Estimating Chiller Lifespan and How to Extend It

Many industrial plant owners and operators tend to ignore a single aspect until it’s too late: the life of an industrial chiller. You should estimate how long your chiller will last and ways to ensure these systems serve you for a long time.

This not only guarantees reliability but also reduces your operating costs and prevents unnecessary replacement of your equipment.

What Is A Chiller’s Lifespan

A chiller’s lifespan is the number of years within which your chiller machine will run and perform efficiently and safely. When it becomes uneconomical for you to maintain and repair it, then it has outgrown its lifespan.

Different chillers have different lifespans depending on several factors that we will look into. Some of the selected chiller lifespans include:

• Screw Chillers have a lifespan of 15-25 years
• Absorption Chillers have a lifespan of about 12-20 years
• Scroll Chillers have a lifespan of about 10-15 years
• Centrifugal Chillers have a lifespan of about 18-30 years

However, these numbers are not absolute since a neglected chiller may last roughly 7 years, while an excellently maintained chiller may serve you for 30 years. Keep in mind that a machine does not dictate its lifespan; all this is dependent on your operation and care.

Factors Influencing Chiller Lifespan

Let us dive into some of the factors that determine how long your chiller will work.

· Maintenance Practices

This is arguably the most important aspect that determines the lifespan of your chiller. It is common knowledge that a poorly maintained chiller won’t take you very far.

Let us quickly go through some of the best recommended maintenance practices that include:

1. Heat exchangers should be cleaned regularly to avoid clogging
2. Regular inspection of the refrigerant levels
3. Random testing of chiller safety devices
4. Regularly test the quality of the oil in the chiller systems for centrifugal and screw chillers
5. Ensuring that water used for cooling chillers is properly treated
6. Ensure all electrical connections are well-connected and regularly inspected

Failure to follow the above maintenance procedures will result in gradual inefficiency of your chiller. This will lead to loss of lubrication, overheating, and eventual breakdown.

Here is a complete guide on chiller maintenance process.

· Operating Environment

When installing your chiller, ensure that the room is very clean and in a controlled environment. Avoid exposing your chiller to extreme conditions such as:

1. Dusty surroundings
2. Poorly ventilated rooms
3. Extreme vibrations
4. Corrosive chemicals
5. Highly humid environments

Such environmental factors directly impact the performance of chillers through component degradation. They affect its structural integrity, bearings, electronics, and coils.

· Water Treatment

One of the quickest ways you can destroy your chiller is by using poorly treated water having low quality to cool it. Some of the components that can contaminate your water and cause extensive damage include:

1. Corrosive chemicals and elements
2. Sediments and harmful residuals
3. Scaling minerals
4. Biological growth, such as algae

Such conditions will degrade and corrode the heat transfer surfaces, meaning the compressor will have to operate under high stress. This greatly accelerates mechanical wear and, with time, drastically shortens your chiller’s lifespan.

· Load Profile

The design of chillers is such that they can sustain a given range of loads over a specific time. When your operating patterns involve extreme loading, then you run the risk of:

1. Increasing the wear and tear
2. Stressing the chiller motor
3. Overall overheating
4. Oil breakdown

For optimum performance, your chiller must operate at a load of 40-80% for most of its cycle times. Operating continuously at full load drastically degrades the chiller’s service life.

· Refrigerant Type

The type of refrigerant that your chiller uses and how you maintain and manage it have a direct impact on how long the chiller will serve you. Some of the refrigerant aspects that impact this include:

1. Contaminated or impure refrigerants
2. High moisture content
3. Refrigerant having a low charge
4. Having an inappropriate refrigerant-to-oil ratio

They may lead to improper cooling and end up damaging the compressors and degrading the chiller’s lifespan.

Recently, most manufacturers are adopting low GWP refrigerants on chillers.

· Component quality

The material quality that your chiller is made determines the lifespan of your chiller. If the material is of very high quality, has thicker shells, and a strong compressor, then you are assured of a longer lifespan. If you opt for a low-quality chiller, then it will wear out easily, giving you short-term service.

