Therefore, when fog is injected into the air entering an air-cooled condenser and the moisture is absorbed into the air, heat is also absorbed and the temperature of the condenser air falls. Ordinarily, this is done through the absorption of heat. For this to occur, the bond that holds water molecules together must be broken.
On a system with six compressors, only three were required after the MicroCool system was installed.Įvaporation is the process through which water changes from a liquid to a vapor. In addition, the higher head pressures can increase maintenance costs by significantly shortening the life of the compressors.
That also increases energy usage as well as demand. This increase in run time leads to increased energy usage.įurthermore, since the system must operate under higher head pressures, it draws more power when it runs. Cooling capacity is reduced, and the system must run longer to satisfy the load. To understand the cause of this degradation in performance, remember that on hot summer days, the condenser is not capable of rejecting as much heat. Overall, the kW per ton of cooling increases by 65%, which represents a sizeable falloff in performance. Over that same temperature range, the system’s power draw rises from 118.3 kW to 156.2 kW, a 32% increase. That represents a 20% reduction in cooling capacity. A 20% reduction in cooling capacity was achieved with the evaporative fogging system.Īs shown in Table 1, the same system that produces 104.6 tons of cooling when the ambient temperature is 85F produces just 83.6 tons of cooling when the temperature is 115F. This is demonstrated in Table 1, which is based on manufacturer’s data for a 100-ton chiller. Both are air-cooled, for, as ambient temperatures rise, the cooling loads on refrigeration and air conditioning systems increase, while cooling capacity falls and energy usage increases. During much of the summer, the ambient temperature is above 100F, which places a strain on the refrigeration and air conditioning systems. San Jacinto store lies in an arid area between Los Angeles and Palm Springs. That was exactly what they had been hoping to see, since the reduction in head pressure would likely mean a drop in demand (kW) and energy usage (kWh), while the cooler liquid would mean an increase in cooling capacity.Īmbient Temperatures, System Efficiencies “These systems are operating like it’s 60F outside,” the technician said. Now, however, with the fogging system turned on, the head pressure on one system was down to 142 lbs., while a second system was down to 168 lbs. technician knew that under these high ambient conditions, the head pressure would normally be around 240 lbs. It was expected that this would lower peak demand and energy usage while increasing cooling capacity. When the C3 was energized, fogging nozzles, placed at roof level around the perimeter of the condensers, injected a water mist into the air entering the condensers, thereby reducing the temperature of the air. High-pressure stainless steel piping was run from the C3 up to the condensers. The C3 system had been placed in a mechanical room on a mezzanine just below the roof. To simplify the installation process, MicroCool developed the C3 system, a pre-assembled single skid module that combines a high-pressure pump, an RO unit, and all the necessary controls. In the past, MicroCool would engineer each application and then ship the appropriate components to the job site to be assembled in the field. The technology that MicroCool added was a C3 Evaporative Fogging system. Later that afternoon, it would exceed 105F. Although it was barely 11 a.m., the ambient temperature was 97F. MicroCool had recently added a technology to the store’s air-cooled condensers to improve efficiency under upper ambient conditions, which was exactly what they were experiencing on that blistering July morning. The others were from MicroCool, Palm Springs, CA. Market in San Jacinto, CA, to check up on a recent installation. On a hot morning in July, three men climbed onto the roof of a Stater Bros. The process reduces energy usage and demand, and increases cooling capacity. Fogging nozzles, placed at roof level around the perimeter of the air-cooled condensers, injected a 10-micron mist into the condenser air.
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