ADVERTORIAL
PowerPax is on the move – within Australia and abroad By JOHN WISDOM
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owerPax, the only manufacturer of medium to large sized chillers in Australia, is rapidly expanding in every market. The company has recently formally merged with its sister company, Smardt Cooling, which is based in Montreal, Canada. The two have joined to form the Smardt Chiller Group Inc. Smardt have a manufacturing facility in Montreal which services the group’s 60 Hz market. The group boasts the largest and most developed range of oil free chillers in any market, and expansion is underway, including new manufacturing facilities in the USA and Europe, and PowerPax’s recent establishment of a new office in Singapore. PowerPax have distributors in every state and territory in Australia, as well as New Zealand and Hong Kong. The export market into Asia has developed quickly, resulting in the new office in Singapore, creating a direct and local presence there. PowerPax have appointed and trained Service Partners in every market it is entering to ensure that there is a capable support network available wherever the chillers are sold and used. Globally, energy has become a key issue and driver of product purchases and development. Governments and authorities are legislating and regulating at a prolific pace, presenting new challenges for HVAC and process cooling designers. In the realm of chillers, PowerPax is meeting the challenges and helping to provide solutions. The unique range of PowerPax chillers has a size and capability for almost any situation : •
Water Cooled chillers from 200 kWR to 2.8 MW, with between one and six compressors. This range is expanding and will increase in capacity to 4 MW during 2010/11. “Split shell” options are available on many sizes. This unique concept allows the chiller heat exchanger vessels to be split into half lengths for transportation and re-assembly in existing buildings with difficult or previously impossible access paths.
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Air cooled chillers from 200 kWR to 820 kWR, soon to be expanded to 1100 kWR. All with industry leading efficiencies and sound levels. All of these water and air cooled chillers are AHRI certified and MEPS registered.
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Condenserless chillers from 200 to 1200 kWR. Suitable for connection to remote condensers of various types.
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Evaporatively cooled packaged chillers from 200 to 930 kWR.
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On suitable applications with qualifying peripheral equipment, air cooled condensing units and compressor sets are also available.
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The list of options available for every model is the longest in the industry, and PowerPax will consider any request within an engineering, regulation, and cost limitation.
The company is currently commissioning a new state of the art test rig at its Melbourne facility. When fully operational the rig will provide a faster R & D capability. It is planned to have the rig certified by the AHRI and enable certified testing of all water cooled chillers. The rig is equipped with a run test capability for all air cooled and evaporatively cooled chillers. When it is not in use for R&D and certifications, the rig will be available for customer witness testing of project specific products. The unique Evaporatively cooled packaged chillers are providing many customers with solutions to energy usage from a packaged chiller, whilst avoiding the traditional maintenance issues and risks presented by water cooled systems. The chillers look similar to a packaged air cooled model, but on closer inspection they include an integrated evaporative condenser. They are not adapted from an air cooled model – the condensers are specifically designed for an evaporative application. The result is a packaged chiller providing similar efficiencies to a water cooled system ( chiller, cooling tower, condenser pump ), but don’t need the cooling tower, condenser pump, or any of the associated ancillary equipment.
These chillers do not require any internal plant room space, and have a smaller footprint than comparably sized closed circuit cooling tower plants. The cost of installation is less than a water cooled system, and the ongoing maintenance and costs of water treatment normally applied to a water cooled system is eliminated. The primary driver for selection of an evaporative chiller is the design wet bulb temperature, not the dry bulb temperature as is the case with an air cooled chiller. Evaporative chillers will operate much more efficiently and to a much higher dry bulb ambient compared to an air cooled chiller. There is a water consumption, however this is up to 80 % less than an open circuit cooling tower system. Having already achieved market leadership in Australia, PowerPax is not resting on its laurels. The company is continually adding to its product range in both capacity and innovation. n
Hotel Engineer | Vol 15 No. 1 | 37