Signs A Chiller’s Lifespan is Declining

When your chiller’s lifespan is declining, it will happen so gradually that if you are not keen on the little signs, then the damage will catch you off guard. Let us look at some of the common indicators that your chiller’s lifespan is declining:

• Reduced Cooling capacity: if you have a set-point temperature and your chiller takes too long to achieve it, then chances are either the compressor is worn out the heat exchangers are damaged. Other possible reasons are blocked water flow or low refrigerant levels.
• Increased energy consumption: when your chiller starts consuming a lot of energy, it is a clear sign that its lifespan is degrading. This is mainly caused by a strain in normalizing the temperature, worn-out parts, and poor heat transfer.
• Frequent breakdowns: when you are constantly carrying out repairs on your chiller over and over again, then it’s high time you re-evaluate its lifespan. This means that most components are fatigued, and electrical components will require expensive replacements.
• Unusual noise and vibration: when you start noticing strange noises and out-of-the-ordinary vibrations, then that’s a clear sign of misalignment and bearings wearing out. Metal fatigue and imbalance can also cause the same.
• Oil contamination: This mostly applies when you are using centrifugal or screw chillers, which are lubricated with oil. If you discover metal particles within the oil, that’s a clear indication that there is intense wear with incoming failure.

Extending A Chiller’s Lifespan

Let us have a quick look at some of the practical strategies you can use to ensure your chiller’s lifespan lasts longer:

1. Instead of waiting until things go wrong, formulate an elaborate maintenance plan that includes monthly and quarterly inspections. You can also have annual overhauls with frequent safety device testing.
2. Ensure that the water used in the cooling tower is properly treated to prevent biological growth and maintain a good pH balance. This will additionally prevent corrosion and scaling.
3. Carry out regular cleaning of heat exchanger surfaces. This is because poor heat dissipation may cause the evaporators to clog, therefore overworking the chiller, making it overheat.
4. Adjust your operating parameters cautiously to maintain proper flow rates and avoid short cycling. Running stable chiller operations translates to a significant lifespan extension.
5. Safeguard your chiller against any physical damage, such as dust, debris, moisture, and extreme vibrations. Maintaining a stable environment with clean air flow slows down wear and tear.

When Should You Replace Your Chiller

Chillers are machines, and they reach a point when the cost of maintaining them outgrows their economic benefit. Signs that you need to replace your chiller include:

1. When your maintenance and repair costs exceed 30% of the actual chiller cost
2. When the energy consumed by your chiller drastically increases
3. If you are having a hard time obtaining spares due to unavailability
4. Total failure of either the heat exchanger or the compressor

Life Expectancy By Component Type

FAQs

How often should chiller parts be replaced?

In most cases, most parts will serve you from 8 to 30 years depending on the specific components and proper maintenance process.

However, you should replace the chiller parts as soon as there is abnormal functioning of the chiller system.

What are the main components of chillers that require regular inspection?

Routine maintenance of all chiller parts is very critical to increase the service lifespan. However, the must pay close attention to chiller expansion unit, evaporator, condenser and compressor.

How does load affect the chiller lifespan?

Every chiller system has a recommended maximum load it can handle. Therefore, subjecting chillers to loads exceeding the rated value subjects the systems to unnecessary strain that reduces the lifespan.

How long do cooling towers in water chillers last?

On average, a cooling tower will serve your water cooled chillers for 15 to 25 years with proper maintenance.

Chillerone; Your Trusted Chiller Manufacturer and Supplier in China

Investing in Chillerone chiller units guarantee significant cost saving. From our chiller’s long service lifespan, and reduced maintenance costs to energy efficiency, our systems are precisely engineered to give you peace of mind.

With every purchase, Chillerone offers a 2-year warranty on major parts. Besides, our technicians will take you through the recommended chiller maintenance training – talk to our engineers now.