Technical Description

Conventional discussions on improving chiller plant efficiencies nearly all envision the solution as being a simple case of improving the peak efficiency of individual components. However, the energy efficiency of any chiller plant is most effectively improved by optimizing the efficiency of the entire system of generating and distributing chilled water in response to the requirements of the load served by the plant.

This is what distinguishes Hartman LOOP technologies from other current chiller plant design and operating strategies:

Seeing a chilled water plant as an integrated system instead of as a group of individual components.

Designing that system with a thorough understanding of the nature of the load to be served.

Creating a custom 'operating system' for that equipment configuration to ensure that the load is met most efficently at all times.

The main thrust of Hartman LOOP technology development is to find ways to improve the utilization of variable speed technologies in all-variable speed chiller plants. The challenge and the Hartman solution are shown in the following two graphs. The first illustrates the operating efficiencies of various plant strategies. The second compares the chiller plant loading profile of five different cities.

For an example that illustrates how LOOP operation reduces energy use in a specific application, please view the LOOP Example paper.