Armstrong Fluid Technology has launched a new control solution that aims to improve the energy efficiency of chiller plants.Interfacing with an existing building or chiller plant automation system, the Armstrong Opti-Storm controls the key components of a chiller plant, providing the optimal operating settings for equipment such as water-cooled variable speed chillers, variable flow cooling towers and variable speed pumps on the chilled water and tower water circuits.By controlling the chiller plant settings to maximize system-wide efficiency, Opti-Visor is designed to generate valuable energy savings - even when applied to recently installed equipment. Armstrong Fluid Technology estimates that an energy savings of 15%-30% can be expected from a typical installation on an existing all-variable speed chiller plant.The control is designed for the operation of an all-variable-speed chiller plant. These inclued retrofit in buildings with water cooled chiller plants, including those less than five years old, but is also suitable for new construction applications involving variable-primary flow chiller plants that have advanced building automation systems (BAS).Opti-Visor connects to the BAS/BMS using industry-standard serial communication protocols, and gathers data on building load and plant conditions from the BMS data. Using integrated plant control methods, the determines optimal device settings for maximum total plant energy efficiency. Control instructions are sent to the BMS with the control settings for the plant equipment, such as fan speeds, pump speeds, chilled water set points, and the combination of equipment to operate.
