Multiple chillers with pumps in a manifold - flow problem

[remp]

How do you ensure propper flow thro multiple boilers and chillers that have their pumps in a common manifold and a single pipe to the multiple boiler/chillers installation. Usually you have one pump per boiler or chiller

The hyrauliocs will change if 1,2,3,4 pumps are running to serve the same quantity of boilers or chillers..... do i need a flow meter on each boiler/chiller or will a dfferential pressure transmitter do ?

 

[ChasBean1]

With this setup you should ensure the selected boilers are forgiving regarding flow variations, turndown, etc. I think if you balance with circuit setters (one at each boiler) to distribute evenly across boilers at full flow and have a reverse return piping setup you should be able to stay pretty proportional among boilers at varying loads. Do you have control valves that shut off flow to idle boilers, or will you have a constant need for minimum flow that satisfies all boilers?

 

[mauricestoker]

Manifolding is my preference for O&M reasons; you do not lose a chiller for doing pump maintenance.

You will definitely need low flow control to each unit, but I think it's a pretty good trade-off for having availability of all equipment (any pump can run any unit).