Ammonia Refrigeration discharge piping

[JimEldridge]

Contractor thinks we will save money and energy by combining two refrigeration systems' to use one condenser. One system has four 200hp screws running coolers at 35 psig suction and the other has two 250hp screws running 4 ice makers at 3psig suction. The ice makers are 650 feet away from the proposed new condenser. The cooler system has several evaporators requiring hot gas defrost.15 hours each day something is defrosting.Does anyone foresee any operational problems?Will this really save energy? As an operator I would rather see a separate condenser.

 

[gxmplx]

If you can install individual condensers closer to each compressor this obviously saves energy over one distant condenser.

If the volume ratio of the compressor's is such that as separate systems they would work with the same condensing pressure, there is no difference whether you use one or two condensers provided the heat rejected of the one is exactly the sum of the two.

I'd estimate that the probability of the above being true is simmilar to winning the lottery.

So in my opinion using one condenser further away from one of the systems will spend more energy than two condensers.

You can calculate energy consumption for both scenarios given geometry, equipment models, refrigerant and remove all doubt!