Chiller Market Grows, Diversifies
The York Tempo air-cooled scroll chillers from Johnson Controls were said to have an integrated part-load value as high as 16 EER.
Published reports made available at the expo, based on information compiled near the end of 2007, found the chiller sector benefiting from a world economy that grew by 5.4 percent in 2006 compared with 2005. China was the main driver, reports said, along with the recovery of the markets in Europe and Japan, and somewhat weaker overall economic growth in the United States.
The chiller market was reported to be $2 billion in Asia-Pacific, $1.5 billion in Europe, and $1 billion in the United States.
In terms of trends, published reports saw screw chillers being used in cooling capacities of 150-1,400 kW, while centrifugals and absorption chillers are being used in cooling capacities of 500-4,500 kW. In the 700-1,400-kW range, competition was seen between absorption, screw, and centrifugal units. In the large-capacity segment, centrifugals were said to have the dominant position.
In the United States, reports said the chiller market grew by 6.2 percent in 2006 compared with 2005 (The China chiller market grew by 13.1 percent during that same time.) Recips, screws, and scrolls were said to have the largest market share in the United States, followed by centrifugals and then absorption.
Other trends of note, according to published reports, were that screw chillers have been increasingly replacing reciprocating chillers in many applications; there is active development of screw chillers that use R-410A, and more attention is being paid to developing high-capacity screw compressors.
ON THE FLOOR
Here then, in alphabetical order by manufacturer, are some of the newest developments seen at the expo.The Evergreen 23XRV chiller with Foxfire technology from Carrier Corp. (www.carrier.com) was designed to allow engineers freedom to apply new system concepts and duplicate them over many geographic and varied applications. The water-cooled screw chiller is equipped with variable-frequency drive.
Also noted by Carrier was the AquaForce air-cooled chillers with microchannel design.
Modular chiller systems from ClimaCool (www.climacoolcorp.com) were said to have efficiencies higher than ASHRAE 90.1 minimums. The units run on R-407C. One emphasis at the booth was on the ability of the equipment to help a building owner meet requirements to gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) recognition.
New from Husky (www.husky-group.com) was a shock chiller designed to bring bottled beer to subzero temperatures quickly.
A cooling chiller from Motivair Corp. (www.motivaircorp.com) for commercial or industrial year-round applications is said to benefit from free winter cooling. The integrated package includes tanks, pumps, cooling coils, and controls.
Micro Control Systems (www.mcscontrols.com) featured 25 models available to match demand and supply. Benefits are said to be low noise and vibration, and ease of installation in both new projects and retrofits.
A booth under the auspices of Quantum Chiller Group showed equipment from a variety of companies including Axima of Germany.
A booth under the auspices of Quantum Chiller Group showed equipment from Smardt (www.smardt.com) of Canada, Axima (www.aximaref.de) of Germany, and PowerPax (www.powerpax.com.au) of Australia. One example of technology at the booth was an oil-free centrifugal chiller from Smardt. Water-cooled units use a flooded shell-and-tube evaporator with a shell-and-tube condenser. The oilless approach came from Turbocor.
Standard Refrigeration (www.stanref.com) announced that its ChillerBuilder kits now come equipped with DSC-4169 digital controllers. The kits allow for the assembly of modular chillers in less than an hour, the company said: “Available from 2 to 75 tons, these kits provide all you need to build the low side of a chiller system.”
York (www.york.com) Tempo air-cooled scroll chillers from Johnson Controls were said to have an integrated part-load value (IPLV) as high as 16 EER. They are available in 70-150 tons of refrigeration and use R-410A. According to the company, “The IPLV can reduce operating costs 15-20 percent, while corrosion-resistant coils extend operating life and help maintain optimum performance.” The company said the units are self contained and designed for rooftop or ground level installations.
Editor’s note: The May 12 issue of The NEWS will have a special focus on chillers with a more detailed analysis of trends and technologies.
Publication Date: 02/18/2008
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