We at Maximus Chillers have recently carried out air cooled chiller condenser testing at a new 3 year maintenance contract in the North West. The last of 4 systems had gone down on the morning that we first attended site. 1.2 MW of cooling had been lost which resulted in the water system temperature rising to 31°C. These chillers are used to cool an office block, so we wanted to get some of the systems up and running as quickly as possible…
News Article No.16
Air Cooled Chiller Condenser 1 Testing
One of the systems was disabled due to a condenser fan failure. 1 of 5 fans was found to be seized and disconnected. Fan speeds have sufficient redundancy built in to allow for a high ambient and a partially blocked condenser. There was a high ambient condition, but the condenser was found to be clean. Therefore, our engineer decided to run test the system and monitor the condenser pressure…
Fan Speed Transformer
3 fan speeds available on this chiller- low, medium and high. The fan speeds are achieved using a transformer which makes a different voltage for each fan speed. This is quite a good way of controlling the condenser pressure, as all of the fans run smoothly together. The program looks at the condenser pressure using a transducer, then selects the required fan speed.
Medium Fan Speed
As expected, the chiller program selected the medium fan speed. This provided the required saturation pressure in the condenser and so adequately subcooling the refrigerant.
Compressor Protection
All of the system pressures and temperatures were nominal, so the compressor was protected. There was a good oil return and sufficient cooling to the suction housing from the refrigerant. This cooling ensured that the internal motor windings did not overheat.
Monitoring
Having got this system away- our engineer monitored the water system temperature which started to come down. More cooling was required, however, to get the water system temperature down to set point…
0161 237 3727
service@maximuschillers.com
Air Cooled Chiller Condenser 2 Testing
Another system had been the only system running for some time.
Blocked Condenser
Grass pollination had caused a covering of organic material to accumulate on the condenser. The increased head pressure had caused the high pressure switch to trip. This type of material was easy for our apprentice to remove, as it clumped together when brushed.
HP Reset
The high pressure switch was reset and the system was run tested. It did not trip again, but a high pressure condition still persisted in the condenser.
Chemical Clean
Therefore, our engineer decided to carry out a chemical clean. After the whole of the ‘v’ type condenser was cleaned- the pressure came down a little.
Non Condensables
This system stayed running, but in the high fan speed. On the upcoming maintenance visit, a refrigerant diagnosis will be carried out to assess whether there are non condensables in the system. If this is the case, a false reading of subcooling will be recorded, as the non condensables throw out the calculation.
Cool Building
With 2 systems now running, the water system got down to set point. Our customer was really happy as the situation had gone from: office workers walking out of the building- to a cool building before 10 o’ clock on the first day of the contract.
Air Cooled Chiller Condenser 3 Testing
The third system had been on pressure test for the past 2 months with the condenser valved off. There was still pressure in the system, but our engineer decided to confirm the pressure test for himself. He did this by leaving it on pressure while having a drive round the suppliers. Several hours later, the pressure had remained constant, so he was able to start the evacuation process. After this was completed, the system was recharged and run tested. Now there were 3 systems up and running.
0161 237 3727
service@maximuschillers.com
Air Cooled Chiller Condenser PRV Testing
The pressure relief valves on the condensers have recently been changed. Industry guidelines state that they should be tested or replaced every 5 years. There is no guarantee that the PRVs will re seal satisfactorily after they have been tested. Therefore, in practice they are usually replaced. We inspected the date of the replacement, the burst pressure, the associated certification and paperwork- all was found to be satisfactory.
Air Cooled Chiller Condenser 4 Testing
The fourth system has a leak on the condenser with some refrigerant remaining in the system. This refrigerant will need to be decanted on a subsequent visit using a pump out unit and a recovery cylinder.
F-gas Leak Testing
The entire system will be pressure leak tested to identify the location of all leaks. Then, the leaks will be repaired using oxy-acetylene. After this, the system will be pressure tested to ensure its integrity.
Dehydration
Then, the dehydration process will be carried out. The achievable pressure of the vacuum pump will be tested and recorded. Evacuation will be carried out until this recorded pressure is achieved. Our engineers are issued with a powerful 10 cfm vacuum pump to speed up this process. This system will then be recharged and its operation tested.
Air Cooled Chiller Condenser Testing and Calibration
One of many tests that we will carry out on the upcoming maintenance visit is condenser transducer calibration. Transducer readings are not linear, so care will be taken to achieve an accurate calibration. A password will be entered into the controller to gain access to the required menu. Then, each of the transducers will be adjusted. The result of this means that accurate diagnosis can be carried out and the correct subcooling readings can be recorded.
The above is just part of the service that we provide to you- the customer! Having the capability to do anything and to extend the life of your chillers is part of what we call the MAXIMUS ADVANTAGE™ Any Chiller- Any Problem- Any Part- Any Refrigerant- Anywhere.
Related Articles:
Chilling Plant Service
Chilled Water System EEV Service
Water System Service of Evaporator
Process Chiller Vacuum Service
Chiller Fault Finding & Diagnosis
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Read more about an electrical transformer on Wikipedia