air conditioning chillers at home or industrial chillers in the offices, there are questions waiting to be answered. Only a few of us know how they truly work and there’s one thing that boggles the mind. When it comes to air cooled chillers, energy efficiency has become an ambiguous term.

Air cooled chillers remove heat from water or other fluids. This heat is then dispersed into air through a system called refrigeration.

It all starts when a fluid is forced with high pressure through a tube. This changes the fluid to turn into gas which absorbs heat through the evaporator heat exchanger. This gas then travels to the compressor where it is compressed into a hot gas before being pumped to the condenser. In the condenser, the gas is passed through small copper tubes with thin aluminum fins bonded to them. When ambient air is forced through the condenser via the process chiller’s fans, the gas is condensed back to a liquid state. In this process, the heat that the gas has collected is released through the chiller fans as well. The liquid is sent back to the tubes so that the whole process can start again.

The efficiency of an air cooled chiller depends on the efficiency of the chiller compressor. This can be measured through COP or Coefficient of Performance. A COP is the ratio of heat removed to the electrical input required. In chiller efficiency, the higher the COP is, the more energy efficient it is. If a COP is 5, it means that for every 1 KW of electrical energy input, 5 KW of heat is removed. If a COP is 10, it means that for every 8 KW of electrical energy input, 8KW of heat energy is removed.

Check out the COP of the chiller the next time you’re out chiller shopping. You can now tell the difference in terms of energy efficiency.