WATER SYSTEMS

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

y
Associate Prof. – Mechanical Engineering Dept.
College of Engineering & Technology
Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime
Transport – AASTMT
E-mail: elsafty@hotmail.com
 The conventional chilled-water system
consists of combinations of the
following primary components:
• Water chillers
W hill
• Load terminals
(chilled-water cooling coils in comfort-
cooling applications)
• Cooling towers in water-cooled
systems
y
• Chilled- and condenser-water
pumps
• Chill d and
Chilled- d condenser-water
d t
distribution systems that include
piping, an expansion tank, control
valves, check valves, strainers,
and so forth.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Water Systems:
• Water systems that are part of an air
conditioningg system
y and that link the
central plant, chiller / boiler, air-handling
units (AHUs),
(AHUs) and terminals may be
classified into the following categories
according to their use:

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Types of Water System
1. Chilled Water System
1 System.
• In a chilled water system, water is first cooled in the water
chiller—the evaporator of a reciprocating, screw, or centrifugal
g
refrigeration system
y located in a centralized p
plant—to a
temperature of 40 to 50°F (4.4 to 10.0°C). It is then pumped to
the water cooling coils in AHUs and terminals in which air is
cooled and dehumidified. After flowing through the coils, the
chilled water increases in temperature up to 60 to 6565°F
F (15.6
(15 6 to
18.3°C) and then returns to the chiller

• Chilled water is widely used as a cooling medium in central

hydronic air conditioning systems. When the operating
temperature is below 38°F (3.3°C), inhibited glycols, such as
y
ethylene glycol
gy or p
propylene
py g
glycol,
y , may y be added to water to
create an aqueous solution with a lower freezing point.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Freezing point of aqueous
solutions
% ethylene
gy
glycol 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
by volume
Freezing point
–1.1 –2.2 –3.9 –6.7 –8.9 –12.8 –16.1 –20.6 –26.7 –33.3
°C
Specific gravity
1.004 1.006 1.012 1.017 1.020 1.024 1.028 1.032 1.037 1.040
d15.6°

• Table obtained from Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 10th ed.

Specific gravity is referenced to water at 15.6°C.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

ANTIFREEZE SOLUTIONS

Effect of Viscosity on Pump Characteristics

Pressure Drop Correction for Glycol Solutions

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Antifreeze Solutions Installation And Maintenance
• Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol normally include an
inhibitor to help prevent corrosion
corrosion. Solutions should be
checked each year using a suitable refractometer to
determine glycol concentration.
• Certain precautions regarding the use of inhibited
ethylene glycol solutions should be taken to extend their
service life and to p
preserve equipment:
q p
1. Before injecting the glycol solution, thoroughly clean and flush
the system.
p
2. Use waters that are soft and low in chloride and sulphate ions to
prepare the solution whenever possible.
3. Limit the maximum operating temperature to 120°C in a closed
hydronic system. In a heat exchanger, limit glycol film
t
temperatures
t to
t 150 to
t 175°C ((steam
t pressures 830 kPa
kP or less)
l )
to prevent deterioration of the solution.
4. Check the concentration of inhibitor periodically, following
procedures recommended by the glycol manufacturer
manufacturer.
Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty
 Types of Water System
2. Evaporative-Cooled Water System.
• In arid and dry areas, evaporative cooled water
is often p
produced byy an evaporative
p cooler to
cool the air.

3. Hot Water Systems.

• These
Th systems
t use hot
h t water
t att temperatures
t t
between 450 and 150°F (232 and 66°C) for
space and
d process h
heating
ti purposes.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Types of Water System
4. Dual-Temperature Water System.
• In
I a dual-temperature
d lt t water
t system,
t chilled
hill d water
t or hot
h t
water is supplied to the coils in AHUs and terminals and
is returned to the water chiller or boiler mainly through
the following two distribution systems:
– Use supply and return main and branch pipes separately.
– Use
U theth common supply l andd return
t mains,
i branch
b h pipe,
i and
d coilil
for hot and chilled water supply and return.
– The changeover from chilled water to hot water and vice versa in
a building or a system depends mainly on the space
requirements and the temperature of outdoor air. Hot water is
often produced by a boiler; sometimes it comes from a heat
recovery system.
t

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Types of Water System
5. Condenser Water System.
• In
I a condenser
d water
t or cooling
li watert system,
t the
th latent
l t t
heat of condensation is removed from the refrigerant in
the condenser by the condenser water.
• This condenser water either is from the cooling tower or
is surface water taken from a lake, river, sea, or well.
• For an absorption refrigeration system, heat is also
removed from the solution by cooling water in the
absorber The temperature of the condenser water
absorber.
depends mainly on the local climate.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Hydronic systems are classified in five ways:

• Flow Generation (Forced Flow or Gravity

Flow)
• Temperature (Low, Medium and High)
• Pressurization (Low
(Low, Medium and High)
• Piping Arrangement
• Pumping Arrangement

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Hydronic systems may be divided into several
general piping arrangement categories:

• Single or One-pipe
• Two
T Pipe
Pi steam,
t (Direct
(Di t Return
R t or
Reverse Return)
• Three Pipe
p
• Four Pipe
• Series Loop

