CEAC-2021-02-February

Since installation and the commencement of operation, there’s
only been one slight hitch.
“I’d say the biggest issue was the evaporator that we had to have
replaced, which came down to the manufacturer,” Domina says,
indicating that they simply took the replacement in stride.
In addition to the chillers, they added the new replacement
evaporator pump and two new condenser pumps, both on
frequency drives. According to Leitner and Clarke’s team, this
was a no-brainer. “Especially efficiency-wise, and everything,”
Leitner says. “It offers rebates for more efficient equipment and
everything, so they were able to get a significant rebate for doing
the replacement this way as opposed to something that wasn’t as
efficient.”
“These pumps are Armstrongs,” Leitner continues. “They call
them smart pumps. They don’t need differential pressure switches
down the line. They handle everything right at the pump. The
pump — it’s got configurations in the drive, and sensors, and
figures everything out right at the pump, rather than having
to throw something downline. It’s the first time I’ve used these
pumps. We’ve used them at the company quite a bit, but this
is the first job that I was able to use these pumps on [a job], so
they worked out real good. Real nice pumps.”
For more information about how you can best outfit your building
with modular chiller units, feel free to contact Air Comfort
Sales Engineer Scott Leitner at leitners@aircomfort.com.
Clockwise from opposite upper left:
-Replacing the centrifugal chiller at 645 N. Michigan was a daunting task,
not least because of its size and the structure that surrounded it.
-To get the centrifugal out the door, it was necessary to start cutting it apart
with torches.
-A lot of demolition had to happen prior to readying the room for the
arrival of the new chillers.
-As part of the installation, Clarke and his team also brought in Armstrong
Smart Pumps that handle everything at the pump instead of requiring
pressure switches downline.
-The control panel, at right, is where the six chillers all come together. This
box interfaces with the building’s new VAS system.
-Each chiller unit features its own display so that engineers can see what’s
going on with each unit at a glance.
-The system’s Alarm Manager allows you to see what’s going on with the
chiller units and to respond rapidly and accordingly.
-The building at 645 N. Michigan retains one of its centrifugal chillers, but
eventually even that one is likely to be replaced by a similar series of modular
units that replaced its twin.
-Six Carrier AquaSnap 30MPW chillers replaced one of the two massive centrifugal
chillers that previously had been installed, offering greater flexibility,
reliability and redundancy.
-The centrifugal as it went out, in many pieces.
Volume 86 · Number 2 | 41