DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to an integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
Typically, heat exchangers are available in the market in many sizes. They are mostly used in industries such as Oil & Gas, petrochemicals and power industries, mainly in their heating and cooling systems.
Conventional heat exchangers/water-cooled solutions (chillers) are designed with compressor as a source of cooling (such as in a refrigeration system). In such refrigeration system, indoor heat is exchanged between water and a refrigerant in an evaporator. Further, in the refrigeration system, the heat rejection to ambient is achieved with the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air in a condenser.
In addition to, the conventional heat exchangers require a large amount of energy to operate. Further, they have low performance efficiency and a high operation and maintenance cost. In addition to this, the operation of conventional heat exchangers is usually not customizable as per the user requirements. This leads to an increased risk of failure and thereby an increased downtime. The conventional heat exchangers are therefore not suitable for tough duties. Furthermore the design and construction of the conventional air heat exchangers is very complex. Moreover, they are usually bulky, making them unsuitable for transportation.
Therefore, there is a need for an integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange which alleviates the abovementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange that is reliable.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange that requires low power for its operation.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange that is easy to assemble and disassemble for servicing.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange that can be connected to other apparatus to offer higher capacity.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange that ensures serviceability without any downtime.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange. The apparatus comprises at least a pair of pumps, at least a pair of cooling circuits, at least a pair of control valves and a control circuitry. The pair of pumps is configured to receive a stream of hot water from a hot water header through a hot water input line and is further configured to pump the received hot water stream through a hot water pipeline. Each cooling circuit comprises a heat exchanger unit and an electronically commutated (EC) fan. The heat exchanger unit comprises a finned tube fluidly connected to the hot water pipeline to allow the hot water stream to passthrough and to transfer the heat from the passing hot water to the environment. The heat exchanger unit is connected to a cold water pipeline and is configured to discharge a cold water into the cold water pipeline. Each of the finned tubes is a V-shaped fined tube heat exchange coil. The EC fan is disposed proximal to the heat exchanger unit. The fan is configured to draw an ambient air through the finned tube of the heat exchanger units to facilitate transfer of heat from the hot water to the drawn ambient air. Each control valve has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of each control valve is fluidly connected to the cold water pipeline and the outlet of both the control valves is fluidly connected to a cold water discharge line discharging the cold water into a cold water header.
The control circuitry comprises a plurality of sensors and a controller. The plurality of sensors is configured to measure one or more parameters associated with the cold and hot water to generate corresponding sensed data. The controller is configured to receive the sensed data from the sensors and is further configured to selectively control the operation of the control valves, the pumps, and the EC fans based on the received data. The sensors comprise a flow sensor, a cold water temperature sensor, a hot water temperature sensor and a differential pressure transducer. The flow sensor is configured to measure a flow rate of the cold water in each of the water pipelines to generate a flow rate signal. The cold water temperature sensor is disposed in each cold water pipeline and is configured to measure temperature of the cold water in the respective cold water pipelines to generate cold water temperature signals. The hot water temperature sensor is disposed in the hot water pipeline and is configured to measure temperature of the hot water in the hot water pipelines and generate a hot water temperature signal. The differential pressure transducer is connected between the cold discharge line and the hot water input line and is configured to measure a differential pressure between the hot water and the cold water to generate a differential pressure signal.
The controller comprises a memory, a leaving water temperature control module, a water flow rate control module and a supply pressure head control module. The memory is configured to store a pre-defined cold water temperature threshold value, a pre-defined flow rate threshold value, and a pre-defined differential pressure drop threshold value. The leaving water temperature control module is configured to receive the cold water temperature signals from the cold water temperature sensors to extract measured temperature values, and is further configured to cooperate with the memory to modulate the speed of at least one of the EC fans based on a comparison of the measured temperature values and the pre-defined cold water temperature threshold value. The water flow rate control module is configured to receive the measured flow rate signal from the flow sensor to extract measured water flow rate values, and is further configured to cooperate with the memory to modulate the speed of at least one the pump based on a comparison of the measured flow rate value and the pre-defined flow rate threshold value. The supply pressure head control module is configured to receive differential pressure signal from the differential pressure transducer to extract measured differential pressure drop values, and is further configured to cooperate with the memory to modulate the speed of at least one of the pump and the control valve based on a comparison of the measured differential pressure drop values and the pre-defined differential pressure drop threshold value.
