Chiller Decommissioning?
Hello HeatingHelp.com community! : )
I need to remove and scrap our old water chiller (AC) from the basement. I assume that it was a freon or ammonia refrigerant based system.
I doubt there is any refrigerant left in the system as the compressor heads have long been removed (see pic).
The "boiler tubes" if that's what their called in a chiller, are encased by a thick steel cylinder.
There are 225 3/4" x 10ft long thick walled (K copper?) tubes total inside these cylinders.
I'm wondering the best way to cut this chiller up for easy removal and metal reclamation (scrap value)
I'm thinking of using an oxyacetylene cutting torch for this.
Is it safe to cut this chiller with this?
Thanks!
Comments
-
I'm thinking of using an oxyacetylene cutting torch for this.
This is not a job to Think, you'd better KNOW!
From here it looks like the refrigerant has been removed but the last thing you need is to be wrong. Get someone that actually knows if all hazards materials have been properly disposed of. Oils have been removed. and anything else that doesn't like torches!
0 -
Agreed!!
I'm aware that refrigerant's pick up and carry some small amount of the compressor's oil lubricant around as it circulates throughout the system.
In a chiller like this, was the refrigerant circulated inside the copper tubes or the in the shell of the steel containment cylinder?
With one of the cylinders being small and the other being three times this size, I suspect maybe only the small cylinder was exposed to refrigerant and the larger one was only a water to water heat exchanger.
0 -
@RickDelta - this another location from the building with the ground water intrusion?
0 -
…… yea! different location.
0 -
The refrigerant is gone. Drain the oil from the compressor and go to town. Looks like you have insulation glued on the barrel that is tough to remove.
This is a harder job than it appears to be. Weather you use a torch or a Sawzall it will be a battle.
If you can rig the barrel out I would do that. But if you have unlimited time go for it.
0 -
Goodmorning ED! : )
Would you go for cutting these cylinders in 1/4 sections, or cut lengthwise?
0 -
wow, how many headache building projects can one guy have! 😉
0 -
LOL!! : )
…… I had three scrappers walk away from this! That's what edges me on to do it! : )
These things must have gone in before the roof went on. Just the compressor must be over 1,000 pounds! …. the motor about as much!
…… the only other time I did anything like this was to oxy cut apart a large printing press ……… the oxy did all the work!
I'm just concerned that if there's oil inside all those boiler tubes and it ignites it would take off like a rocket!
…… Hey! maybe put a go-pro on the one end and I could aerial map Pennsylvania!! : )
1 -
-
…….. pondering!
If I just cut off the very ends of the cylinders, I would think I could then just pull out (slide) the entire copper pipe assembly. It would look just like a 60 barrel "gatling gun"
….. the big cylinder would be a 165 copper barrel gatling gun!
I doubt the internal pipe support disks would be attached to the walls of the steel cylinder.
….. where's Leonz when I need him! : )
0 -
I would cut the outer shell all the way around a few inches inside the tube sheet on both ends. Then cut the shell length wise in two places then you can cut out the tubes and most of the weight will be gone and you can deal with the tube sheet.
They can be tough to cut but evap is not as bad as a condenser. You get sludge and rust inside which will not allow a torch to cut through you get a lot of sparks, blowback and the metal welds itself back together.
The rust and dirt also dulls Sawzall blades. Maybe an angle grinder with a cutting disk.
0 -
" I would cut the outer shell all the way around a few inches ……. " - Ed
Great!
Then call me when ya got it all loaded up in the truck and we'll run it over to the scrap yard!
…. your the best Ed!! : )
0 -
I verified the few remaining areas of the pipe insulation were not asbestos.
The larger "boiler tank cylinder" shows evidence of a very light residue of compressor oil inside.
As I plan to use an OXY cutting torch to make easy disassembly of all the overhead pipes and the frame mounted cylinders, I'm going to "TAP" (drill a 1/2" hole in the cylinders) before cutting with the torch.
This will allow me to inject (flood) powder chemical fire extinguisher into the cylinders before cutting.
……. thoughts on this?
0 -
Maybe just purge nitrogen through it while you're cutting? That should at least keep any flames from getting out of hand and make for a lot easier cleanup. You can always use the fire extinguisher if necessary.
0 -
I know zero about chillers, so I have no idea what refrigerants which styles use etc.
But, what are the chances of R-11 laying in that for years in a cool basement, even with wide open connections? R-11 and a torch could be a bad day.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
0 -
……… I hear ya guys!
Cutting all this metal with the OXY would be fast and relatively easy ……. Its a flash oil fire within the boiler cylinder I'm concerned about. : (
"purge with nitrogen" - Ratio
That may work for the initial cuts (while its still a cylinder) …. but as I start to split open the cylinder I lose the contained shell for the nitrogen.
…….. what about flushing the cylinders with a degreaser to bring down the volatility of the residual oil film?
0 -
I'm now realizing that even a momentary flash fire that I can extinguish fast …….. is an unacceptable risk for a motel environment. : (
In the pic attached, at the center of the buildings cross, slightly to the right, that gray square roof cap is covering an abandoned 5ft x5ft open shaft all the way down to the basement.
I'll just slide all these large and very heavy components over to this shaft and take them out thru the roof to a crane set up in our large outdoor parking/storage area to the left (NO OXY CUTTING within the building!!) : )
1 -
Now you're getting smarter.
0 -
I mentioned rigging it out in one of my earlier posts. Cutting isn't as easy as it sounds and everyone likes the scrap money.
I have done a lot of this and no one size fits all. Sometimes you rig and sometimes you cut depending on access, combustibles in the area and how to contain smoke.
I doubt there is any amount of oil in the evaporator.
2 -
I just saw this,
can you rent 4 machinery movers to move them to the hatch to lift them out? its either that use pipe to roll each one to the hatchway. The machinery movers have steel pads that the load rests on and steering handles to turn each one. You need to rent an engine hoist to lift the ends up to roll the pipe under or to place the machinery movers.
Your going to need 2 way radios to speak to the crane operator as you hook up the slings to lift each one out on one end.
1 -
If you are going to cut it up once it is out, rent a plasma cutter, it works on any conductive metal, even plastic if you sandwich it.
Electricity and compressed air is all you need. Some of them have compressors built in.
Wear a respirator!
Bob "hot rod" Rohr
trainer for Caleffi NA
Living the hydronic dream1
Categories
- All Categories
- 86.4K THE MAIN WALL
- 3.1K A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
- 53 Biomass
- 422 Carbon Monoxide Awareness
- 91 Chimneys & Flues
- 2K Domestic Hot Water
- 5.4K Gas Heating
- 100 Geothermal
- 156 Indoor-Air Quality
- 3.4K Oil Heating
- 64 Pipe Deterioration
- 921 Plumbing
- 6.1K Radiant Heating
- 381 Solar
- 15K Strictly Steam
- 3.3K Thermostats and Controls
- 54 Water Quality
- 41 Industry Classes
- 47 Job Opportunities
- 17 Recall Announcements