The photo above is overseas chiller maintenance being carried by one of our engineers near to The Spanish Office in Málaga, Spain.
Spain Overseas Chiller Maintenance
As you can see from the Tick Sheet, we carry out an extensive list of checks to extend the life of your chillers. The site is a hotel and the chillers are used for the cooling the rooms during the hot summer.
Pump
A pump room is located near to the chillers and N+1 redundancy is built in with a spare pump. When a fault occurs with the pump, the controls automatically switch over to the other pump. This is so seamless chilling of the water continues.
Water System
The chilled water then discharges into the chiller evaporators where it is chilled to 7°C. This chilled water then circulates around the hotel cooling the fan coils in the rooms…
Fan Coils
Each room in the hotel has a fan coil which allows the chilled water to pass through when a solenoid valve opens. This solenoid valve is activated by a thermostat located on the wall in each room. Three fan speeds are also available which are controlled from the thermostat.
Refrigerant Leak Overseas Chiller Maintenance
A refrigerant leak was identified on this visit on Chiller 1 System 2. Our engineer noticed that the superheat was higher than usual and this system would not load up. The program prevents the loading of the screw compressor to prevent low pressure trips. We have submitted a Quote to carry out the repairs.
Condenser Fans
All of the condenser fans were checked and one fan on Chiller 2 was found to have seized. We have also submitted a Quote to replace the fan deck.
Program Settings
The onsite engineers make adjustments to the program in between visits and sometimes these settings are found to affect chiller performance. Therefore, all of the program settings were checked and adjusted.
Slovenia Overseas Chiller Maintenance
The next job scheduled for our overseas engineer is for an absorption machine in Slovenia. An explosion in a chemical plant caused a lot of damage to the cooling towers and the chiller. The damage to the cooling towers has been repaired and the water system repairs are underway. The visit is to assess the damage to the chiller and write a report for the subsequent repairs.
Overseas Chiller Maintenance Trip Planning
Slovenia is a part of the European Union so a Work VISA has been arranged for the visit. The customer has paid Pro Forma for a week which means 5 days on site with the travel on either end. They have also booked the flights and hotel required for our Engineer. HVAC and mechanical engineers will be arranged to be on site at the same time as our engineer. This is to provide support with tools and materials required for the visit. The factory is 24/7, so our engineer will work over the weekend.
Fault Finding
The absorption machine has two water systems, one for the heating water and the other for the chilled water. To save time on site, the pipework and the end plates have been removed for inspection by our engineer. He will then diagnose the issues.
Report
On the last day of the visit, our engineer will write a report of how to progress the job. He will contact our suppliers in the UK and in Slovenia to get prices for the parts and materials required for the repair. A Quote will then be submitted and another date will be arranged to carry out the repairs.
Overseas Chiller Maintenance Commissioning
On the end of the repairs, the chiller will be commissioned to put it back into seamless operation. An extensive list of run tests and procedures will be carried out to ensure the chiller will have another 10 years of life.
Angola Offshore Overseas Chiller Maintenance
We are waiting for a VISA for the job in Angola as the one we requested came back with the wrong details. Things are always difficult for offshore overseas jobs and it has been postponed before. The vessel is due to be in Luanda for three days and so we are planning the trip for two days before. This is how long it takes to get down there as the flight has to relay off Dubai or Frankfurt. When our engineer arrives, he will be received by a driver at Luanda airport and taken straight to the port. Even though the vessel is in port, the VISA is still required as our engineer has to go through the port authorities to board the vessel.
Fault Finding
A large water cooled chiller has faults on both of its fridge systems which need to be diagnosed during the 3 days that the vessel is in port. This seems like a long time, but things move slowly in the oil industry. This is because of the Heath and Safety involved because of the flammability of oil and gas. Therefore, there will be a wait for Permits to be obtained and then more waiting for the HVAC technician and the electrician.
System 1 Overseas Chiller Maintenance
This system has a loading issue that has been there since commissioning. Our engineer will be looking at the electrical and mechanical functionality of the loading solenoids, also program setting issues. Our overseas engineer has a Password Book containing an extensive amount of manufacturer level passwords for all of the makes of chillers.
System 2 Overseas Chiller Maintenance
This system has an intermittent fault with the oil pressure differential. He will be taking pressure readings and looking at potential blockages in the oil return system.
Further Overseas Chiller Maintenance Visits
Slovenia and Angola will require further visits as will our other customer around the world.
Read more about our Chiller Maintenance