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Air replacement.

Discussion in 'Post Yacht' started by Rover1, Jul 21, 2016.

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  1. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    You have seen the light then? The system I am running needs more power than many boats can deliver from their main engines, it has 4 compressors, 4 condensers and 4 plate cooler type chillers but only two of those chill the water to serve the rest of the vessel, if you are so knowledgeable CaptJ please tell the YF readers what the other two do and how they achieve it.
  2. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Just started running an 84 Lazzara sky lounge. Boat has the exact set up J described with two independent chillers, sharing the water loop and the raw water system.they are staged so that the second chiller only comes on if needed. At night, one chiller (60k btu) is enough to keep the boat cold. During the day both are needed although running on one will make the boat confortable enough if needed.
  3. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    I really wish some would keep their replies in the context of the original posts. As much as I find it interesting to hear about systems on bigger boats, the Ac setup on 50m or bigger boat is pretty much irrelevant here... Not the first one a thread drifts off topic for this reason
  4. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    [describe is rarer than Yeti...
    Please take a photo of this two chiller system and share it with us as what you've described is rarer than the Yeti and I need to put my mind to rest that it exists . Yeti vs. your two chiller set up .
  5. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Plenty of chiller systems on 80- 90 ft vessels . D.I. has its limits for copper line runs for suction and discharge length wise that make it impractical on larger vessels just as in buildings. For this reason alone is why you'll find chiller set ups on larger vessels. As far as the thread "Drifting" from the original post it has only expanded with information on chillers in a direct rebuttal of the nonsensical rubbish posted by someone who will continue to stand on his soap box right or wrong. Yacht Forums "We Know Big Boats" is the header on this web site. I'm not a member of YF that's here just to diminish the weekend warrior or the small vessel owner but, YF has several posting members that are certainly more technically knowledgeable on systems and these members make their living every day by building, working and designing these systems.
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Viking themselves states two 6 ton chiller units, they are 2 totally seperate chillers that are plumbed with the same water line and sea water line. They work either independently of one another, meaning you could use only chiller #1 or chiller #2, or you could use them in tandem for a total of 12 tons of a/c, you could set #1 as slave and #2 as master, or #1 as master and #2 as slave by simply pushing a button to adjust the temperature cut in and cut out of each unit. but either way, if chiller #1's compressor blows up, chiller #2 will still provide 6 tons of a/c to the chilled water loop or vice versa. They each are their own complete system and have their own circuit boards, high pressure and low pressure safeties, chiller controls, and chilled water temperature sensor. Whether they are mounted right next to each other, on the same stand, or across the engine room from each other, they are their own complete chiller module and work on their own independant of each other. A single chiller is one compressor module, PERIOD.

    What you're posting is irrelevant to the topic. Please name any normal motoryacht or sportfish 100' or less that would have an H &H chiller system with a compressor unit with multiple heads?
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2016
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The system you are running and the boat you are on are not relevant to this thread. We are talking about yachts here, NOT a megayacht and NOT a cruise ship. This thread is about yachts under 50 meters and actually under 100'. Send me a picture and I'll tell you what they're running. Best educated guess without even seeing what you have, would be for refrigeration and send compressed freon or compressed propane if the runs are long, but could be super chilled coolant to plates in the refrigerators and freezers. None of this has to do with a chilled water air conditioning system on a yacht under 100'.

    How they work, as the compressed propane goes into the plate, it expands inside the plate as it flows through, causing it to get very cold which transfers to the air in the refrigerator or freezer. A solenoid or valve opens to allow the propane to flow through the refrigerator or freezer plate when the thermostat calls for cooling and then it flows back to the compressor unit where it is compressed again. Heat is probably transfered out of the boat/gas/system with a water to gas heat exchanger, salt water running through one side before it gets back to the compressor or at the compressor, the gas through another just like any other marine a/c system.
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2016
  8. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The 63' Hampton I manage is the exact same way and I would be more than happy to take a picture when I get to the boat on Monday, it has two 4 ton chillers setup the same way. They are on 2 totally seperate stands mounted on the wall one above the other with about a 1' in between. Only thing connecting the two is the insulated shared chilled water line. Control units for each chiller are totally independant of one another and so is every other aspect of the system. They do use the same circulation pump, but either unit will trigger it to run. They both use the same raw water pump, but again either unit will trigger it to run.
  9. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    .
    Here's your picture J,
    This chiller was built in Stuart Fl. for a client of mine building a 49 meter vessel and this particular unit was shipped out two weeks ago to a premier yacht builder in Seattle. Please describe what you see here .

