02/05/2017 WEBEXCLUSIVE:RefrigerantStackingandCarryoverinWaterCooledChillers|FacilityExecutiveCreatingIntelligentBuildings

WEBEXCLUSIVE:RefrigerantStackingandCarryoverin
WaterCooledChillers
June19,2006

TodaysWebExclusivecomesfromDonClark,presidentofEfficiencyTechnologies,Inc.ofTulsa,OK.Clarkhasover25yearsin
thefluiddynamics,watertreatmentandchillerindustries.Hecanbereachedat(866)3338321.

Tounderstandrefrigerantstackingandcarryover,youmustfirstbefamiliarwiththecoolingcycleforwatercooledchillers.To
begin,chillerscirculatechilledwaterinaclosedloopsystemfromtheevaporatortoairhandlerswhereheatistransferredfrom
thecirculatingairtothechilledwater(Figure1A).Thewarmedwaterreturnstotheevaporatorwhereheatistransferredfromthe
watertoacold,lowpressureliquidrefrigerant(Figure1B).Thecompressorcreatesacontinuouslowpressureintheevaporator,
makingitpossiblefortheliquidrefrigeranttoboilintoalowpressurevapor(Figure1C).Thisvaporabsorbstheheatandtransfersit
outoftheevaporatorintothecompressor(Figure1D).Onceinsidethecompressor,thelowpressurevaporiscompressedintoahot,
highpressurevapor(Figure1E).Thehighpressurevapordischargesfromthecompressorandentersthecondenserwheretheheat
istransferredtothecoldercondenserwatercirculatingfromthecoolingtowerbasin(Figure1F).Removingtheheatfromthehigh
pressurevaporcausesittocondenseintoawarm,highpressureliquid.Additionalheatcanberemovedfromthehighpressure
liquidrefrigerantthroughasubcoolerorstoragevesselinthecondenserpriortoreturningtotheevaporatorwheretheprocess
beginsagain.Theheattransferiscompletedwhenthecondenserwaterleavesthechillerandcirculatestotheopencoolingtower,
whereheatisremovedbyevaporationtotheatmosphere,causingthewatertemperaturetodroppriortoreturningbacktothe
condenser(Figure1G).

Figure1.TheCoolingCycle

Stackingistheabnormalaccumulationofrefrigerantinthecondenser,commonlycausedbyadecreaseinthedifferenceinpressure
orliftbetweenthecondenserandtheevaporator.Thisreducedpressuredroppreventstherefrigerantsabilitytophysicallyflow
backtotheevaporatorandmaintainanormalrefrigerantcycle.

Carryoveristhepresenceofliquidrefrigerantdropletsinthecold,lowpressurevaporproducedintheevaporator.Generally,there
aretwotypesofcarryover.Thefirsttypeisbydesignandcontrolledwiththeintentofenhancingthelubricationprocessinthe
compressor.Thesecondtypeisnotbydesign,andifexcessivecanbedetrimentaltotheperformanceandreliabilityofachiller.
Whenthisoccurs,liquidrefrigerantdropletstravelfromtheevaporatortothecompressorinlet(Figure2).

Figure2.RefrigerantCarryover

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Astheseliquiddropletsenterthecompressorsystemtheyvaporizeonthemetalinternals,strippingawaylubricant.Ultimatelythis
oilstrippedfromthecompressorbecomesentrainedinthehot,highpressurerefrigerantvaporandentersthecondenser.Oncethis
happens,oilfromthesumpisusedtoreplacethestrippedoil,causingtheoilleveltodropinthecompressoroilreserve(see
CompressorOilLevelsDropsection).Entrainedoiltravelswiththerefrigerantasitcondensesfromthehot,highpressurevaporto
thewarm,highpressureliquidinthecondenser.Theexcessiveoilinthewarmliquidrefrigerantthenreturnstotheevaporator
wheretheoilseparatesfromtherefrigerant.Onceseparated,theoilcanberemovedandreturntothecompressoroilreserve.Also,
inseverecases,carryovercancauseexcessiveliquidrefrigeranttoaccumulate(stack)inthecondenser.

