by Brianna Crandall — February 21, 2022 — To help consulting engineers make more objective and informed decisions about their chiller plant designs, Carrier has introduced PLV Pro, a new software tool to provide fast, easy life cycle cost analysis at no charge for water-cooled chillers from different manufacturers. Founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, a global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions.
Click image to enlarge. Graphic courtesy Carrier
Scott McDonough, associate director of Product Management, Carrier Commercial Global Equipment, pointed out:
Many engineers and facility managers know that full load and integrated part load value (IPLV) may not provide a complete and accurate picture of the performance of multi-chiller central plants in the real world, but they often fall back on them because detailed energy modeling analyses can be costly and time-consuming. PLV Pro offers a free alternative that’s fast, easy and accurate.
PLV Pro calculates custom part-load weighting factors and condenser water temperatures based on site-specific weather profiles, U.S. Department of Energy building occupancy profiles, chiller staging and system design. Criteria include geographical location, building type, quantity of chillers, chiller staging method, design temperatures and chiller plant capacity and design. Custom PLV weighting factors and condenser water temperatures generated by the software are suitable for inclusion in equipment schedules.
McDonough explained:
While some of the new application’s speed comes from its intuitive and simple user interface, what’s going on under the hood is even more important. Engineers and contractors can now use and independent software to provide custom PLV values to show the performance of all chillers under local job conditions.
PLV Pro uses load profiles generated with Carrier’s Hourly Analysis Program energy modeling software for thousands of building types and locations worldwide, using detailed building modeling and 8760-hour-by-hour analysis. By leveraging a large library of pre-calculated, precisely detailed load profiles, PLV Pro can deliver both fast analysis and credible results for local job specifications, says the company.
PLV Pro aligns with Carrier’s 2030 Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) goals of reducing customers’ carbon footprint by more than 1 gigaton. The data provided by PLV Pro will contribute to lower building energy use and indirectly lower carbon dioxide emissions.
PLV Pro is available for immediate download from the Carrier website. The company’s experts provide sustainable solutions, integrating energy-efficient products, building controls and energy services for residential, commercial, retail, transport and food service customers.
