What Is a Chiller Plant Design and How Do They Work?

A chiller plant design consists of many pieces of HVAC equipment that are all interconnected by piping to form a chiller plant. This article will look at a water cooled chiller plant design.

The major parts of a water cooled chiller are the compressors, the evaporator heat exchanger (piping circuit #1) and the condenser heat exchanger (piping circuit #2). There are two separate piping circuits in a chiller plant design.

A chiller produces cold water that is typically circulated (pumped) to cooling coils that are inside air conditioning units. This is called the chilled water piping circuit, circuit #1.

The air conditioning unit fan takes air from a room and blows this air across the cooling coil to produce colder air and then circulates this colder air through a duct system to cool the room.

Once the cold water from the chiller cools the air, it becomes warmer, and it must be circulated back to the chiller so that it can become cooler again.

A chiller uses a refrigerant to cool the water, but once it cools the water the refrigerant becomes warmer and it rejects its heat to the cooling tower (or condenser water) piping circuit, circuit #2, so that the entire process can start over.

The basic design consists of a chiller or multiple chillers, chiller water pumps for the chilled water piping circuit, a cooling tower or towers and cooling tower pumps for the cooling tower water piping circuit.

In a water cooled chiller plant design, there is a cooling tower which is considered a heat rejection device and it takes the unwanted heat from the chiller, by circulating water through the chiller and then takes this warmer water and rejects this heat to the tower. The tower then takes the heat from the water and rejects this heat into the atmosphere. This is the second piping circuit and is called the condenser water circuit.

There are many different types of chillers that must be considered in a chiller plant design. The difference is the type of compressors and the difference in efficiencies in each type. There are scroll type compressors, reciprocating type, screw type, centrifugal type and there are chillers that do not use compressors such as steam absorption type chillers.

In a chiller plant design the chiller is selected based upon the amount of tons of cooling that it can produce. A ton of cooling is equal to 12,000btuh. So a 20 ton chiller has a 240,000btuh cooling capacity. The chiller cooling capacity must be equal to or greater than the cooling requirements of the building at peak load which occurs during the summer.

A chiller plant design is usually required for larger buildings with multiple floors because it is much easier to pump water around a building than it is to circulate air. The chiller plant is centrally located and chilled water is pumped to air conditioning units that are located closer to the areas that they have to cool.

Don't Send Flowers, Send a Plant!

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AppId is over the quota

Today's work norm sees us spending 40 hours (or considerably) more at our offices. This equates to approximately 30% of our lives not including preparation or travel time.

Scientific evidence strongly suggests that our workplaces environments have a significant impact on our physical, emotional and social health. Contributors include the color schemes we see, the quality of ventilation, the noise levels, our privacy, physical space and our ability to personalize our environments.

In parallel there is mounting evidence that plants can and do play a large role in countering some of the negative contributors and can actually significantly improve our health and the environment within the workplace.

Our ongoing need for eco-friendly, sustainable and green design is dramatically reshaping the way in which we design and source workspace environments. More and more we hear our clients reference their desires for sustainable design as part of an office fitout.

Kamal Meattle's proposed office park 'GreenSpaces ™' in New Delhi, is an extreme green example where building energy consumption targets include reductions of up to 40%, achieved through a combination of air filtering plants and sustainable architecture.

The Paharpur Business Center, a recently launched design prototype, boasts superior air quality achieved through green design and offers a healthier environment to India's corporate world. The statistics speak for themselves and include dramatic reductions in workplace health issues:

Eye irritants down by 52%

Respiratory symptoms down by 34%

Headaches down by 24%

Lung impairment down by 12%

Asthma down by 9%

Aside from the positive impact on health, indoor plants are known to improve workplace productivity and efficiency by increasing blood oxygen levels.

Kamal cites the Areca Palm, Mother in Law's Tongue and the Money Plant as of the driving forces that has allowed the Paharpur Center to "grow" fresh air:

Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens) also known as the "Butterfly Palm" or "Golden Cane Palm" is a small to medium-sized palm growing to a height of 6 to 12 metres. "According to NASA and Dr. B C. Wolverton, the Areca Palm filters xylene and toluene from the air..." (Wikipedia)

Mother in Law's Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) also known as the "Snake Plant" is an evergreen that can grow to 90cm in length and is commonly used as an indoor plant. "A study by NASA found it is one of the best plants for improving indoor air quality..." (Wikipedia)

The "Money Plant" (Crassula ovata) also known as the "Jade Plant" is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers is also listed as a plan recognized by NASA in reducing toxins from the air.

