Improved Energy Performance of Air-Cooled Liquid Chillers with Innovative Condensing-Coil Configurations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop mathematical models for air-cooled chillers and their components using innovative varied row configurations as a parameter analysis model followed by a simulation of actual operational performance. In this manner, we were able to observe the increase in performance of air-cooled chillers and the energy transfer efficiency of individual components. This study found that the innovative varied row configuration (Type C) can increase the COP of air-cooled chiller by 6.7% over that of traditional condensing-coil configuration (Type A) with an increase in total irreversibility and the irreversibility of the condenser of 8.4% and 4.1%, respectively; Type C can increase the COP of air-cooled chiller by 3.3% over that of the best condensing-coil configuration (Type B) with an increase in total irreversibility and the irreversibility of the condenser of 1.6% and 4.6%, respectively. We believe that the results of this research can provide an important basis of reference for future design of air-cooled chiller units.