CDTI IDI-20180761 PROJECT

The main objective of the project was the development of the control system for the optimized operation of an air-cooled direct condensed chiller with zero water consumption.

The District Cooling market is looking into zero water consumption more and more. Water scarcity and the water network contamination with the cooling towers blowdown are becoming critical issues especially in certain areas like the Middle East. On the other hand, with the increase of renewable technologies, electricity production is becoming cheap and sustainable. With this new paradigm, air-cooled chillers are adding a big value with huge water savings. Eliminating water consumption reduces the environmental impact and makes District Cooling even more sustainable.

For this case, the selected chillers had magnetic bearings and direct drive impellers. A centralized control system has been designed in a PLC with DLR (Device Level Ring) ring connections to achieve a full and stable operation of the chiller in all conditions. The control system includes integration of the MCU of the magnetic bearings, advanced load control algorithms, and anti-surge stability monitoring and control with a full abnormal condition alarming system.