Challenge:
A customer within the industrial sector presented Climate Technologies with a specific engineering challenge: the requirement for an air-cooled chiller to provide process chilled fluid. This system needed to adhere to ASHRAE (American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) A1 class refrigerant requirements, which specify low toxicity and non-flammability. A1 fluids are generally recognized for stable performance and broad applications, particularly where safety is a primary concern. This application was unique because the system required A1 class refrigerant in a chiller with a rating below 120 tons, an unusual combination.
Solution:
To address this challenge, Climate Technologies provided a comprehensive solution encompassing engineering and project management services, alongside provisioning specialized equipment. The key component of the equipment package was a Geoclima – 70-ton air-cooled chiller. This chiller utilized R513A as its refrigerant, to meet the ASHRAE A1 classification and system cooling requirements, and incorporated two compact screw compressors, each equipped with variable frequency drives.
The chiller also featured integrated controls with a user-friendly 7” touch screen, offering BACNet capabilities for seamless integration with existing building management systems. The designed system also included remote monitoring capabilities and low ambient controls designed to ensure reliable year-round operation, even in temperatures as low as -20 degrees F.
The end result is a successful system design that meets the customer’s need for process chilled fluid while adhering to the specified refrigerant class and operational requirements, in an appropriately sized system.
