Climate Technologies Corp

Advanced Climate & Environmental Solutions for Commerce and Industry

Case Studies

Low Temperature Test Cell Chamber Case Study

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Challenge

An automotive industry client faced a specific engineering challenge: the need for precisely controlled low-temperature test cell chambers for internal gear testing. The client requested a mechanical engineered package for four test cell chambers with demanding performance criteria. Specifically, each chamber needed to achieve a temperature range of –40F to 120F within a four-hour window. Furthermore, the internal gear had to be held at a specific temperature setpoint for a 24-hour soak period, with the flexibility of programming the temperature in 5F intervals across the entire -40F to 120F range.

Solution:

To address this challenge, the Climate Technologies team used an engineering and project management approach, resulting in provisioning a comprehensive equipment package. The solution involved integrating several specialized industrial components, including refrigeration, air handling, and dehumidification systems.

Here are the key components of the solution:

M&M Refrigeration – Industrial Condenser: This unit played a crucial role in the temperature control system. Key features included:

  • A variable temperature evaporating capability ranging from -50F to 30F.
  • A Howden industrial screw compressor condensing unit  with a capacity of 18TR at -50F.
  • An evaporative condenser was used for condensing R507 at 88F.

In addition to the industrial condenser, the Climate Technologies team specified a Munters Low Temperature Air Handling Unit. This unit was responsible for delivering the conditioned air to the test chambers with a 3000-cfm capacity, capable of providing a supply air temperature of -50F. Key features included:

  • Filtration
  • An R507 DX (Direct Expansion) cooling coil for low-temperature cooling.
  • An electric heating coil (70kW) with an associated SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifier) to maintain the chamber at 120F.
  • A special low-temp direct-driven plenum fan assembly with VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) for efficient air circulation.
  • A cabinet construction designed for low-temperature applications to minimize thermal losses.

The third equipment component was a Munters Desiccant Dehumidification Unit: This unit managed the humidity of the make-up air supplied to the air handling unit. It had a capacity of 1200 cfm at 75F with a moisture removal rate of 0.3 gr/lb for the make-up air.

Its key features included:

  • Filtration.
  • A Munters HoneyCombe dehumidifier featuring a proprietary Tigel wheel and drive mechanism for efficient dehumidification.
  • Munters’ proprietary Green Power Purge design aimed at energy savings.
  • A direct-driven plenum fan assembly with VFD.
  • A DX pre-coil assembly with condenser.
  • A DX pre-coil assembly with condenser.

By integrating these specialized components, the engineered package successfully provided the automotive industry client with the necessary low-temperature test cell chambers capable of meeting their stringent temperature control and operational requirements.

This is one example of the complex challenges Climate Technologies solves for our clients, drawing on our unusually deep technical knowledge and engineering know-how. Our solutions meet the most demanding technical requirements while meeting national and local compliance requirements.

Epsilon Packaged Mechanical Plant for Holy Cross Hospital

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The Challenge

Hospitals are heavily regulated in terms of their size, total number of beds, the services they can provide, and fees they can charge. Given these regulations, it is a challenge to maximize the value of the facility.

Hospital facilities are built to last a long time and are among the most energy intensive buildings. Consequently, the mechanical systems must have a long service life, be of the highest quality, and be as efficient as practical.

Holy Cross Germantown Hospital in Germantown, Maryland, needed a solution that maximized the allowable area of the building, provided very high-quality mechanical components and offered maximum efficiency

The Solution

Epsilon Packaged Mechanical Plant

The solution involved the incorporation of an Epsilon Industries packaged mechanical plant. This is a free‐standing, completely factory designed, engineered, and fabricated mechanical plant. It consists of boilers, chillers, pumps, cooling towers, and electrical system.

Case Study: Epsilon Packaged Mechanical Plant for Holy Cross Hospital

This 2,000+ ton plant is enormous at over 5,000 ft2, yet it would have been twice that size had it been field built.

Working closely with the engineering firm, Epsilon used advanced 3D CAD to optimally arrange the system’s components. This, plus their closely controlled factory fabrication processes, resulted in minimum space required while ensuring adequate access.

The entire plant is classified as a piece of mechanical equipment (even though it shipped in 17 sections) because it is factory fabricated and bears the ETL label.

Case Study: Epsilon Packaged Mechanical Plant for Holy Cross Hospital

As a result of the optimal system design, Holy Cross was able to devote what would have been 5,000 ft2 or even 10,000 ft2 of mechanical room space inside the building to health services related space.

In addition to the system design, Epsilon provided job site labor and expertise during plant assembly and start‐up.

Refrigeration consists of three‐550-ton Daikin model WME magnetic bearing centrifugal chillers and two 190-ton Daikin TGZ Templifier water‐to‐water heat pumps.

Depending on fuel costs, the plant can produce hot water via gas, oil, or electric heat pump. The Templifier heat pumps “amplify” 44° CHW to 140° HW. The boilers are of the dual‐fuel 97% efficient condensing type. Sufficient structural integrity is provided to allow mounting of the heavy cooling towers on the plant’s roof.

The electrical distribution system consists of high voltage input switchgear and transformer inside a 1-hour fire‐rated enclosure. It serves chillers, towers, boilers, Templifier heat pumps, pumps, domestic hot water equipment, and fire pump.

An Allen‐Bradley PLC controls the entire facility through a local touch-screen interface. In addition, the PLC is connected to the main building BMS.

A packaged plant has many benefits. Not only is it a higher quality installation than a field‐built system, it is also less expensive, reduces engineering time, requires far less construction time, and allows the owner and engineer to get exactly the equipment and level of quality they want.

On this project, Epsilon worked closely with Holy Cross, the engineering firm, and the general and mechanical contractor on costs, design alternatives, equipment selection, and system layout. As a result, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital got exactly what they needed, at the right cost.

The plant qualified for a significant rebate from Pepco under the Empower Maryland Act.

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GM T1 Project – Chilled Water Plants

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When General Motors and their contractor Barton Malow needed three 7,500 Ton Chilled Water Plants for expansions at the GM plants in Fort Wayne, IN, Arlington, TX, and Flint, MI, they turned to Climate Technologies and Epsilon to design and fabricate modular central utility chilled water plants.

The chilled water plant shown (GM Fort Wayne) was installed in only two and one-half weeks.

Epsilon’s factory-built concept allowed General Motors and Barton Malow to save millions of dollars through the parallel path manufacturing process.

Using this manufacturing concept, these three plants were designed and delivered in significantly less time and expense as compared to stick building the same facilities on-site.

As a result of the factory-built concept, these projects did not encounter any weather delays, material handling problems, or other slowdowns that typically hamper on-site builds.

Each Epsilon chilled water plant delivered to GM is designed to accommodate future on-site expansion.

AVL America, GM Powertrain Prove Out Center

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Climate Technologies has delivered a 650 horsepower -40F M&M Refrigeration chiller and low temperature secondary fluid pumping package to AVL America.

The chiller will provide the low temperature fluid for prove out testing of the components for General Motors new state of the art powertrain testing facility to be built in Pontiac, MI.