ABSTRACT
Chilled water is produced at one or more central plants. Central plants comprise primarily the following components:
• Chillers • Pumps • Thermal energy storage (TES) tanks • Cooling towers • Valves • Control equipment • Expansion tanks and air separators • Water filtration systems • Air separators and eliminators • Chemical treatment systems • Piping and insulation
Designing a central plant includes the proper selection of components in order to ensure that all parts work together in harmony to achieve design goals. These goals are as follows:
• Achieving design efficiencies to reach energy consumption goals • Achieving water consumption goals, especially in high-ambient temperature
(HAT) environments • Achieving design goals of useful life expectancy of equipment • Achieving ease of operation and maintenance
In order to achieve these goals, designers should examine the performance of various components at design conditions and ensure that they can reach those stated goals when operating together.
