Scope of Project:
The project, performed for NYS OGS, included the removal and replacement of the existing 120-ton chiller serving the Brookwood Secure Center located in Claverack, NY. The existing chiller was 21 years old and was unable to meet the cooling load of the facility. Additionally, the R-22 refrigerant utilized by the chiller was becoming increasing costly to replace due to a lack of availability.
Summary:
Engineering services included performing an energy load analysis and system review of the existing chilled water distribution system to verify the capacity of the replacement chiller. During the analysis, it was discovered that the original chiller plant design intended to install two 120-ton chillers to support the main building cooling load. Following a verification of the overall cooling load using Trane Trace software, it was agreed to install two 120-ton chillers to support the full cooling load of the facility. Per the client request, the replacement chillers were designed to utilize multi-circuited scroll compressors for ease of maintenance and replacement. Additionally, the remote condensers were designed to make cleaning of the condenser coils easy and accessible. The new units utilized environmentally friendly and readily accessible R-410a refrigerant.
Scheduling of the project became a critical aspect of the overall project complexity. Since the cooling system had a limited shut down period during the winter months, a tight milestone schedule was required to guarantee cooling was available for the building occupants by April 1st. By building the project in 3D Revit software during design, the team was able to create a near as-built condition that limited field changes and project delays during construction.
Other key aspects to the design was to provide a chiller plant that was simple to service. Due to Brookwoods’ remote location, the facility has had difficulty in the past getting qualified technicians to service their equipment. With each chiller designed with multiple independent refrigerant circuits and off the shelf scroll compressors, the new system incorporated design and maintenance aspects that would limit shutdown time and system capacity during routine maintenance and repair.