Althoughstackingandcarryoveroccurundersimilarconditionsinachiller,theycandeveloptogetherorseparately.Identifyingand
preventingtheseconditionsarecoveredthroughoutthisarticle.

Stackingandcarryovercanbeverycommon,affectingalltypesofwatercooledchillers.However,lowpressurechillers,which
operatetheevaporatorinavacuum,aremoresusceptible.Comparedtohighpressurechillers,theydonothavealargedifferencein
refrigerantpressurebetweenthecondenserandevaporator.Figure3illustratesthecomparisonofalowpressurechillerusingR123
refrigerantandahighpressurechillerusingR134refrigerant.At65FEnteringCondenserWaterTemperature(ECWT)and40F
evaporatorchillwatertemperature,thepressuredifferenceintheR123machineis4.5psi.ThepressuredifferenceintheR134
machineis28.9psi.Itisthisliftinbothchillersthatcanbebeneficialordetrimentalifnotproperlymaintained.Tobefair,the
advantageoflowpressurechillersistheability,inmostcases,toachievealowerFullLoadDesign(FLD)kW/Ton.Dependingon
plantdesignandoperations,bothtypeshavetheiradvantages.

Figure3.Pressure/TemperatureChartComparison

Therearethreeconditionsthatcausestackingandcarryover:mechanical,maintenanceandthemostcommonoperational.

MechanicalProblems.Therearethreetowertemperaturecontrolproblemsthatcancausestackingandcarryoverinchillers.Firstis
thelocationofthetowertemperaturecontrol.ThistemperatureshouldmirrortheECWT.Second,historesisisthedelayedreaction
timeofthecontrolleraffectingtheabilitytomaintainatighttemperaturerange.Thethirdandmostcommonproblemistower
operationsmaintainingtemperaturestoocoldforthedesignofthechiller.Toremedytheseproblems,makesurethetower
temperatureiscontrolledinthebasin,mirroringtheECWT.Improvecontrolstokeepamaximum2Fhigh/lowtemperaturerangein
thetowerbasin.MaintainthedesignECWTforthechiller.Allwillhelpcontributetoawellrun,efficientplant.

Amalfunctioningoruncalibratedrefrigerantlevelcontrolinthecondensercancreatestackingbynotallowingrefrigeranttoflow
backtotheevaporator.Refrigerantbuildsupinthecondenser,whileatthesametimeloweringrefrigerantlevelsintheevaporator

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duetoanunbalancedrefrigerantcycle.Thechillerlosesheattransferefficiencyandmayshutdownonlowevaporatorrefrigerant
temperature.

MaintenanceProblems.Itcanbedifficulttoaddtheproperamountofrefrigeranttoachillerthereforerefrigerantoverchargemay
occurwhenthechillerisserviced.Thisadditionalrefrigerantisaddedtocompensateforthelossduringnormaloperationsorleaks
(whichhavebeenrepaired).Asaresult,stackingandcarryovermayoccur.Whenthishappens,itisgenerallyeasytoidentify.The
obvioussignsarehigherthannormalrefrigerantpressuresinboththeevaporatorandcondenserafterthechillerwasserviced.
Extremeoverchargewillcausethechillertorunpoorlyorhavedifficultystayingonlineduetohighcondenserheadpressure.A
superheatte

stisanexcellenttoolforverifyingandensuringproperrefrigerantlevels(seeSidebarbelow).

OperationalProblems.Theprimarycauseofstackingandcarryover,asitrelatestooperations,istheoperatorrunningtheECWT
toolowforthechillerloadconditions.Thiscanbringaboutstacking,orinextremecases,carryoverwithstacking.Bothcause
chillerinefficiencyanddamageovertime.

