HVAC - Success Story
PEL repairs Pakistan's biggest AC Plant: Re-tubing Saves Money & Power
Pak Elektron Ltd (PEL) has given a new lease of life to the 5,048 ton AC plant at Kara-chi's Jinnah International Airport. The plant, the biggest in Pakistan, was supplied by Carrier USA and had been in operation for about 20 years, all 24 hours a day. It has four 17FA type centrifugal chillers each of 1262 tons capacity.
Over the years, tubes inside condenser shells of all chillers had got corroded and the plant had gradually become far less efficient than its designed capacity. The loss was very heavy in recent years. Its operation had thus become a heavy burden for the owners - Civil Aviation Authority. PEL, representing Carrier USA, won the contract for its repairs. (Incidentally, PEL were not Carrier's agents at the time of plant's purchase. Editor). It were PEL's engineers who thought of replacing the condenser tubes instead of repairing the plant in a conventional way.
A conventional solution had practically called for almost replacing the chillers themselves and would have been nearly equal to buying and installing a new plant. The proposal for re-tubing was also Okayed by Carrier USA. This according to Engr. Sami Saeed, Manager Services & Contracts, PEL Carrier, was a totally unconventional solution. Talking to Engineering Review, he said, it was cheap, much cheaper than any other option. And it extends the plant life by 20 years, which was otherwise due to expire in another 5-10 years. Engr. Sami heads PEL team for the project. It also cut the plant's power consumption by almost half of what it was before re-tubing, added Engr. Sami. It took PEL about four months to finish its task in the condenser of one chiller. Re-tubing in other three chillers will be taken up one by one this year after observing the operation/ performance of the one re-tubed in late 2009. It has worked very well since. Not only us but Civil Aviation Authority, too is mighty pleased with its working efficiency, specially its low power consumption.
The customer is very much satisfied with Machine & Services Department of PEL-Carrier Yes, it will be a good example for owners of all big AC plants elsewhere in the country. Allama Iqbal Airport, Lahore too will be one of the big beneficiaries when it grows a bit older and thus becomes a heavier burden on its power bill. There are several other plants too - in government and commercial companies' offices and 5-star hotels - which could avail of our expertise in the matter, he added.
Since office blocks are population-less in the night, their AC plants remain operative only for 6-8 hours a day for 5-6 days a week only. So they last much longer than those which run all day and have no weekly offs like a hotel or an air terminal. But whatever the pre-repair period, the fact is that re-tubing offers a good - cheap, easy, quick - way of repairing and giving old AC plants a new lease of life, said Engr. Sami. And we invite all big/ central AC plant owners to call us over to discuss their needs and whether re-tubing would be appropriate in their case, he concluded. Engr. Sami Saeed can be contacted on phone (021) 32200952-4.