Confidential Marketing Guide York Air-cooled YCAV

Clarifying Yorks Strategy on VSDs

Order Number: RLC-SLM013-EN DATE: November, 2005

Pueblo BU only

Introduction
York has been causing some discussion in the engineering community by introducing a new air-cooled chiller that has an interesting twist to gain advantages in part load efficiency and part load sound levels. Much of the information contained within this confidential Marketing Guide is derived from the catalog on York's web site along with the sales brochure. Some information is conjecture/rumor and will be noted as such.

What is the York Latitude (YCAV) A/C chiller?

This product utilizes two screw compressors (one for each refrigerant circuit) with variable speed drives (VSDs) to compress HFC-134a in the refrigeration cycle. The compressors are direct drive and semi-hermetic in that there are no shaft seals or gears. The main difference is that capacity is varied by the speed of the motor rather than a slide valve. The main selling features mentioned in the sales brochure are energy efficiency and sound. However, it is important to understand the issues of power factor and harmonics associated with VSDs.

Application Considerations
VSDs are most beneficial on single compressor chillers. As compressors are added to the system either by multiple compressors on a single unit or multiple chillers piped together, the potential for saving energy with VSDs is reduced.

2003 American Standard Inc. All rights reserved.

Energy Efficiency
The York chiller does have two full load efficiency ranges: a standard efficiency and a high efficiency. Much like the RTAC, high efficiency is the option most likely picked for high ambient conditions. Based upon 60 Hz information, the full load energy performance of the standard YCAV chiller is 9.6-9.9 EER at full load. The high efficiency York chiller ranges from 10.2 to 10.5. This is a mirror image of the RTAC standard and high efficiency offerings. Thus, full load efficiency is not an advantage for York at 60 Hz voltages. 50 Hz YCAV chillers produce enough airflow to maintain efficiencies comparable to 60 Hz units, giving them an advantage over 50 Hz RTAC models. The part load energy performance is a bit more confusing and introduces some of that conjecture/rumor. There appears to be two possible unloading schemes for the compressors with one resulting in a higher Integrated Part Load Value (IPLV) than the other. The first possible unloading scheme keeps one compressor at full load while the other is unloaded via the VSD. The second optimized (OPT) scheme would potentially unload each compressor simultaneously using a VSD for each compressor. The second scheme would be arguably more expensive. The attached charts illustrate a comparison of these IPLV numbers with the RTAC Standard and High efficiency units.
16 15 14

S ta n d a rd E ffic ie n c y - R T A C v s . YC A V (6 0 H z )

Efficiency EER

13 12 11 10 9

125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400 425 450 475 500 525 U n it S iz e ( To n s )
Y C A V ( E E R ) S t a n d a rd R T A C (E E R ) S t a nda rd Y C A V ( S ) ( IP L V ) R T A C S t a n d a rd ( IP L V ) Y C A V ( P ) ( IP L V ) O P T

16 15

H ig h E ffic ie n c y - R T A C v s . Y C A V (6 0 H z )

Efficiency EER

14 13 12 11 10 9

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

325

350

375

400

425

450

475

500

Un it S iz e ( T o n s )
Y C A V ( E E R ) H ig h R T A C ( E E R ) H ig h Y C A V ( E ) ( IP L V ) R T A C H ig h ( IP L V ) Y C A V ( V ) ( IP L V ) O P T

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Looking at the above graphs, the part load efficiency improvements expected from the variable speed drives on the compressors are not realized in IPLV numbers.

York uses the above graph as a means of showing the customer savings in kW/ton. The big deal here is that a building owner does not buy kW/ton. Rather, kW-h is bought which is kW consumed over time. The chart below is an illustrative example of kW consumed by chillers with and without VSDs.

C iller P w vs. L ad h o er o
230
230

200 170

200 w V D /o S 170

wV D / S

k W

140 110 80 50 20

kW

140 110 80 50 20

1 0

2 0

3 0

4 0

5 0

6 0

7 0

8 0

9 0

10 0

C iller L ad% h o
At low load conditions, the savings on kW consumed with a VSD are much less than it would seem with the York graph above. It is important to remember that full load efficiency is the determining factor for demand charges and, obviously, when a customer is purchasing the most kWh. Thus, in some regions, full load efficiency continues to be weighted more than part load efficiency.

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Sound
York states that by unloading the compressors with a VSD, the unit becomes quieter at part load conditions. This plays well into nighttime operation when many city ordinances have more strict guidelines for noise at night than during the day. Thus, there isn't a need for sound attenuation. This is true to a degree, keep the following points in mind when discussing this with a consulting engineer.

Full load operation still results in full load sound levels. If the chiller is cooling a process or is building ice at night, the chiller will still be fully loaded. Both RTAA and RTAC chillers have a feature called "remote external circuit lockout" that can enable half of the machine to shut down. This action of turning off half the compressors and half the fans will reduce the sound power by half (or 3 dba). By using this feature at night when loads drop off in the builing, Trane aircooled chillers can be quieter than full load operation as well. A comparison of published sound numbers reveal that the RTAC and YCAV are not significantly different. (Partload vaules for sound reductions are engineering estimates.)

