About the authorYour facility location. Where is it?
What impact does location have on your energy use? Obviously, if you are located in the South or Western part of the US your ambient temperatures (wet bulb or dry bulb, depending on condenser type) will be higher year round. This can limit your efforts to lower the discharge pressure.
Based on the principles of heat rejection the condensing temperature must be higher than the surrounding ambient temperature. Heat flows from warmer to cooler temperatures. That is one rule we cannot change.
Conversely, if your facility is located in a geographical area where the ambient temperatures are much lower than what you typically maintain your condensing temperature at, you are a candidate for dramatically reducing your energy use. In some locations the weather experienced during the annual season (9,860 hours) can have a large degree of variability.
A realistic goal is to have the discharge pressure follow those changes in ambient temperatures to minimize your energy use. For instance, if the outside temperature is 32°F (0°C) and you are operating the condensing temperature at much higher control setpoints you should be asking; why are we doing this?
One of our major efforts is help owners understand how to leverage their energy conservation measures. This can also be dependent upon their system configurations (2-stage or single stage). A secondary consideration is your type of operation; cold storage warehouse or processing facility. Each can have its own set of requirements in the implementation of energy reduction efforts. And finally, the location of the facility can have an overall impact on the potential energy reduction.
Tags: ambient temperatures, cold storage warehouse, condensing temperature, discharge pressure, energy reduction, food processing