ECWTscanhaveagoodorbadimpactonchillers.LoweringtheECWTcanbeagreatenergymanagementpracticeifdonewithin
thechillerdesignparameters.Forexample,every1FdropinECWTbelowFLDcanimproveachillersefficiencyupto1.5%
dependingonthechillerdesign.LoweringtheECWTreducesthelift,makingitpossibleforthecompressortouselessenergyto
producethedesiredcapacity(tonnage).Thisisextremelyvaluable,consideringthecostofenergytodayandthatchillersare
typicallythelargestenergyconsumerinmostfacilities.However,thereisafinelinebetweengoodenergymanagementand
initiatingpotentialproblemsduetolowECWTs.

ChillermanufacturerstodaynotonlybuildchillerswithmoreefficientFLDkW/Ton,buttheycanalsodesignchillerstomaximize
efficiencyatpartloads.Sincemostchillersruninpartloads~98%ofthetime,itisuptothefacilitytodecidewhichchillerbestfits
theirneedsandtomastertheoperationofthesechillerstoachievethelowestkW/Tonunderallconditions.Theymustalsooperate
inamannerthatprotectsthisveryexpensiveequipment.

Intermsofpotentialsavings,awellrunchillershouldachieveanoveralloperatingkW/TonbelowFLDkW/Tonby5%to15%for
constantspeeddrives,andby20%to30%forvariablespeeddrives.Howcanplantsachievethisefficiency?Primarily,maintaining
thedesignECWTforthechillerloadandusingtheoperatorsknowledgeofthechillertomaximizeitsperformance.Thereisno
substituteforwelltrainedoperatingengineershowever,theyneedtherequireddataandanalysistomakeinformeddecisionswhen
operatingachillertoachieveitsbestefficiency.

Bothstackingandcarryoveraffectchillerperformanceandarenoteasilydetectedfromasinglesensor.Infact,itrequiresmultiple
sensors,experiencedoperatorsanddataanalysistopositivelyidentify.Therefore,itistypicallyonlydiagnosedinseverecases,
usuallywhenthechillershutsdownorafteranoilorrefrigerantanalysisisperformed.Furthermore,misunderstandingofthese
conditionsmayleadtofalseassumptionslikelowoilandrefrigerantlevels,resultinginexcessoilbeingaddedtothechilleror
refrigerantovercharge.

CompressorOilLevelsDrop.WhenoillevelsdropinthecompressorsumpduetolowECWT,itcanprompttheoperatortoadd
additionaloil.Later,whentheECWTreturnstonormal,excessoilseparatesintheevaporator,whereitisremovedandreturnstofill
thecompressoroilsumpwithsurplusoil.Thissurplusoilmayneedtobemanuallyremoved.However,ifthechillercontinuesto
runwithlowECWTs,lowoillevelsmaypersistandevenmoreoiladded.Thismakesitpossibleforthisexcessoiltoemulsifyinthe
refrigerantandinhibitheattransferontheevaporatortubes.

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Keepdetailedrecordsofoiladditionsbetweenoilchanges.Whentheadditionsaremade,checkforleaks.Ifnoleaksexist,examine
operations.Lookforfoamingintheevaporatorrefrigerantsightgaugeasasignofhighoillevelsintherefrigerant.Lookfor
refrigerantboilinginthecompressoroilsightgaugeasasignofstackingand/orcarryover.

EvaporatorLiquidRefrigerantLevelsDrop.ThiscanhappenveryquicklyorslowlydependingonthedisparitybetweentheECWT
andchillerload.Whensevere,therefrigerantisrapidlypulledoutoftheevaporatorandstackedinthecondenser.Thismaycause
thechillertoshutdownonlowrefrigeranttemperature.Therefrigerantcycleisbrokenduetolowlift.IncreasingECWTrestoresthe
liftandtherefrigerantwillgobacktoabalancedcyclebetweenthecondenserandevaporator.

Seasonalcoldweatherconditionscanmaketowerwaterbasintemperaturesdifficulttocontrolandthepotentialforstackingand
carryovergreater.Duringstartup,loweringthedemandlimitonthechillerand/orreducingcondenserflowmaybetheeasiest
solutionforprovidingthedesiredcondenserwatertemperature.

