Research PaperInfluence of rubber ball on-line cleaning device on chiller performance

- The rubber ball on-line cleaning device can effectively remove fouling.
- The rubber ball on-line cleaning device has significant energy-saving effect.
- The economic benefit of rubber ball on-line cleaning device is very remarkable.

To investigate the effect of rubber ball on-line cleaning device on chiller performance, the fouling resistance and Coefficient of Performance (COP) of a chiller have been studied experimentally with and without the rubber ball on-line cleaning device. The experimental results show that rubber ball on-line cleaning device can effectively remove the fouling on the condenser heat exchange tubes and improve chiller energy efficiency. The optimal cleaning cycle is obtained by taking minimum cost per hour as an objective function. Under the optimal operational condition, the minimum operating cost per hour is achieved and the dynamic payout period is calculated.