With 15 compressors from Danfoss Turbocor, hot Texan summer days are no match for the 28-story Houston Police Department Building. The compressors not only keep the building cool, but do it at half the energy cost of the building's previous compressors.

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Even when degrees approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer of 2011, the Houston Police Department Building remained cool without pushing the power grid into the red zone. This was possible due to three Smardt variable-speed centrifugal chillers using Danfoss Turbocor magnetic-bearing compressors.

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Saving energy with variable chillers

“On hot days, chillers run at maximum capacity. That’s where the Smardt chillers with Danfoss Turbocor compressors make a difference. The compressors can slow down during mornings and evenings, when it’s a little cooler, and save energy. Fortunately, this installation was up and running at the beginning of summer – just in time for the worst heat wave we’ve ever seen in Houston,” says Chase Raska, project manager for Schneider Electric Energy Solutions Division, who was responsible for the installation.

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The building previously used two conventional 1,000-ton constant-speed centrifugal chillers where the motors work full throttle regardless of the outdoor temperature. The variable speed Smardt chillers cool the whole building using the same amount of power it previously did to run just one of the conventional chillers. 

Magnetic bearings enhance efficiency

Efficiency is further enhanced by the magnetic bearings, which eliminate the friction associated with traditional roller bearings. The compressor drive shaft levitates between the bearing surfaces by magnetic attraction/repulsion forces rather than rotates on bearings coated with a film of oil that also requires cooling. This adds up to 10 to 15 percent additional efficiency improvement.

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For the Houston Police Department Building, the Danfoss Turbocor-enabled systems are consuming nearly 50 percent less energy than the older chillers.

Source: www.danfoss.com

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