GSA Verifies Innovative Centrifugal Air Compressor Machine with Energy-Efficient Magnet Bearings

The U.S General Services Administration (GSA) recently assessed an oil-free centrifugal chiller equipped with magnetic bearings using Green Proving Ground (GPG). The evaluation was done to study the effects of innovative chiller technology with regard to the costs and energy utilization of space cooling in office buildings.

Using a 150-ton chiller with the combined automation of two compressors and the Danfoss Turbocor Technology, the GSA replaced one of the two rotary screw chillers employed by the George Howard Jr. Federal Building and the U.S Courthouse in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The 6-month performance, ratio of cooling energy to the amount of energy consumed, electrical demands and weather-normalized energy savings of both the remaining and the new chiller were closely measured and recorded by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), an independent data acquisition system.

According to the results, both chillers were operated with partial cooling loads resulting to the new chiller saving at least 42% more sustainable energy as compared to the remaining chiller which was powered by a rotary screw air compressor. Even with cooler or partial loads, the new chiller was able to perform more effectively due to its powerful variable-speed drive.

Above average external temperature ranges tested on the operating chiller then produced a result of 80% operation time even with a load-factor ranking below 50%. Metal-on-metal contact of conventional bearings was avoided by levitating the rotating shaft by the magnetic bearings installed inside the chiller.

GSA’s portfolio only manages to work with lower percentages of chiller energy, making the evaluation of large chillers with 500 to 1,000 ton account in need of additional testing for large-scale magnetic levitation technology. The new chiller was claimed to run most effectively at lower partial loads. Based on the cooling profile of the facility, the chiller plant efficiency should be optimized.

To avert instances of cooling plant oversizing, the reassessment of the building’s thermal load should be done during the retrofit design phase. Temperature control of the water entering the chiller should also be calibrated to optimize chiller efficiency. A full dashboard system would be needed to carefully monitor and maximize the chiller’s performance.

Innovations in the industrial air compressors market such as the Danfoss Turbocor technology could go a long mile in advancing not only cost-effectivity and energy savings, but also long-term productivity for numerous production plants. Committed to optimizing the productivity and efficiency through superior quality compressed air systems and parts, Worthington Compressor Services offers state-of-the-art industrial genuine OEM compressors, spare parts, and comprehensive services ideal for virtually all industrial needs and applications.

Discover more about Worthington Compressor Services’ extensive line of innovatively designed and quality refurbished air compressors, engines, and pumps at www.worthingtoncompressor.com/rebuilt-compressors-on-sale today.