Trane TRG-TRC011-EN manual Maintenance Considerations

period four

Maintenance Considerations

notes

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◆Use a qualified water treatment specialist

◆Clean absorber and condenser tubes as needed

◆Clean waterside strainers

◆Test tubes every 3 years

Figure 59

The use of better heat-transfer materials will reduce future maintenance costs. The high-temperature generator, for example, contains high-temperature lithium bromide solution that, when exposed to air and other noncondensables, is more corrosive than in other sections of the chiller. Better materials in the high-temperature generator will improve reliability and require less maintenance. When selecting an absorption chiller, both installation and maintenance costs must be considered when comparing different designs.

To ensure optimum heat transfer performance, the heat transfer surfaces must be kept free of scale and sludge. Even a thin deposit of scale can substantially reduce heat transfer capacity. Engage the services of a qualified water treatment specialist to determine the level of water treatment required to remove contaminants from the cooling water.

Scale deposits are best removed by chemical means. During this process, the absorber and condenser are commonly isolated from the rest of the cooling- tower-water circuit by valves, while a pump circulates cleaning solution through the tubes.

Sludge is removed mechanically. This typically involves removing the water boxes from the absorber and condenser, and loosening the deposits with a stiff- bristled brush. The loosened material is then flushed from the tubes with clear water. As part of this procedure, the strainers in both the chilled-water and cooling-water circuits should be cleaned every year.

Every three years (more frequently in process or critical applications), a qualified service organization should perform nondestructive inspections of the tubes inside the generator(s), condenser, evaporator, absorber, and heat exchanger(s). The eddy-current tube test is a common method.

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