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Water systems
Water systems also can be classified
according g to their operating
p g characteristics
into the following categories:
– Closed System.
System
– Open System.
– Once-Through System.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Closed system
• In a closed system, chilled or hot water flowing through the coils,
heaters chillers
heaters, chillers, boilers
boilers, or other heat exchangers forms a closed
recirculating loop.
• In a closed system, water is not exposed to the atmosphere during
it flowing
its fl i process. TheTh purpose off recirculation
i l ti iis tto save water
t and
d
energy.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Open System
• In an open system, the water is exposed to the atmosphere, For example, chilled
water comes directly into contact with the cooled and dehumidified air in the air
washer, and condenser water is exposed to atmosphere air in the cooling tower.
Recirculation of water is used to save water and energy.
• Open systems need more water treatments than closed systems because dust and
impurities in the air may be transmitted to the water in open systems
systems. A greater
quantity of makeup water is required in open systems to compensate for evaporation,
drift carryover, or blow-down operation.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Once through system.
Once-through system
• In a once-through system, water flows through the heat exchanger
onl once and does not recirculate.
only recirc late
• Lake, river, well, or seawater used as condenser
• cooling water represents a once-through system. Although the
water cannot recirculate to the condenser because of its rise in
temperature after absorbing the heat of condensation, it can still be
used for other purposes, such as flushing water in a plumbing
system after the necessary water treatments, to conserve water. In
many locations, the law requires that well water be pumped back
into the ground.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Volume Flow and Temperature
Difference

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Water Velocity and Pressure Drop
• The maximum water velocity in pipes is
governed mainly by pipe erosion, noise
and water hammer.

• Generally, the pressure drop for water

pipes inside buildings is in a range of 1
ft/100 ft to 4 ft/100 ft ((100 to 400 Pa/m),
),
with a mean of 2.5 ft/100 ft (250 Pa/m)
used most often.

• Because of a lower increase in

installation cost for smaller-diameter
pipes, it may be best to use a pressure
drop lower than 2.5
2 5 ft /100 ft (250
Pa/m) when the pipe diameter is 2 in.
or less.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Friction in pipes

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 The D'Arcy
D Arcy equation

hf = Head loss to friction (m)

f = Friction factor (dimensionless)
L = Length
u = Flow velocity (m/s)
g = Gravitational constant (9.81 m/s2)
D = Pipe diameter (m)

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Friction factor

f = Friction factor (Relates to the SI Moody chart)

ks = Absolute pipe roughness (m)

D = Pipe bore (m)

Re = Reynolds number (dimensionless)

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

'SI
SI based
based' friction factors

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Reynolds number (Re)

= Reynolds number
Re
ρ = Density of water = 1000 kg/m3
u = Velocity of water = 0.71 m/s
D = Pipe diameter = 0.15 m
Dynamic viscosity of water (at 1.138 x 10-3 kg/m s (from steam
μ = =
15°C) tables)

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Friction chart for water in steel
pipes (Schedule 40).

Fl
Flow Rate
R t
Pipe Diam
Water velocity
Head loss Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty
 Water Velocity and Pressure Drop
• Each chart shows the volume flow (gpm) (gpm), pressure drop
(ft/100 ft), water velocity vw (ft/s), and water pipe
diameter D (in.).
• Given any two of these parameters, the other two can be
determined. For instance, for a steel water pipe that has
a water volume flow of 1000 gp gpm,, if the p
pressure drop
p is
2 ft/100ft, the diameter is 8 in. and the corresponding
velocity is about 8 ft/s.
• It is a common practice to limit the water velocity to no
more than 4 ft/ s (1.2 m/s) for water pipes 2 in. (50 mm)
or less in diameter in order to prevent an excessive Hf.
The pressure drop should not exceed 4 ft /100 ft (400
Pa/m) for water pipes of greater than 2-in. (50-mm)
diameter.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Friction chart for water in steel
pipes (Schedule 40).

Fl
Flow Rate
R t
Pipe Diam
Water velocity
Head loss Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty
Friction chart for water in plastic
pipes (Schedule 80).

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Friction chart for water in copper
tubing (types K, L, and M).

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Example
p
• Determine the pipe size for a circuit requiring 1.25 L/s flow.
• Solution:
• at 1.25
1 25 L/s,
L/s read up to pipe size within normal design range (100 to
400 Pa/m), and select 40 mm.
• Velocity is 1 m/s and pressure loss is 300 Pa/m.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

'SI
SI based
based' Moody chart

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Relation Between Friction Factor and Reynolds
Number (Moody 1944)

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

 Oversized pipework means:
• Pipes, valves, fittings, etc. will be more
p
expensive than necessary. y
• Higher installation costs will be incurred,
including support work
work, insulation
insulation, etc
etc.
• For steam pipes a greater volume of
condensate will be formed due to the
greater heat loss. This, in turn, means that
Wet steam is delivered to the point of use.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty

Undersized pipework means:
• A lower pressure may only be available at
the p
point of use. This mayy hinder
equipment performance due to only lower
pressure being available
available.
• There is a risk of water starvation.
• There is a greater risk of errosion,
waterhammer and noise due to the
inherent increase in water velocity.

Dr. Ahmed F. ELsafty