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2 ● Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 37–3 providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
Free-cooling chiller. Another method fewer pipes, pumps and fittings and no The water economizer must either
of "free" cooling is to transfer heat heat exchanger are required. create the leaving chilled-water
between the cooling tower water and setpoint, or the plant must mix colder-
the chilled water inside a centrifugal If the free-cooling chiller is part of a than-required water from the operating
chiller through the use of refrigerant traditional parallel chiller lineup, chiller with warmer water from the
migration, also known as a simultaneous operation is not possible economizer to satisfy the chilled-water
thermosiphon. When the temperature without blending leaving chilled-water setpoint. This is seen as undesirable as
of the water from the cooling tower is temperatures. It is common for it may use as much energy as it saves.
colder than the desired chilled-water designers to embrace a heat exchanger The chiller uses 1.0 to 2.5% more
temperature, the compressor is turned in series with a chiller but less energy per degree of colder water
off and automatic shutoff valves inside common to embrace chillers in series. created. In this case, since the
the chiller refrigerant circuit are If simultaneous operation is desired, temperature is then raised by the
opened. Because refrigerant vapor the free-cooling chiller should be warmer water from the economizer, no
migrates to the area with the lowest installed in the same location as the pump energy savings are available to
temperature, refrigerant boils in the heat exchanger in Figure 3. balance the increased chiller energy.
evaporator and the vapor migrates to Thus, the parallel arrangement is often
the cooler condenser. After the considered an "all or nothing" design.
refrigerant condenses, it flows by That is, if the water economizer cannot
gravity back to the evaporator.This System configuration and meet the entire load, the plant
allows refrigerant to circulate between controller stops the economizing cycle
control
the evaporator and condenser without and reverts to standard mechanical
the need to operate the compressor. cooling. The number of hours suitable
Parallel configuration. In this for water-side economizing is thereby
Depending on the application, it is arrangement, the placement of the reduced.
possible for refrigerant migration in a water economizer is similar to an
centrifugal chiller to satisfy many hours additional chiller in a parallel plant
of cooling load without operating the arrangement, Figure 2.
compressor. Free cooling chillers
serving systems that can tolerate
warmer chilled-water temperatures at Figure 2. Water economizer piped in parallel with chillers
part-load conditions can produce over
60% of the rated capacity without cooling tower
compressor operation.
distribution
pump
For example, a 1000-ton chiller supplied
with 35°F tower water can create a
maximum 638 tons at 45°F chilled-
water temperature. Assuming the same
water flows, the same chiller supplied
with 40°F tower water would create 638
tons at 50°F chilled water. These
numbers are representative and vary
based on the chiller selection.
providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 37–3 ● 3
Series configuration. To resolve the Figure 3: Water economizer piped in side Control implications. The series
stream (series) arrangement arrangement has less risk of
need for mixing during simultaneous
operation (and to meet ASHRAE 90.1's disrupting cooling during system
integrated operation requirement transition—primarily when going from
where required), a water economizer is mechanical to free cooling. For the
often piped in series or sidestream parallel arrangement, it is more difficult
with the rest of the chiller plant, to develop automated algorithms for
Figure 3. predicting the proper switch-over point
to minimize system disruption. Without
Water cooled by the economizer can automation, the process can be based
be further cooled by one or more active on the operator's intuition and past
chillers. More hours are suitable for knowledge. But the operator is
water-side economizing in this typically not there between 10pm and
arrangement than the parallel 3am when the mode will most likely
arrangement, and integrated cooling work. A poorly conceived automatic
economizing is accomplished without towers
system during initiation of all-or-nothing
mixing. Control at transition is also free cooling will likely be disabled.
simpler with the series arrangement.
condenser With the series configuration, the
pump(s)
One common concern about piping control system can try to initiate free
water economizers in series with cooling and if it doesn't meet all the
chillers is that the touted benefits— load, the now partially-loaded chiller
heat
integrated, simultaneous operation and free cooling exchanger will meet the rest. The decision can
pump
simplified transitions—requires that then be made to either remain in partial
the chiller be able to operate at colder- economizer, or revert back to full
than-normal condenser water mechanical cooling. (Generally if load
temperatures. or wet-bulb temperature are dropping,
remaining on economizer mode is
There are several methods for advantageous.)
condenser water temperature control.
