Chillers and Large Systems

Chillers and central plants for HVAC-R technicians, followed through a fourth-year apprentice servicing a hospital plant in Kitchener: chiller types and AHRI ratings with IPLV; centrifugal compressors, surge, variable-speed drives, low-pressure refrigerants, purge units and CSA B52 machinery rooms; absorption and heat-recovery chillers; cooling towers, condenser water reset and free cooling; water treatment; primary-secondary and variable primary piping and low delta-T; pumps, balancing and glycol; plant sequencing; logs and approaches; tube cleaning, eddy current testing and leak management under Ontario and federal rules; and a plant improvement study.

RAC-410 12 lessons · 3 h 26 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon

Offered by HSM University · Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

This is the Canadian version of this course. See the American version.

What you'll learn

Describe how a central chilled-water plant works, convert between COP, EER and kW/ton, and estimate annual cooling, equivalent full-load hours and plant energy from load data
Compare scroll, screw, centrifugal and absorption chillers and air-cooled and water-cooled designs, and use AHRI 550/590 rating conditions and IPLV to compare chillers' part-load performance
Explain centrifugal compressor operation, lift and surge, capacity control by inlet vanes and variable speed, low-pressure refrigerants and purge units, and machinery room safety under CSA B52
Explain the absorption cycle and its care, and evaluate heat-recovery chillers by cooling, heating and combined COP for hospitals and campuses
Calculate cooling tower range, approach, heat rejection and water use, apply condenser water reset and waterside economizers, and protect towers in winter
Interpret water treatment programs for open and closed loops, including cycles of concentration, blowdown, scaling tendency, biological control and closed-loop makeup
Analyse constant-flow, primary-secondary and variable primary chilled-water systems, and diagnose and correct low delta-T syndrome
Apply pump and system curves and the affinity laws, set differential pressure control, balance hydronic systems and correct for glycol
Describe chiller start and stop sequences, staging, chilled-water and condenser water reset and plant optimization, and choose the best staging order for unlike chillers
Start up and operate large chillers, keep and read logs, and use evaporator and condenser approaches to detect problems early
Plan chiller maintenance, including tube cleaning, eddy current testing, oil analysis, electrical and safety tests, and manage refrigerant leaks and records under Ontario and federal rules
Carry out a plant improvement study that measures a baseline, estimates and ranks measures, accounts for interactive effects, carbon and risk, and presents clear recommendations

Course content

12 lessons · 3 h 26 min total · final exam

1 Large systems and central plants 17 min · quiz
2 Chiller types and ratings 17 min · quiz
3 Centrifugal chillers in depth 19 min · quiz
4 Absorption and heat-recovery chillers 17 min · quiz
5 Cooling towers and condenser water systems 17 min · quiz
6 Water treatment for open and closed loops 17 min · quiz
7 Chilled-water piping arrangements 17 min · quiz
8 Pumps and hydronic balancing 17 min · quiz
9 Chiller plant controls and sequencing 16 min · quiz
10 Start-up, operation and daily logs 17 min · quiz
11 Chiller maintenance and leak management 18 min · quiz
12 Plant optimization: the capstone retrofit study 17 min · quiz
E Final exam 20 questions

Requirements

RAC-310 Commercial Refrigeration

Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.