In an embodiment, the apparatus comprises a water flow switch which is disposed proximal to each of the pumps. The water flow switch is configured to sense a water level in the pumps and generate an alert signal when the sensed water level is below a pre-defined threshold value, to prevent the pumps from running dry.
In another embodiment, the apparatus comprises a human machine interface (HMI) connected to the controller. The HMI is configured to allow an operator to set a desired mode of operation. The mode is selected from the group consisting of a scheduling mode, a contingency mode, and a cascading mode.
In the event of selection of the scheduling mode, the controller is configured to schedule the operation of at least one cooling circuit and at least one pump based on a pre-defined set of calendrical operation points. In the event of selection of the contingency mode, the controller is configured to operate at least one of the pumps with at least one of the cooling circuits, in case of failure of the other cooling circuit or pump. In the event of selection of the cascading mode, the controller is configured to operate both the cooling circuits with both the pumps concurrently to cater to a condition where the load is beyond the capacity of a single cooling circuit.
In still another embodiment, the apparatus comprises an ambient temperature sensor. The ambient temperature sensor is configured to measure an ambient temperature and generate a sensed ambient temperature signal. The memory is further configured to store an ambient temperature threshold value, an ambient temperature low alarm value, and an ambient temperature high alarm value. The controller comprises an exigence handling module. The exigence handling module is configured to cooperate with the ambient temperature sensor to receive the sensed ambient temperature signal and extract an ambient temperature value. The exigence handling module is further configured to:
• generate a high temperature alert when the sensed ambient temperature value is greater than the ambient temperature high alarm value;
• generate a low temperature alert when the sensed ambient temperature value is less than the ambient temperature low alarm value;
• modulate the EC fan of an operating circuit, if the sensed ambient temperature value is less than the ambient temperature threshold value and additionally operate both the heat exchanger units with one of the pumps and without the EC fan if the sensed ambient temperature value is lower than the control capability of the EC fan;
• modulate the EC fan of an operating circuit, if the sensed ambient temperature value is greater than or equal to the ambient temperature threshold value and additionally operate both the cooling circuits with one of the pumps if the sensed ambient temperature value is higher than the control capability of the EC fans; and
• modulate the EC fan of an operating circuit, if the heat exchanger units are working inefficiently, and additionally operate both the cooling circuits with one of the pumps, if the sensed temperature is beyond the control of a single cooling circuit.
In an embodiment, the apparatus is connectable to additional cooling circuits. The HMI coordinates with the controller and is further configured to allow the operator to perform group control of the cooling circuits by facilitating selection of a desired mode of operation for each of the connected cooling circuits.
In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a fire and smoke detector. The fire and smoke detector is configured to generate an alarming sound upon detection of fire or smoke in vicinity of the apparatus.
In an embodiment, the pair of cooling circuits and pumps is housed in a metallic structure. The metallic structure has a rigid structural skeleton, and is configured to reduce unit vibration during operation of the EC fans. The metallic structure skeleton of the housing comprises unique top and bottom sections for ease of manufacturing and transport.
In still another embodiment, the apparatus comprises a pressurizer tank and a pressure relief valve. The pressure relief valve configured to open to allow the pressurizer tank to absorb a water surge in case of an increase in the mean temperature and pressure, and further configured to close and support a water makeup in case of a decrease in the mean temperature and pressure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
An integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of an integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange, in accordance with the present disclosure; and
Figures 2 illustrates a diagram of an integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange, in accordance with the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 - Apparatus
102a, b - Heat exchanger units
104a, b – Electronically Commutated (EC) fans
106a, b - Pumps
108a, b - Control valves
110 - Cold water header
112 - Hot water header
114 - