Chiller performance
testing program
Proven performance under your watchful eye
The proof is in the testing
“Our primary focus in new
HVAC systems is energy
management, and it is critical
to ensure that our systems will
perform as designed. Using
a witness performance test
gives us the documentation to
prove that we can operate as
designed.”
– Larry Hood, senior
construction manager
for Volusia County
Schools, Florida
“A witness performance test
confirms to our customers
what we say about our energy
efficiency and performance.
It is one great step towards
earning their trust.”
– Kelly Carlson, LEED
accredited professional,
Trane sales engineer
Ensuring performance
Computer selection programs predict chiller
performance based on laboratory testing.
Testing your chiller in the factory confirms that
the actual chiller performance matches the
predicted performance, and the results serve as
a benchmark during the commissioning process.
Factory testing also verifies the pre-installation
quality of the chiller, helping ensure a troublefree startup.
AHRI Certified™
The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration
Institute (AHRI) developed Standard 550/590
to govern the certification and testing of
continuous loading and unloading of chillers.
AHRI defines the range and type of chillers
covered by Standard 550/590, but chillers
outside of this scope may still be tested in our
facility using the same procedure. Several times
a year, AHRI tests random production chillers to
verify that the predicted performance falls within
the defined tolerances.
Both the air-cooled and water-cooled test stands
in our Pueblo, Colorado chiller manufacturing
facility have been approved by AHRI for
certification testing. In fact, Trane was the first
chiller manufacturer to have an AHRI-approved
air-cooled test facility.
AHRI Standard 550/590
Chiller efficiency is measured under full load and
part load operation, and tests are conducted in
accordance with AHRI Standard 550/590. This
Standard defines the temperatures and flow rates
for loads of 100, 75, 50 and 25 percent. Each
point is tested, and then the Integrated Part
Load Value (IPLV) can be calculated.
However, a chiller’s performance depends not
only on these standard AHRI points, but on many
factors ranging from chilled water temperature to
outside weather.
Simulating your jobsite’s unique conditions in the
factory provides valuable insights into how you
can expect your chiller to perform once installed.
Although some manufacturers focus on IPLV
only, high efficiency at full load determines the
ability of the chiller to minimize the electrical
infrastructure required, and reduces the impact
of demand-based charges and real-time pricing
during peak periods. The full load efficiency
rating is required for buildings to comply with
most local codes. Both full load and IPLV ratings
are required for LEED® Energy and Atmosphere
(EA) credits.
More meaningful part load test data should be
based on the specific building type, location
and plant design, providing accurate part load
condenser temperatures based on the local
weather data. Understanding the ton-hours at
each of the part load points allows the customer
to more accurately estimate annualized energy use.
Adherence to AHRI tolerances
AHRI Standard 550/590 also defines the
allowable tolerances for performance tests
including:
• Flow rates ± 5 percent
• Leaving evaporator and entering condenser
water temperatures ± 0.5°F of target
• Air temperature +/- 1°F
• Voltage ± 10 percent of nameplate
• Frequency ± 1 percent of nameplate
• Water pressure drop — maximum of 1.15
times rated pressure drop at rated flow rate
OR rated pressure drop plus 2 feet of H2O,
whichever is greater.
• Tolerances for capacity and efficiency
vary depending on the full load evaporator
temperature difference and the load point
These tolerances apply to all standard AHRI tests.
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Air-Cooled Chiller Testing
Our AHRI-approved test facility provides
unmatched air-cooled chiller testing capabilities,
with the ability to test 20-500 ton air-cooled
chillers over a wide range of conditions:
• Test a 20 ton air-cooled chiller at full load
under 110°F ambient test conditions even
during the sub-freezing temperatures of our
winter months.
• Or, test a 500 ton chiller at minimum load
under 55°F ambient test conditions during
our warmest summer months when outdoor
temperatures can exceed 100°F.
• Or, simulate glycol by testing the saturated
evaporator temperature from the glycol
selection as long as the saturated
temperature is 37°F or higher.
We are able to replicate your jobsite conditions by
matching the leaving chilled water temperature,
flow rates and ambient temperatures.
The test facility is located 4,700 feet above sea
level, so test conditions may be submitted based
on either:
• predicted performance at this elevation, or
• sea level, with the test results adjusted per
AHRI Standard 550/590, Appendix F
according to the barometric pressure of the
test facility on the day of the test.
Rapid Restart
For many mission-critical
applications, bringing a
chiller back online rapidly
after a power loss is crucial.
When every second counts,
having this rapid restart
capability proven on the test
stand will demonstrate the
chiller’s ability to adapt to
power-loss situations.
Water-Cooled Chiller Testing
We can test water-cooled chillers over a wide
range of operating conditions:
• leaving evaporator temperatures down to
38°F or up to 50°F
• simulated for glycol with saturated
evaporator temperatures down to 37°F
• entering condenser temperatures from 60°F
to 130°F
With the growing number of geothermal
applications, we can also accommodate chillers
running in the heating mode, as our facility is
designed to test units with leaving condenser
water temperatures up to 140°F.
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Testing you can count on
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Test chiller, Trane Laboratory
Research and
development
The testing process starts in
research and development.
We look at environmental
performance, acoustic
characteristics, operating
longevity, and overall
operating efficiency. After the
chiller goes into production,
we keep looking for ways to
make it better, quieter, more
reliable and more efficient.
Testing at more diffi cult operating
conditions to account for clean tubes
Tubes in the chiller serve as the heat transfer
surface. A certain amount of fouling will occur
on the walls of the tubes after the chiller is
operating. Fouling impedes heat transfer and
makes the chiller work harder. The predicted
chiller performance anticipates slightly reduced
heat transfer performance due to the fouling
factor specifi ed. The test conditions will be
adjusted so that the chiller works as hard during
the test as it will after fouling has occurred.
The evaporator leaving water temperature is
adjusted slightly lower. For water-cooled chillers,
the condenser entering water temperature is
adjusted slightly higher.
Recording of test data
The computer data acquisition system records
four sets of data at fi ve minute intervals. It
displays the result of each data set. Following
the fourth set, the results are averaged and a
report is generated. We will review this report
with you to confi rm that your chiller meets the
test requirements.
Redundant measurements
Redundant measuring devices are designed into
test loops to verify test data. Redundant sensors
measure water fl ow rates, temperatures and
unit power consumption. Agreement between
the calibrated sensors confi rms the data taken
is accurate. Continuous real-time monitoring of
these measurements is done for all performance
and witness tests.
Heat balance calculation
To confi rm that the water-cooled test data
is valid, a heat balance is calculated to verify
that the energy entering the system (at the
evaporator and the motor) equals the energy
leaving the system (at the condenser). The
heat balance calculation does not verify if the
performance is good or bad; rather, it validates
that the quality of the data is good. Trane
typically calculates a 100 percent load heat
balance of ± 1.5 percent, which is tighter than
the AHRI-defi ned heat balance tolerance.
Test instrument calibration
To ensure our chiller testing meets or exceeds
the accuracy requirements of AHRI Standard
550/590, testing equipment is calibrated and
validated by the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST). A copy of the latest
calibration report is available on request.
We are committed to using environmentally conscious print practices.
©2014 Ingersoll Rand RF-SLB012-EN December 09, 2014
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