For example, a condenser bypass lets
When to initiate free cooling. Free
the chiller compressor heat the
cooling mode in a series arrangement
condenser water enough to meet
can be initiated as soon as the tower
minimum chiller requirements. Some
water can be made cold enough for the
chillers may even have this feature as
system to benefit. For best system
standard. Another technique is to
For this reason, towers or tower cells efficiency, the tower is not likely to be
dedicate a separate tower loop to the
for the economizer or free cooling producing its coldest possible water
chiller when running simultaneous free
chiller are often separated from those when the decision to enter free cooling
cooling. This could be a back-up tower
serving operating chillers, so that the mode is made.[5] Therefore, it is
that is typically idle, or created through
chiller requirements and the necessary to predict if cold enough
valves and extra piping.
economizer requirements do not tower water could be produced, so that
One side-effect of having the chiller conflict during simultaneous operation. the chiller or chiller compressor can be
and the water economizer on the same In addition, the tower fans serving the turned off.
cooling tower circuit is that the chiller chiller can be optimally controlled to
minimize chiller-plus-tower energy.[5] So, how can we predict potential tower
compressor will increase the tower
performance before attempting switch-
load by its motor heat. This will, in turn,
Alternatively, a small air-cooled chiller over? Imagine a system with the water
cause tower approach and leaving-
sized for the excess load may be economizer in sidestream position
water temperature to increase. But
advantageous if the tower circuits (Figure 3) and the following design
with an economizer still operating, we
cannot be separated. criteria:
would prefer that the tower water stay
as cold as possible (as cold as it would
have been without the chiller on).
4 ● Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 37–3 providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
42°F leaving-water temperature The tower has to work harder to reject In free cooling mode, there is no heat of
48°F maximum chilled-water the same amount of heat as the wet compression or motor heat to reject to
temperature
bulb drops, and it also works harder as the cooling tower, so tower load and
12° chilled-water delta T
the load goes up. If we take that one tower approach will be lower than for
5°F tower approach (constant)
mechanical cooling mode at the same
3°F heat exchanger approach step further, as the wet bulb falls or the
hour. So if the tower is in free cooling-
load goes up, the tower approach goes only mode, the tower load equals the
The simplistic control would enter up. Due to the increase in approach building cooling load.
economizing mode whenever the temperature, tower fan energy will
outdoor wet bulb is 40ºF or less increase. System energy savings are
(40+5+3 = 48). One problem with this diminished and free cooling becomes
control is that the tower approach is less desirable.
not constant—it varies both with load
and wet-bulb temperature. Based on this information (as shown in Approach is the temperature difference
Table 1), you can predict the wet-bulb between what is being produced and the
Tower performance. There are three “power source” that creates the product.
temperature at which the water
problems with predicting tower In the case of a cooling tower, the
economizer can reduce the return- “product” is cold water leaving the tower
performance by assuming a constant water temperature enough to initiate and ambient wet bulb is the driving force
tower approach to wet bulb. It free cooling. that creates the cold water. If a cooling
understates the number of hours tower produces 85°F cold water when the
available for economizing at warmer How many hours? Standard 90.1 ambient wet bulb is 78°F, then the
cooling tower approach is 7°F.
wet-bulb temperatures and overstates requires that full capacity must be
the cooling effect available at low wet- achieved by the water economizer
bulb temperatures. It also incorrectly when the outdoor temperature is 50°F
predicts the chiller energy DB and 45°F WB (unless there are
consumption. These errors lead us to dehumidification issues). So, if the
seek a better method. economizer design is correct, a simple
perusal of the hours below 45°F WB is
A reputable energy analysis program, a good initial guess.
tested in accordance with ASHRAE
Standard 140, will probably model the But are there any more hours
tower adequately. Table 1 shows tower available? It depends. Is the desired
performance at various tower load and threshold cooling capacity or maximum
wet-bulb conditions typical during chilled-water setpoint? More hours are
water economizer operation, which available if the chilled-water
assumes that there is no compressor temperature is allowed to float upward
heat to be rejected. The tower was until a zone humidity or space
selected with 85°F design leaving temperature alarm terminates free
water, 7°F design approach and a 10°F cooling or starts a supplemental chiller.
range.
providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 37–3 ● 5
In an office building in Chicago a
simulation showed that there were 730 Table 2. Tower-leaving temperature at various load and wet-bulb temperatures
hours when the wet bulb was between
wet-bulb temperature
28ºF and 48ºF and there was a call for
cooling. In contrast, a simulation of a %
building 48 46 44 42 40 38 36 34 32 30 28
hospital in Chicago found 1,980 hours
load
in that wet-bulb range. Surely not all of
these will be candidates for water-side 30 52.4 50.8 49.2 47.6 46.0 44.3 42.7 41.2 41.2
economizing, but many will. Table 2 25 51.9 50.3 48.6 46.9 45.2 43.5 41.9 40.1 40.1
builds on Table 1 to show the coldest
20 51.5 49.8 48.0 46.1 44.3 42.7 41.0 39.1 39.1
water that could be supplied to the free
cooling device. 15 50.8 50.0 47.1 45.2 43.4 41.7 40.0 38.2 38.2
10 50.1 48.2 46.3 44.4 42.5 40.8 38.9 37.3 37.3 37.3 37.3
The next step is to apply the
performance (approach) of the water 5 50.1 48.2 46.3 44.4 42.5 40.8 38.9 37.3 37.3 37.3
Tower modeled with 85ºF design leaving water, 7ºF design approach and a 10ºF range
economizer to determine the heat
Note: Shaded combinations were not present in the building model used.
exchanger leaving-water temperature
(Table 3).
Table 3. Heat exchanger leaving temperature at various load and wet-bulb temperatures
Alternatively use the thermosiphon wet-bulb temperature
chiller performance to determine the
% 48 46 44 42 40 38 36 34 32 30 28
temperature of water it could produce
building
(Table 4). load
The final step is to compare the 30 55.4 53.8 52.2 50.6 49.0 47.3 45.7 44.2 44.2
temperature leaving the water 25 54.9 53.3 51.6 49.9 48.2 46.5 44.9 43.1 43.1
economizer with the maximum chilled-
20 54.5 52.8 51.0 49.1 47.3 45.7 44.0 42.1 42.1
water reset value. If it is lower, then
the load can be met and the system 15 53.8 53.0 50.1 48.2 46.4 44.7 43.0 41.2 41.2
could initiate free cooling. If it is higher, 10 53.1 51.2 49.3 47.4 45.5 43.8 41.9 40.3 40.3 40.3 40.3
then in a series arrangement, free
5 53.1 51.2 49.3 47.4 45.5 43.8 41.9 40.3 40.3 40.3
cooling could be attempted and the
Heat exchanger approach assumed constant at 3ºF and tower temperatures from Table 2
chiller would stay on to handle the rest
Note: Shaded combinations were not present in the building model used.
of the load. In parallel operation, free
cooling would not be attempted.
Table 4. Free-cooling (thermosiphon) chiller leaving temperature at various load and wet-bulb
What about optimization? It may be temperatures
6 ● Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 37–3 providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
When to exit free cooling. Exiting References.
free cooling is more simple than Closing thoughts [1] A New Era of Free Cooling, 1991 Trane.
initiating, because the free cooling Vol. 20 No. 3.
effect on the system is already Water-side economizing—whether by
known.The decision can use any of the plate-and-frame heat exchanger, chiller [2] Water-side Heat Recovery, 2007 Trane.
Vol. 36 No. 1.
following criteria. thermosiphon cycle, or another
method—can provide limited amounts [3] Keeping Cool with Outdoor Air…Airside
For simultaneous free cooling: of cooling when ambient wet-bulb Economizers, 2006 Trane. Vol. 35 No. 2.
1 when the return water temperature is reduced temperatures are low. Chilled-water
by less than 2ºF temperature as high as 50°F is often [4] ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard
2 based on expected time-of-day scheduled load 90.1–2007. Energy Standard for
acceptable during this type of cooling Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential
patterns
because cooling load is lower and Buildings. Atlanta, GA: ASHRAE.
3 based on ambient wet-bulb temperature
latent load does not exist at these
conditions. The elevation of chilled- [5] Tower Water Temperature…Control It
For stand-alone free cooling: How??!, 1995 Trane. Vol. 24 No. 1.
water temperature aids this type of
1 when humidity or temperature control is
compromised cooling as heat follows its natural
2 based on expected time-of-day scheduled load tendency toward colder areas: from
patterns the air side, to chilled water, to tower
3 based on ambient wet-bulb temperature water, to ambient air, without the aid of
a compressor. If supply-air temperature
The second and third criteria could also must be lower, or as ambient wet-bulb
be set up as lock-outs to prevent the temperature climbs, the driving force
initiation of free cooling when it is for free cooling is reduced.
unlikely to work, or when tighter
system control is required.
By Susanna Hanson, applications engineer and
Jeanne Harshaw, information designer, Trane.
You can find this and previous issues of the
Engineers Newsletter at www.trane.com/
engineersnewsletter. To comment, e-mail us at
comfort@trane.com
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providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 37–3 ● 7
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the material presented.
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