Parallel Pumping in Condenser Applications: Part 2 of 5

Parallel Pumping in Condenser Applications: Part 2 of 5

In Part 1 of this series we offered an example of a condenser water pumping system with 800 GPM per condenser for a total of 1600 GPM with the third condenser serving as standby. The tower elevation or lift is 10 feet, the condenser (with the 2-way valve and balance valve) has 20 feet of pressure drop, and the common piping with any safety factor has 30 feet of pressure drop. But there was a problem....

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Parallel Pumping in Condenser Applications: Part 1 of 5

Parallel Pumping in Condenser Applications: Part 1 of 5

Applying a single constant speed pump for each condenser in a chilled water application is a normal design for the HVAC engineer. Some chiller manufacturers suggest piping the pumps with a common header and activating each pump as the condensers are staged on. However, there is a hidden issue with this approach, which, if not addressed may cause major problems....

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Part Load Efficiency Values (PLEV) Part 3: 3500 vs. 1750 HVAC Pump Selections

Part Load Efficiency Values (PLEV) Part 3: 3500 vs. 1750 HVAC Pump Selections

In our last two blogs, we discussed Part Load Efficiency Value (PLEV) from Bell & Gossett. Today we will discuss how using PLEV as the only criteria for selection can lead to HVAC pump selections that aren’t necessarily the best choice...  

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Hydronic Balancing Part 2: Making the Most of System Diversity

Practically any commercial or institutional building has a certain amount of diversity within its cooling load, meaning that peak loads will never occur simultaneously in all sections or zones of a facility. By mapping out the individual load patterns of these sections, engineers can adjust the mechanical design to reduce the overall amount of installed cooling capacity. This means incorporating variable flow, which necessitates precise hydronic balancing.
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