Case Study from HYDROPATH Asia
Chiller efficiency and scale on two 180 TR chillers
Chiller efficiency and scale were directly linked on two 180 TR chillers in Hong Kong, where scale kept building up despite yearly acid cleaning, twice-yearly cooling tower cleaning and continuous chemical treatment. The system was city-water cooled, and the deposits were pulling performance down. One HydroFLOW® unit was fitted to the chiller system. Over the following year the existing deposits reduced, heat transfer improved and efficiency rose by a measured 16%. Yearly acid cleaning of the condenser tubes was no longer required, and chemical treatment was reduced. The gain was measured across a full year of operation, not a single reading.
The Challenges
- Chiller efficiency and scale were directly linked, with build-up lowering performance
- Condenser tubes were acid-cleaned every year
- Cooling towers were cleaned twice a year
- Continuous chemical treatment was required
- Energy use was rising as heat transfer surfaces fouled
The Solution
- Unit installed: one HydroFLOW® unit
- Installation point: city-water cooled chiller system serving two 180 TR chillers
- Monitoring period: one year
- Previous treatment: yearly acid cleaning and continuous chemical treatment
The unit was fitted to the city-water cooled system serving both chillers, and efficiency was then measured over a year. The signal disrupts the conditions that bond scale to surfaces, so existing deposits reduced over time and heat transfer improved. The 16% efficiency gain is a direct measure of what chiller efficiency and scale had been costing the plant.
