
Plate Heat Exchanger and Free Cooling
Plate Heat Exchanger and Free Cooling
The complexity and engineering of controlling the free cooling system are done by direct digital controls. Direct digital controls will open and close the correct valves in the proper sequence along with activating the correct pumps to make sure that the system is as efficient as possible for the best energy efficiency as possible. The sequence of operation includes using many sensors, actuators, pumps, and valves (controlled by the actuators), the plate heat exchanger, a cooling tower and the proper piping of the system.
Basically, the water is carried outside to the cooling tower where the water is naturally chilled through the cooling tower process, then the water is pumped back into the building and into the plate heat exchanger where on one side of the plate is the chilled water while on the other side is the warm water which is coming from the air handlers and computer room air conditioners. The chilled water exchanges heat with the warmer water that then returns to the air handler or computer room air conditioner while the other water now holding the heat returns to the cooling tower to be chilled again. This whole process keeps the chillers from running which chillers need a lot of energy to run.
Plate Heat Exchanger and Free Cooling