Johnson Controls

Saying that it reduces the total cost of ownership while improving plant sustainability, Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), has announced the introduction of the York model YK-EP Energy Plus chiller.

Johnson Controls claims that with a capacity range of 2,500 to 3,200 TR (8,800 to 11,200 kW), the YK-EP chiller is suitable for large chilled water plants, and also delivers significant energy savings at off-design conditions, where 99% of chiller operating hours are spent. This, says the manufacturer, is due to the chiller’s ability to utilise entering condenser water temperatures (ECWT) as low as 550 Fahrenheit (130 Celsius). Lower ECWT reduces instantaneous energy consumption as much as 50% compared to chillers limited to a minimum ECWT of 750 Fahrenheit (240 Celsius).

Johnson Controls lists the following product features and advantages:

• It features a patent-pending, mechanical-compression economiser cycle, which provides increased capacity and improved efficiency. As a result, the unit delivers the industry’s highest design efficiency of any large-capacity centrifugal chiller.
• In central utility plants and district cooling facilities that use multiple chillers, additional energy savings can be achieved by piping the chillers in a series-counterflow arrangement. This reduces the compressor work on each chiller and cuts system energy use by as much as eight per cent at design conditions.
• Off-design performance can be further improved by adding a York OptiSpeed variable-speed drive, which can trim average annual energy consumption by 30% or more.
• • With the OptiSpeed drive, the unit reduces installed cost with its ability to accept medium or high-voltage power. Higher voltage power reduces distribution losses, voltage-transformer requirements, and power cable size, improving system efficiency and cutting installation costs. Thus, it reduces additional ownership costs.
• It ships in a disassembled arrangement, consisting of three pieces that are less expensive to ship, easy to move into place, and easily reassembled. Thus, installation costs can be reduced by the chiller’s shipping configuration.
• Maintenance costs are lower because the chiller’s compressor drivelines utilise open motors. If a motor failure occurs, the chiller can be brought back online quickly and cost-effectively, reducing downtime.
• Features like the alternate tube materials and thicknesses, as well as hinged water boxes, are features which increase the chiller’s reliability and further reduce maintenance costs.
• It improves plant sustainability by using refrigerant HFC-134a, which has zero ozone-depletion potential, low global-warming potential, and no phase-out date.
• The chiller’s high-efficiency performance helps buildings qualify for LEED points in the Energy and Atmosphere Credit 1 (EAc1): Optimise Energy Performance category.
• Because of reduction in refrigerant charge, buildings using the YK-EP chiller can qualify for the maximum LEED points in the Energy and Atmosphere Credit 4 (EAc4): Enhanced Refrigerant Management category.