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MASTERCLASS - AIR CONDITIONING TECHNOLOGY PART 28 In last months article we continued with our study of low ambient control

methods under the current category of our review of Control, Safety & Protection Devices used in the Vapour Compression Cycle in which we covered plant room damper control, multiple fan and fan speed control. This month we complete this element by looking at Head Pressure Control of Water Cooled Systems. Head Pressure Control for Water Cooled Systems: Water cooled system are probably the most efficient in their ability to remove heat from a refrigeration plant and maintain low condensing temperatures. It is for this reason that they are (or were) first choice for use on larger refrigeration plant. Due to concerns about the spread of Legionnaires disease many users have reservations about using them and those that do use them are faced with considerable maintenance costs in ensuring that they comply with local Water Authority regulations. However if good practice is complied with, then they can be used safely and their efficiency used to reduce operating costs. Just as air cooled systems are affected by the temperature of the air onto their fin & tube condensers, water cooled system are affected by the temperature of the water entering their condensers. It makes no difference if the water cooled condenser is shell and tube or a plate heat exchanger or an evaporative condenser. It is therefore necessary to keep the temperature of the water flowing over the condensing tubes within system requirements. At one time a water cooled system may have used mains water or well water which would flow through the condenser and then to waste. Naturally, this method would no longer be allowed by any Water Authority. All water cooled systems therefore work with recycled or recirculated water. In this article we will cover the fundamental differences between Evaporative Condensers and Cooling Towers. Both are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 respectively. Figure 1 - Evaporative Condenser Evaporative Condensers Evaporative condensers can be described as being essentially the same as an air-cooled system but with the addition of water being sprayed onto the tubes containing discharge vapour. The other difference with air cooled condensers is that the condenser comprises of bare tubes without any fins. They have the advantage of being able to use the latent heat of vaporisation of water at ambient wet bulb temperature therefore their heat of rejection per meter of condenser tube is significantly greater than air cooled condenser tubes.

Typically an evaporative condenser will occupy 1/3rd the floor area of an air cooled condenser although it will be taller. Water is sprayed onto the pipe coils through a system of sparge pipes and then falls into a sump from which it is pumped up to the sparge pipes. To assist the rate of evaporation of the water, air is forced through the water spray by centrifugal or axial flow fans. Controlling condensing temperature with an evaporative condenser is primarily achieved by controlling the volume of air being circulated. On condensers fitted with centrifugal fans, pressure or temperature controlled dampers are fitted to the air outlet of the condenser. As the condensing pressure falls, the damper blades are rotated and close the air outlet. This reduces the air flow and capacity of the condenser. The reduced capacity of the condenser results in the condensing pressure stabilising or causes it to increase. Evaporative condensers fitted with propeller fans use fan speed as the method of controlling air volume rate. The simplest type of speed control is to fit a three phase two speed motor. The normal full speed operation of this motor is when the windings are connected in Delta. Changing the windings to Star connection reduces the speed between 20% and 30% depending on the number of poles within the motor. If this level of speed reduction is insufficient to maintain the discharge head pressure at the required level, then liquid backup will have to be used in conjunction with fan speed control. Alternatively an inverter controlled fan can be fitted and this would allow speed variations to less than 20% of full speed. It should be noted that attempting to control condensing pressure by switching the water spray pumps on and off is considered bad practice. The repeated wetting and drying of the condenser tube surface will result in the accumulation various deposits on the coil block and the resulting scale will reduce the efficiency of the condenser to the extent it will not have sufficient capacity at full load. In addition to the above restriction, frequent cycling of the fans should be avoided. Depending on the size of the fan motor, the number of starts may have to be restricted to between 6 and 12 starts per hour. As stated earlier, the usual coil configuration is bare tube but it is possible to order these types of condenser with finned coils. This is for those applications which have a predictable heat of rejection in winter which could be satisfied by the condenser running with air cooling only and which would allow the water circuit and sump to be drained off completely thereby avoiding freezing problems. Figure 2 - Cooling Tower

Cooling Towers Systems using water cooled condensers are invariably connected to cooling towers. Water is pumped from the sump of the tower through the condenser then to the top of the tower where it is sprayed over the tower fill material and then drains to the sump. Heat is removed from the water in the tower by heat conduction from water to air and by evaporation of the water. Since the water temperature leaving the tower is directly related to the ambient conditions, it is necessary to adjust the water temperature before it enters the condenser. The first step in controlling water temperature is at the cooling tower and this is achieved by controlling the volume of air circulated by the tower fans, either by dampers or by fan speed control, as described in evaporative condensers above. The second step is to force the water to recirculate by fitting a by-pass valve between the condenser outlet pipe and the pump inlet connection (See Figure 1 Schematic (C)). The three way by-pass valve modulates the return water by sensing the temperature of water entering the condenser or by sensing the condensing pressure. As the temperature of the water entering the condenser falls below a predetermined level, the valve seat gradually closes the outlet to the tower and opens the outlet to the pump, thereby by-passing the tower and its water cooling capability. With this arrangement the water flow rate through the water pump and condenser are constant, a condition that satisfies the pump and condenser manufacturers, however it does result in considerable fluctuation of the water flow through the tower. This condition is unsatisfactory to the cooling tower manufacturer as it is possible for the tower fill material and sparge pipes to dry out which results in a build up of deposits. (If the tower has not been maintained correctly, there would also be an increased risk of bacterial contamination of the water remaining in the sump). When this condition is likely to occur, an auxiliary pump assembly should be included with the cooling tower. This pump would be controlled by a flow switch or an auxiliary contact on the three way by-pass valve controller. This method would ensure that the tower fill material was always kept wet. NEXT MONTH: Part 29 - Control & Protection Devices - continued

DISCLAIMER: Whilst every effort is made to ensure absolute accuracy, Business Edge Ltd will not accept any responsibility or liability for direct or indirect losses arising from the use of the data contained in this series of articles.

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