All-variable speed centrifugal chiller plants

The operations of variable speed centrifugal chillers were analyzed to enhance their performance in comfort conditioning chiller plant applications. The modern all-variable chiller plant operating strategies were developed based on the variable speed chillers specific performance characteristics and the variable flow characteristics of condenser pumps and cooling towers. When the chillers and pumps were operated by effective network control, the need for constant condenser water flow was eliminated because the network control provided proactive control where systems and components reacted to changes in a coordinated way. The all-variable speed chiller plants improved the plant efficiency without adding capital costs to the chiller plant design.