QuikChill software for efficient chiller upgrade assessment

Conference · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1998

OSTI ID:20006331

Rose, R J; Anderson, D

Chiller upgrades, required by recent CFC legislation, have not occurred in most large US facilities. Opportunities for compliance via efficient, correctly-sized chillers is significant, but there is little industry infrastructure encouraging downsizing and maximum efficiency, nor are changeouts approached as investments. Upgrade performance analysis is either too simplistic (missing integration and downsizing opportunities) or too difficult, detailed, and expensive. A niche exists for dedicated tools that can be used for both early screening and more detailed final design analysis, including downsizing, system integration, and staging. QuickChill, a chiller upgrade analysis software tool, as developed by EPA's ENERGY STAR Buildings Program to address these issues. It performs economic and energy analyses of potential centrifugal chiller upgrades using minimal information, and performs more accurate calculations as the quality and detail or inputs are increased. QuikChill assesses the consolidation of existing chillers, integration/staging of new chillers, and refrigerant conversion retrofits. QuikChill was designed for facility managers and consulting engineers facing CFC phaseouts. Rather than require time-consuming, detailed building shell and operational inputs, QuikChill estimates loads using DOE2-generated curves which plot the relationship between cooling load and outdoor temperature. Surprisingly, these curves reasonably predict annual cooling system operating requirements when used with local hourly temperatures and the peak load met by the existing system. Hourly temperature data is available for over 240 locations and users can easily supply peak information. QuikChill's combination of simplified inputs, investment-orientation, and unique approach to hourly cooling load estimation help fill an analytical void for the post-CFC chiller industry.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (US)
• OSTI ID: 20006331
• Report Number(s): CONF-980815--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AIR CONDITIONERS
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ENERGY ANALYSIS
LOAD ANALYSIS
Q CODES
RETROFITTING