OilandRefrigerantAnalysis.Itisbestpracticetoperformquarterlyoilanalysisandrefrigerantanalysiswhenproblemsare
suspected.Abnormallyhighmetalcontentintheoilanalysiscanbeanindicatorofpastrefrigerantcarryoverandbearingwear
causedbyincreasedfrictionfromstrippingthelubrication.Thechillerrepresentativeandaphysicalinspectionofthecompressor
bearingscanconfirmthis.Thereisanacceptablelevelofoilthatcanbeinarefrigerantanalysisandnotimpedechillerheattransfer.
Whenrefrigerantcarryoverischronic,thepercentageofoilintherefrigerantwillincrease,causingheattransferproblems.

ChillerDiagnosticsSoftware.Investinginachillerdiagnosticsprogram,suchasEffTrack,canmakeiteasytoidentifystacking
andcarryover.EffTrackcollects,stores,andanalyzeschilleroperatingdatatodetermineperformance,diagnosecausesof
inefficiency,andrecommendcorrectiveaction.TheEffTrackmonitoringservicenotifiesplantcontactsifproblemsoccur.Plant
operatorsandfacilitymanagerscanreviewthehourlyupdatedinformationbyloggingintoEffTrackfromanycomputerwith
Internetaccess.ByfollowingtheEffTrackrecommendationsforimprovement,plantoperatorscaneliminatechillerfaultsand
significantlylowerthechillerkW/TonandplantkWhconsumption.ThesesavingsareidentifiedandmeasuredintheEffTrackDaily
Reports(Figure4).Inadditiontostackingandcarryover,EffTrackcanidentifyhighorlowrefrigerantlevels,compressorproblems,
waterflowrateproblemsincludingpluggedorrestrictedwaterflow,foulingandscaling,noncondensablegassesinlowpressure
chillers,cyclesofconcentrationproblems,andsensorcalibrationproblemsorbaddata.

Figure4.EffTrackDailyReportandRefrigerantStackingDiagnostic

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Everychillerhasitsownuniquecircumstancesthatcreatestackingandcarryover.Askyourchillermanufacturerwhatisthebest
operatingconditionsforECWTandthematchingpartloadvalues.Thendevelopaprogramformonitoringefficiencyand
identifyingchillerproblems.Onceachieved,thefacilitycanreaptherewardsofpeakefficiencyandperformanceatthelowest
possibleexpense.

SIDEBAR:SUPERHEATTEST
Thepurposeofthesuperheattestistoidentifyhighorlowrefrigerantlevels.Toperformthistest,thechillermustbebroughtupto
FLDconditions,i.e.,100%loadandtypically85FECWTwithdesignwaterflows.

SuperheatTestforDirectExpansion(DX)andScrewCompressorChillers
OncethechillerisbroughtuptoFLDconditions,measurethetemperatureonthesuctionline,closetothecompressor.Next,
measurethepressureonthesuctionline.Usingauniversalpressure/temperaturechart*,determinethesaturatedrefrigerant
temperaturefrommeasuredpressure.Subtractthemeasuredtemperaturefromthesaturatedrefrigeranttemperaturetogetthe
superheatvalue.Typically,thestandardsuperheatvalueisbetween12Fand17F.

SuperheatTestforCentrifugalChillers
OncethechillerisbroughtuptoFLDconditions,measurethetemperatureonthedischarge(highpressure)line,closetothe
compressor.Next

,measurethecondenserrefrigerantpressure.Usingauniversalpressure/temperaturechart*,determinethesaturatedrefrigerant
temperaturefrommeasuredpressure.Subtractthesaturatedrefrigeranttemperaturefromthemeasuredtemperaturetogetthe
superheatvalue.Typically,thestandardsuperheatvalueisbetween10Fand20F.

Ahighsuperheatvalueisanindicationoflowrefrigerantlevels.
Alowsuperheatvalueisanindicationofhighrefrigerantlevels.

*Auniversalpressure/temperaturechartcanbedownloadedatwww.EffTec.com/download.html

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