    Attached Files:

  10. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    3 chiller units on the same stand stacked one on top of the other. There are 2 sets of gate valves on the right side of each chiller to shut off what looks to be the sea water line from each unit and there are 2 sets of gate valves on the left side of each unit to also shut off what looks to be the chilled water cooling line on the left side of the unit. So you can run 2 units and completely alienate the one you're not using (or even just 1 unit) and shut off both sea water and coolant(chilled water). 2 seperate coolant circulation pumps on the left side 1 on the bottom shelf and the second on the middle shelf. I would have used ball valves instead of gate valves as they're durable in the long run and it would have been easier to open or close them without busting your fingers and knuckles since the gate valves are so close to the stand and you've got to turn them 3+ revolutions versus a 1/4 turn. Those are 3 seperate units with their own compressor unit, heat exchangers, triggers for the raw water pump and coolant circulation pump, cut in and cut out set point thermostats on the top left of the top stand, each unit has it's own temperature gauge and pressure gauge at the front bottom of each unit so if you're just running one and have the valves shut to the other 2, you still have gauges for the unit you're running, they're just mounted on the same stand......you can run only 1 and completely take 2 whole units and throw them in the ocean after you shut off all of the gate valves to the 2 units you're throwing in the ocean and it will provide whatever cooling capacity of the unit itself. Looks to be about 6 tons each unit of a/c for a total of 18 tons. It's a nice setup and each chiller module can be 100% alienated from the others with the gate valves. You may want to have the boys that built it coil the excess electric wires on either the top or bottom circulation pump so that they match each other, it would look more professional that way.
  11. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Ok J,
    I get it that your not that well versed with larger vessels but I don't think that K1W1 or I have ever mentioned anything much over 70 meters and both of us have been chief engineers on vessels under 50 meters and in my current business since 2005 I've been project managing or build engineering along with coatings contract negotiations and I seem to have found a sweet spot of 140' or so state side. These photos are of a current project @ American Custom Yachts In Stuart that my company has the project management contract for. Not only is this a total repower of a 100ft vessel (your size) but a entire machinery and ancillary equipment replacement. The machinery space has be stripped back to the bare frames and I've written the specification and negotiated prices for all new machinery to be installed along with girder mods for new C-18 cats and foundation perches for new gens right down to the brackets and isolation frames for a 16 ton / 198,000 BTU Two stage chiller system so you see, I don't deliver or drive boats but rather tear them apart and refit and paint them for a living. This is how I pay my mortgage and feed my family. This isn't a vocation or a hobby for me.

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  12. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Then why did you post a picture of a 3 stage chiller. There are 3 compressor units. Personally I would've gone with the new Dometic units with their titanium heat exchangers and the ability to get parts and techs trained on them on a 100' yacht. It's a heck of a lot easier to open the dometic manual and order part # xxxx high pressure switch and have it overnighted from a dometic dealer than search for something else after you identify what something else is. A very good friend of mine owns a company and builds chiller units and puts them on yachts 100-200'+. Either way, it is not relevant to the boats posted in this particular thread.

