EXTENDING CHILLER LIFE WITH A REGEN COMPRESSOR

Overview

When a compressor serving a critical laboratory environment failed, Elemental Commercial Services needed to restore cooling capacity quickly and reliably. Rather than replace the compressor with new equipment, the team selected a ReGen Labs remanufactured Turbocor compressor. This gave them a cost effective way to return proven technology to service while supporting a more circular approach to equipment lifecycle management.

The Challenge

SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Nappi Center relies on dependable temperature control for its laboratory environment. The facility is served by two water cooled chillers. When a compressor failed on one of them, the building lost cooling capacity at times when every compressor was needed to meet demand.

The failed compressor was having problems while lifting and spinning up. The cause was chilled water flow that changed very suddenly, dropping from about 800 to 1,000 gallons per minute down to around 200 gallons per minute within seconds. Elemental adjusted the chilled water pump drives to slow down these changes and fix the underlying problem.

The chiller was about five years old and its original warranty had ended. The team needed a dependable replacement that could restore cooling without unnecessary spending on new equipment.

The Solution

Elemental Commercial Services evaluated the available options and selected a ReGen Labs remanufactured Turbocor compressor.

The ReGen compressor cost about 25% less than the new compressor option considered during the project. It came with a standard two year warranty and an option to extend coverage. Remanufactured compressors were also available much sooner than new ones, which can have long waiting times.

The team was also confident in the long life of the Turbocor technology. In their field experience, Elemental had seen Turbocor compressors stay in operation for many years. That supported the decision to restore the technology rather than throw it away.

ReGen Labs evaluates, repairs and rebuilds compressors using original manufacturer parts. The goal is to return each compressor to like new condition, with the same performance and quality as the original.

Smooth Installation. Same Day Restart.

The ReGen compressor arrived in excellent, near new condition, with key top end components and related parts newly replaced.

Installation and startup went smoothly. The team replaced the compressor, started it up successfully and had the chiller running again the same day.

During startup, the compressor controlled its airflow properly and spun up smoothly, performing like a new unit. More testing the next day confirmed it was working correctly. At the time of follow up, the compressor had run for nearly a full week without any alarms.

Four hours of technical support were also available during installation and startup. Because the installation went so smoothly, it was never needed.

“The compressor arrived in excellent condition, installed smoothly and performed like a new unit. We had the chiller back in operation the same day.”
Anthony Calenzo, Vice President, Elemental Commercial Services

The Benefits

Same day return to operation. The compressor was installed and started up successfully, so the chiller was running again the same day.

Near new condition and performance. The remanufactured compressor arrived in excellent condition and ran smoothly. The installation team said it performed like a new unit.

Lower cost. The ReGen compressor cost about 25% less than the new compressor option considered during the project.

Warranty confidence. The standard ReGen warranty was two years, with an option to extend coverage.

Proven technology, given a second life. Instead of treating the failed compressor as disposable, ReGen restored proven Turbocor technology and returned it to service.

Works with any brand. ReGen Labs’ expertise is in the technology itself, so it can remanufacture Turbocor compressors no matter which manufacturer’s chiller they run in.

Circular by design. Remanufacturing keeps usable equipment and materials in service. That reduces the need for new manufacturing and saves the energy and resources needed to make replacement equipment.

A More Circular Approach to Chiller Maintenance

This project shows that a failed compressor doesn’t have to mean the end of a chiller’s useful life. By remanufacturing proven compressor technology and putting it back into service, ReGen Labs offers an option that is reliable, cost efficient and circular. It helps customers get value from equipment that might otherwise be thrown away.

Success story developed in collaboration with H&V group.