For employers there is an obvious case for encouraging staff to decorate their workstations with plants, and to use oxygen enriching indoor plants in break out areas and as fixtures.

For employees the benefits of having a mood altering, performance enhancing, oxygen generating machine sitting on the desk to call on at will no doubt make you the envy of your colleagues.

For old school romantics, think about sending an indoor plant instead of flowers. Your gesture wont wilt, dry or disappear and will have a very positive impact on your recipient!

For us, the secret recipe to a quality office fitouts, lies in thinking about the small things that can really make a difference.

Office Space Design empowers Australian companies with productive, efficient workplace spaces that facilitate core business needs while promoting culture and identity.

Office Space Design delivers commercial architectural, design and construct services to Australian companies moving offices or involved in refurbishment, relocation and fit-out projects.

http://www.officespacedesign.com.au/

Plant Containers Are an Important Part of Interior Landscaping

Bringing plants into the office is undoubtedly beneficial. They bring that little bit of nature into view for office staff, who would otherwise be surrounded by mundane walls, and they freshen the air, lifting the spirits of everyone working there. But as a part of interior landscaping, the container that the plants are in can be just as important in enhancing the office environment.

The range of plant containers available is extensive, with every kind of interior design accommodated. Whether contemporary, minimalist, or traditional, there is a container available to complement the design. In fact, there are even imaginatively designed containers to complement the most audacious office art.

We have put together a short list of container materials that serve to create specific effects. From the use of natural materials to metals with a high polished effect, the range is quite extensive and includes an array of container types that any office or commercial building could want.

Natural

Natural containers make use of natural organic materials, and are most often made use of to complement a rural, homely or traditional interior office design. Amongst the range of materials used are bamboo, shells, plant leaves and even finely ground stones, all treated to ensure that they maintain their impact permanently.

The effect of interior design can be highly impressive. For example, banana leaves are woven into square boxes or round urn-shaped containers, and sport a chequered design with contrasting shades of brown and yellow. It is an effect favoured by many offices wishing to project an environmental consciousness, or the image of sustainability and a green ethos that sits so comfortably with the general public.

The Havana range of containers meanwhile, use the leaves of the abaca plant, and are hand-woven to produce beautifully formed urn-shaped containers. They boast a thread or rope type finish, reminiscent on tribal pots from Central America, thus providing a distinct design effect.

Polystone, meanwhile, is a mixture of clay and crushed shells combined with fibreglass that mimics the appearance of stone. It comes in a variety of colours and textures, and provides a primitive, minimalist effect. The impact can be acute, boasting a majestic permanency.

Ceramic

Ceramic containers provide a solid, earthy look that helps to make staff members feel more at home. Perhaps that homely feeling comes from the fact that ceramics are, in fact, made from earth, or perhaps because they are so commonly found in our own homes, hosting plants on patios and in porches.

Whatever the specific reason, the effect that they have in the office is to soften the sharp lines that usually adorn an office environment. This is particularly true with the Antoinette range of ceramic containers that is so popular.

As the name Antoinette suggests, it is a range famed for its feminine softness, with rounded edges and smooth curves, even with the taller pedestals that hold plants high. However, they come in a range of colours, as well as sizes, to match the particular theme of the office design.

Metal

Of course, metal containers are hugely popular in modern offices, providing the steely, clean appearance that so many highly competitive companies like to project. Many of these offices, for example, are contemporary in design and as far removed from homely as one can get. Metal is a perfect part of that design.

Two metals in particular are commonly available, namely aluminium and stainless steel. Both of these can come in a high shine or a brushed effect. Lacquered finishing provides that clinical high shine appearance, while the brushed surface adds texture to the container.

Also, metal plant containers can be quite imaginative in their design, breaking away from the solid pedestal style, and instead coming in decorative meshes designs, artistic perforations and even obscure shapes, adding character to the containers. These are particularly popular when the containers are complementing office art, such as painting and sculptures, which serve to enhance the image the office projects. Indeed, many interior landscaping experts believe that the containers that the office plants are placed in are actually objects of art themselves.

The important thing, of course, is that the interior design of the office is enhanced, and that the working environment is improved, so that the staff are only too happy to come to work.

Sarah Shore writes for Ambius, who offer leading interior landscaping services. Ambius provides office plants and scenting to enhance corporate environments. Ambius also has a wide range of plant containers to add a touch of personality to office spaces and to compliment the office art.