De la medición al control: la regulación de bombas basada en caudal reduce los costos de energía en un importante resort de juegos tribal (en inglés)

Supporting these operations is a central chilled water plant with a primary-secondary variable-flow design and a condenser water system serving multiple chillers and cooling towers. With cooling demand varying significantly across the property, facility personnel needed a better way to understand system performance and energy use while maintaining continuous operations.

Seeing Beyond Pressure-Based Control

Despite the scale and complexity of the cooling network, direct flow measurement was not available at critical points throughout the chilled water and condenser water systems. Operators instead relied primarily on pressure differential readings and historical operating setpoints to manage pump speeds and equipment staging.

While pressure measurements provided an indication of system conditions, they did not show how much water was actually moving through the system or how cooling demand varied across individual areas of the property. Without direct flow data, operators could not easily verify pump performance, confirm design flow through chillers or evaluate cooling requirements at individual buildings and venues.

In variable-flow HVAC systems, differential pressure can help indicate system conditions, but it does not directly measure the volume of water moving through the network. Adding flow measurement provides another layer of operational data, allowing facility teams to compare actual system demand with pump and equipment operation and make more informed control decisions.

Expanding Flow Measurement Across the Cooling Network

To provide direct measurement without interrupting service, the facility deployed Dynasonics^® TFX-5000 Ultrasonic clamp-on flow and energy meters, beginning with chilled water mains and distribution branches.

The TFX-5000 provided flow, temperature and energy monitoring, with data integrated into the facility's existing building automation system through BACnet communications. Its non-invasive clamp-on design allowed sensors to be mounted to the exterior of existing piping without cutting or tapping into the pipe. Installation could therefore be completed without welding, drilling, hot taps or plant shutdowns — an important consideration for a resort operating around the clock.

For existing HVAC systems, clamp-on ultrasonic measurement provides a practical way to add flow and energy monitoring at additional points in the network without modifying existing piping.

Following the initial deployment, monitoring was expanded to the condenser water loop and secondary distribution systems serving hotel towers, restaurants, convention facilities, entertainment venues and support areas. Measurement at both the central plant and zone levels gave operators a more complete picture of how cooling demand varied throughout the property. This distributed approach allowed facility personnel to compare overall plant operation with demand at individual areas, helping identify where and when cooling requirements changed across the network.

Transitioning to Flow-Based Control

With direct flow and energy data available across the cooling network, the facility was able to transition from pressure-based pumping toward flow-based control. Rather than relying primarily on differential pressure and historical setpoints, operators could evaluate system operation based on actual cooling demand.

The additional data provided a clearer basis for evaluating pump performance, confirming flow through chillers and understanding cooling requirements across individual areas of the resort. This allowed operators to make more informed pump and equipment staging decisions while maintaining reliable cooling throughout the property.

The expanded monitoring also revealed previously undetected reverse-flow conditions during chiller staging. Identifying this behavior gave facility personnel insight into how water was moving through the system as equipment operating conditions changed — information that could not be seen through pressure measurements alone. With these conditions now visible, operators had additional data to evaluate chiller staging and identify opportunities for further system optimization.

Building a More Responsive Cooling System

By expanding direct measurement across the central plant and secondary distribution network, the resort gained a more complete understanding of chilled water and condenser water system performance. Flow and energy data now provide operators with information to support pump optimization, evaluate cooling demand and identify changing system conditions.

Just as importantly, the measurement capability was added without disrupting the facility's 24/7 operations. The external clamp-on installation eliminated the need for pipe modifications, welding or system shutdowns during deployment.

With greater insight into cooling demand, pump performance and hydraulic behavior, the facility is better positioned to improve energy efficiency, strengthen system reliability and support continued optimization of its cooling operations.