Dec 13 2006
With maintenance and energy costs going through the roof, building owners and operators are taking a long-term perspective on HVAC cost of ownership. This, in turn, has caused HVAC system OEMs and distributors to take a closer look at the pairing of chillers with a higher efficiency cooling tower, and to rethink their inclination to recommend and use "traditional" metal-clad towers.
"We are using engineered plastic towers because they match up well with our chillers to create a highly reliable and efficient system," says Roger Shull, Equipment Sales Team Leader at Damuth Trane in Chesapeake, VA. "Plastic towers are a natural fit for us. They match up well with our chillers and Water Source Heat Pump Systems to create a highly reliable and efficient system. They also enable us to offer a system that will minimize the usually high maintenance and replacement costs. And because they are selected together, we can maximize the energy efficiency and performance of the HVAC system."
"Plastic cooling towers enable us to offer a product that will minimize the usually high maintenance and replacement costs. And because they are selected together, we can maximize the energy efficiency and performance of the HVAC system."
Shull emphasizes the need to match the chiller and tower, the two primary HVAC components, in order to optimize system performance.
"Obviously the chiller and cooling tower need to work together, so it is important that they be selected and controlled with system optimization in mind," explains Shull, who personally specifies Delta Cooling Towers of Rockaway, NJ. "We consider Delta when advising our clients on the proper selection to meet their criteria, whether corrosion resistance, low energy consumption, or low noise. Whatever the needs are, we can optimize that system selection using the correct Trane chiller and a plastic cooling tower."
Standard metal towers are lined with thin sheets of galvanized steel. These sheets usually have welded seams that can deteriorate within a year, and require re-welding, patching or coating to prevent leakage. Because the cooling water requires conditioning, water treatment chemicals and high pH attack the metal lining, essentially wearing it out in a few years short time.
Furthermore, although chillers are normally placed within the shelter of a building, the towers are located outside, where they are exposed to weather and such external elements as salt air, harsh industrial emissions and chemicals that are used to treat HVAC water. These corrosive elements spell trouble for cooling towers clad with galvanized sheet metal.
"Corrosion resistance is of utmost importance to our customers. Delta offers a unique design, utilizing plastic components in the basin and fan construction," says Shull. "Our office complex is 10 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, yet our original galvanized steel tower corroded and required replacement after only eight years of service. We replaced it with a Delta plastic tower, with a 15-year warranty on its shell. The single-piece construction on the basin means no leaks, which is an advantage over the sheet metal lined towers that are susceptible to leaks. The avoidance of leaks, corrosion and low maintenance are three important advantages of the Delta cooling tower."