    I get what you do and get what your knowledge base is. But quite frankly it's very different than production yachts made out of fiberglass or cold molded that are 100' and under and what the origional posters in this thread
  13. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Your a piece of work , now your redesigning a system that's been manufactured and engineered by people that have forgotten more than you and I would ever know in our lifetime. This is a 60 ton three stage chiller that in this picture doesn't even have a chiller plate installed in the rack. About the only thing that you got correct was your mention of the suction and discharge pressure gauges located on each compressor base . There is no valving off separate condensers but rather "by pass" valving and certainly no isolating the chiller pumps via each compressor. Those are service valve to isolate each stage for service. this same company is building the Two stage chiller that's going in the 100 footer @ ACY that I'm P.M . Just two compressors and condensers, with the expansion valves & associated chiller plates on one skid. Highly adjustable with electronic expansion valves and variable speed compressors and sea water pumps. Keep doing what your doing , just know when your in over your head and stop.
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2016
  14. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Too funny, typical captain drinking the new and improved "Tea". Titanium condensers you say? Heck , why not go for the Gold and retro fit with the new and improved ceramic condenser they're out there selling / NOTHING sticks to ceramic right? Dunno yet. . Your bottom paint knowledge should serve you well here because you seem to know what copper does as far as resisting marine growth and barnacles yes?
    Titanium doesn't have any of the properties to repel growth and barnacles that good old copper does / Proven fact. . Titanium ( should be called un-obtaninium due to price) It may be tough yes? EXPENSIVE yes? Very difficult to weld? Oh god yes! You wont be "brazing" titanium as you think or stated was the case on all of cruisair systems D.I. suction and discharge lines. BTW. every part that makes up that 60 ton Three stage skid from expansion valves to freq. drives to condensers can be sourced in Stuart , Fl or in a Grainger's catalog. Try that with any Dometic product.
  15. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The titanium has NOTHING to do with growth, it will just make the unit (heat exchanger) last much longer every time you acid wash the sea water side annually since the titanium is stands up to acid much better than copper.

    Just what exactly do you think you are doing with the bypass valving. When you shut the valves you are isolating the unit. You are shutting off both coolant flow to the unit and sea water. With all 4 valves shut you could take the entire compressor unit off and run the remaining 2 units and the system wouldn't even know it's missing besides the loss of cooling capacity. Plain and simple.

    Gate valves always have a tendancy to leak at the stem when they get old, ball valves both withstand more pressure and rarely if ever leak from the stem.

    Last I checked there wasn't a Grainger in the BVI's or Europe or South America.

    Perhaps you should check YOUR a/c subcontractors company for more explanation on chiller systems. Scroll down to the very bottom and see the diagrahm labeled "TYPICAL SEAWATER PLUMBING INSTALLATION FOR DUAL 15 TON CHILLERS WITH ADDITIONAL STANDBY PUMP" Note how the chiller modules/units are labeled chiller #1 and chiller #2 in the diagrahm. Note how the 4th diagrahm above it, the diagrahm labeled "PIPING INSTALLATION FOR CHILLER SYSTEM" only shows one compressor unit or chiller module in the diagrahm.

    http://www.oceanbreezeac.com/chiller.php?dF=82&dC=28&hmd=84&wc=113&ws=0&reload
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2016
  16. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Here you go

    Two 60k btu chillers sharing the same loop but otherwise independent of each other capable of running together or separately.

    Again, fairly typical of the boats this thread is about, 60/90' not 150' or more

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  17. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    I'm done here J,
    Jack your soap box up a couple more inches and dig your heels in deeper whether your right or wrong so you can see the reflection in the mirror tonight of the Greatest legend in his own mind . I'll not be posting to this thread any longer but can only hope that someone else reveals that the emperor has no clothing . There are people reading these posts like Rick Boggs AKA Marmot that has just resigned themselves not to be involved on YF anymore but will read your posts like reading the comics in the news paper of old just to start their day with a chuckle for the mental midgets that feel the need to post to every subject.
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2016
  18. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Nice Two stage chiller Pascal.
  19. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    It's not about whether I'm right or wrong. It's about the OP and Pascal getting the right information for their boats that they're looking for. The a/c company you use, who built the 3 stage chiller you posted the photo of, have diagrahms on their website with the exact same verbage and terminology that I have posted previously in this thread. The diagrahms are very good and show a chiller system quite well. A project manager hires the right people to do the job correctly and knows about most everything they're doing, but obviously you're not a EPA licensed a/c contractor who specializes in air conditioning day in and day out. Neither am I, but I have dealt with tons of chiller issues, changing systems around that weren't right from the builder, and so forth and so on, on these yachts. As for changing around engine beds and things like that, that's not my field of experience and I just hire the right people for that, yet won't comment on it.
  20. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Once again J you've added something irrelevant that shows your ignorance and your inability to stop while your at least treading water. All engineers rated A III-2 from 3rd assistant to Chief have to have a current EPA 608 type II or a universal handling certificate for refrigerants to sail. Mine expires Nov. -17 . You wont suck me back in again but I figured it's better to educate you about topics that you have no knowledge since you don't hold a engineering rating. What was it again? Your domestic 100 ton toy boat ticket & being in the business since 1999? Did I read that right a few hundred posts ago.
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2016