1996•Heating, piping and air conditioningRequires access
Free cooling considerations
D.W. Kelley
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Abstract
This is a discussion of the application of water-side free cooling utilizing plate-and-frame heat exchangers (HX). Free cooling is the production of chilled water without the use of chillers. The heat removed from the building`s cooling coils is transferred, through the HX to the cooling towers for rejection to the atmosphere. Free cooling is not really free; even though the chiller is off, chilled and tower water pumps and cooling tower fan(s) are required to operate. This article is broken into three sections that present considerations on how to design the building`s cooling system(s) to get the most out of free cooling, considerations for the chilled water side of the free cooling system, and considerations for the cooling tower water side of the system.