Chiller Upgrade for London Law Firm
Service Technicians conducted a thorough energy-saving analysis, return on investment (ROI) assessments, and performance forecasting.
The Client
The client is one of the world's leading pre-eminent law firms, with a significant global presence. London is home to the law firm’s largest office, which has an “Excellent” BREEAM rating, and is central to its global operations by providing a full range of legal services.
During the construction, the Carrier Commercial HVAC team secured the contract and installed six 19XR Centrifugal chillers to cool and dehumidify air in the commercial office spaces.
The Carrier 19XR centrifugal chillers utilise centrifugal force generated by a rotating impeller to compress the refrigerant and offer nominal cooling capacities from 1,000 to 5,300 kW. The chillers achieve energy efficiency levels as high as 6.8 (COPr).
For every one unit of energy consumed by the system, it produces an average of 6.8 units of cooling output, but capable of exceeding this with the addition of intelligent condenser water control.
The Challenge
In June 2020, the Carrier Service team identified an opportunity to optimise and enhance the performance of the chillers through an upgrade and redesign project.
The team conducted a thorough energy-saving analysis, return on investment (ROI) assessments, and performance forecasting to provide comprehensive insights before recommending Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and undertaking full compressor refurbishment on the six chillers.
The Carrier chillers have a heat recovery system that enables waste heat to be captured and used for various heating applications on site, saving energy while maintaining optimum growing conditions.
A Variable Frequency Drive is an electrical motor controller used to control the rotation speed of an alternating current (AC) electric motor by adjusting the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor.
This results in a corresponding frequency and voltage change in the motor’s speed and torque output.
By managing the magnetic flux of a motor, it enables improved speed control for ramping up a motor for a smooth startup and prevents a heavy load from straining the motor on startup with a lower inrush current.