RTAC

2004 York International Corporation Form 201.21-SG1 (0904)

ARI Model # Capacity Sound Attenuation Options YCAV 177 None 168.4 YCAV 177 Ultra Quiet Fans YCAV 187P Ultra Quiet Fans & Sound Blankets & Perimeter Kit 184.2 RTAC 170* None 166.2 RTAC 170* Compressor Sound Enhancement RTAC 170* Comprehensive Acoustic Solution YCAV 207 None 197.6 YCAV 207 Ultra Quiet Fans & Sound Blankets RTAC 200* None 197.2 RTAC 200* Compressor Sound Enhancement RTAC 200* Comprehensive Acoustic Solution * estimated value for 50% point All units are 60Hz

100% 101 99 95 102 100 97 102 98 103 101 98

Chiller Load Point 75% 50% 100 98 99 96 95 92 99 97 94 101 99 97 96 100 98 95

25% 95 94 89

95 91

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Power Factor
York states that the YCAV is capable of obtaining 95% or better power factor not only at full load, but also as the compressors unload. This most likely is a result of the variable speed drive. High power factors typically mean an efficient use of the power that is available from the utility company. As power factor degrades, the power consumed remains the same, however the power available from the power generation plant needs to be higher. There are a couple of caveats to remember with this argument.

Power factor applies to the entire building, not just the chiller. Power factor is truly valid for peak building power consumption, as a poor power factor during this time may result in the power plant being larger. At part load times, the power consumption is lower and the power plant has already been built, so capacity is not an issue.

Harmonics
How to Add Cost Harmonics has become a frequently used term in the power quality arena. Harmonics is not a "thing" but a way to define current or voltage distortion on a power line. Harmonics can be directly linked to nonlinear loading of a power system. Nonlinear loads are created by devices connected to a given power system that draw current from the power source with a waveform that is not a pure sine wave. All nonlinear loads, including VSDs, will create current and voltage distortions. Typically, harmonics is not an insurmountable issue when applying a VSD on a chiller. Integrating active rectification control of the building AC power assures low line-generated harmonics back to the grid. This should result in less than 5% current harmonic distortion as measured at the VSD. IEEE-519 (Institute of Electrial and Electronics Engineers) addresses harmonics in power systems. However, it is recommended practice, not law or code. It limits TDD (total current demand distortion) reflected back to the utility, according to the facility's size ration as compared to the utility capacity. The strictest is a TDD of 5%. You can specify this by the following"Provide a harmonics filter to limit electrical supply current distortion to 5% TDD from the VSD" Generator Applications A generator for either standby power or in some cases for peak shaving can serve water chillers. However, there is a caveat accompanying the prevailing view that a VSD on the chiller improves the coupling of the generator to the chiller, especially during startup because the variable speed drive will limit in-rush current to the generator to no more than full load current. It is true that a VSD will reduce the inrush current required for motor startup to 100% current. It does so by regulating the output voltage in proportion to the output frequency. The process by which it does this is by use of electronic circuits that draw current from the line in a nonlinear manner which produces excessive voltage distortion on the local bus. This can have serious implications for a generator application. When the load is on the utility power grid, the effect of the voltage distortion is typically negligible. However, when the load is on the generator, the effect can be very disruptive.

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Harmonic voltage and current distortion Harmonic voltage and current distortion are greatly dependent on the power supply impedance. Generators are considered a soft source of power with very high impedancefive to ten times higher impedance than a typical utility power system. Therefore, the risk of harmonic problems is greater when operating harmonic producing loads, like an VSD/chiller, from generators. Specifically, voltage distortion caused by VSDs will be five to ten times higher given the same VSD loading. So the total harmonic current distortion [TDD] needs to be reduced by five to ten times to keep the total harmonic voltage distortion [THD(V)] below five-percent for safe operation of the generator and loads. (Five percent of THD(V) is the highest voltage distortion level to insure no disruptions to electronic equipment operation.) Various solutions to limit TDD include: Active harmonic filters do the job well. Use of active harmonic filters can reduce the size, both KVA and physical, of the generator. If space is at a premium, the physical tradeoff is significant. The overall space required is much less, which can be a major issue with multiple generators. 18-pulse VSDs or fifth and seventh harmonic tuned filters also work well. However, tuned filters must be sequenced onto the generator after the VSDs are on line. If tuned filters are brought onto the generator prior to the VSDs, the power factor (caused by the tuned filters) will be leading and the generator will trip. 12-pulse VSDs may be okay most of the time; exception is in cases of higher impedance generators.

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RLC-SLM013-EN SL -RF-RLC-RLC-SLM013-EN-0905 New Electronic Only

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