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Why is the ammonia chiller more efficient?

By Henrik Kudsk
Product Manager
Sabroe Refrigeration (YORK Denmark ApS)

Some refrigerants and systems are more efficient than others. The air conditioning systems
installed today cannot be based on old refrigerants like R22, because they deplete the ozone
layer and contribute to global warming. The substances substituting R22 are either energy
inefficient, or the cooling effect is smaller. But there is another much more efficient solution
involving ammonia - an old industrial refrigerant.

Compared with a standard water-cooled commercial R407C chiller with a capacity of 400 kW
the ammonia chiller will reduce the power consumption by 44% for air conditioning! The initial
cost of the ammonia chiller is high, but the typical break-even point is reached after only 2 or 3
years. After 10 years the total savings are more than 30% in spite of the high first cost. The
situation can be compared to buying a car. You can either buy a relatively cheap petrol model or
pay some more to get a more economical diesel model.

The figure below shows the total accumulated cost for the investment and the power consump-
tion for operation according to IPLV, 365 days a year.










Total accumulated cost
Investment and energy costs according
to ARI standard 550/590 IPLV






An ammonia chiller will be an advantage to the customer who invests in a chiller and pays for
the power consumption himself. Furthermore, the ammonia chiller will be an advantage to those
concerned about the environment and the global warming.

In fact there are two things that have a great impact on the energy efficiency. One is the use of
ammonia as refrigerant. Ammonia is a very light refrigerant with a high energy content which
makes it very efficient. Another thing is the use of a reciprocating compressor in combination
with a flooded system. Reciprocating compressors are considered old-fashioned. However, they
offer much better efficiencies than compact screws. At part load the reciprocating compressor
will keep the efficiency, whereas the screw becomes less efficient.
Assumptions Energy cost 8 eurocent/kWh Operation 365 days a year
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
0 2 4 6 8 10
Years

HFC chiller
NH3 Chiller
Total accumulated costs
Investment and energy costs
according to ARI standard
550/590 IPLV

12% @ 25% load
45% @ 50% load
42% @ 75% load
1% @ 100% load







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The screw compressor efficiency increases with the size. However, the reciprocating com-
pressors are much more efficient below 500 kW. Some of the HFC chillers use small screw
compressors, which gives them good part load performance at 50%, but poor overall
performance and poor performance at full load.

Chillers for air conditioning purposes seldom operate at full load. The part load performance has
enormous impact on the total average power consumption. For American climatic conditions we
have a standard called ARI standard 550/590 IPLV. This standard specifies an average coeffi-
cient of performance (COP) for one year and makes it easy to compare the power consumption
of different chillers. The climatic conditions around the world are of course not the same as in
the USA, and thus we will not see a completely true picture, but it is still better than comparing at
full load.

Eurovent compares and classifies chillers in Europe, but it is done at full load only, and the
comparison is not as advanced as the American ARI standard, because only few chillers
operate at full load all the time. On the webpage: www.eurovent-certification.com you can see
the details and the certified products. Normally, the ammonia chillers are not certified, but if they
were, they should be certified in the A category.

Some years ago a refrigeration system working with ammonia was a heavy and large plant built
direct on the site. Nowadays you can buy a factory-built and fully tested ammonia unit which is
even smaller than an HFC chiller. Despite the compact size the ammonia chillers are industrial
products suited for heavy duty use for at least 20 years.

Ammonia is toxic and more dangerous than the HFC refrigerants, but serious improvements
have been made, and the charge has been considerably reduced. The ammonia is kept in the
machine room and does not create any problems in practical life.

Todays political trend is to reduce the use of HFC gases, either by imposing taxes like in
Norway, Denmark and Austria, or by stopping the production (CFC gases). Ammonia is a
natural refrigerant which does not have any impact on the environment and it will not be subject
to taxation or price increases

One of the most efficient and compact ammonia chillers on the market is the ChillPAC from One
of the most efficient and compact ammonia chillers on the market is the Sabroe ChillPAC. It is
basically an industrial chiller, but due to the very compact design it is well-suited for air
conditioning and other chilling applications. You can read more about the product and its
possibilities on www.sabroe.com, or you may contact your local YORK dealer for more
information.