Cooling Tower Vs Air Cooled Condensor

[fredyR717]

Please could I ask advice, I have a client of mine who has an old plant with a 6 Cylinder Copeland direct drive on a 30 Kw drive motor 4 pole. It runs a cooling tunnel that operates at 3 Degrees Celsius. The cooling tower is over 30yrs and the shell and tube has no name tags no nothing. What I wanted to know is will it work out cheaper to change the system to and air cooled condensors as the cooling tower has sprung leaks all over ?? What are the pros and cons and which will work out cheaper and better in the long run. The equipment is not anything standard where I can get model numbers or capacities etc. Its something that was put together by a number of guys over the years and I just happen to be the one maintaining it.

[Josip]

Hi, fredyR717

Please could I ask advice, I have a client of mine who has an old plant with a 6 Cylinder Copeland direct drive on a 30 Kw drive motor 4 pole. It runs a cooling tunnel that operates at 3 Degrees Celsius. The cooling tower is over 30yrs and the shell and tube has no name tags no nothing. What I wanted to know is will it work out cheaper to change the system to and air cooled condensors as the cooling tower has sprung leaks all over ?? What are the pros and cons and which will work out cheaper and better in the long run. The equipment is not anything standard where I can get model numbers or capacities etc. Its something that was put together by a number of guys over the years and I just happen to be the one maintaining it.

Can you confirm ... you have water cooling tower connected to Shell&Tube condenser and refrigerant is .... R

Seems water is not a problem .... what about to install evaporative condenser


Best regards, Josip

[goshen]

Hi
experience talkes!!
if it worked with water stay with water!!
a good cooling tech, or water tower tech will be able to match you a new and adequite cooling tower.
good luck

[fredyR717]

Please could I ask advice, I have a client of mine who has an old plant with a 6 Cylinder Copeland direct drive on a 30 Kw drive motor 4 pole. It runs a cooling tunnel that operates at 3 Degrees Celsius. The cooling tower is over 30yrs and the shell and tube has no name tags no nothing. What I wanted to know is will it work out cheaper to change the system to and air cooled condensors as the cooling tower has sprung leaks all over ?? What are the pros and cons and which will work out cheaper and better in the long run. The equipment is not anything standard where I can get model numbers or capacities etc. Its something that was put together by a number of guys over the years and I just happen to be the one maintaining it.

The unit has a shell and Tube condensor and is running on R404a.

[FreezerGeezer]

I would ask myself:

Which would cost less to run, factoring in the price of electricity, water, and of course condenser water treatment (anti legionella etc. ). If I could predict the rise in the running costs over the life cycle of the equipment, I'd look carefully at whole life costs. Otherwise it's simply what's cheaper to run now? (Run, not necessarily buy! Buying a boat, for e.g, is the cheap part of the ownership. )
Which can you get parts for (or replacements made) quicker in Zim? You may well want to order a few major spares along with the condenser, as a hedge against both availability and future price rises.
Business view - can you get a new condenser that's just complicated enough that only you can maintain & repair it, thus locking the client in with your company? (Seen this sort of thing done by a facilities bloke I knew in London. No drawings at all, old site extensively tinkered with & cheaply refitted over the years. He was the only one who had any idea what was what, so had better job security as a result).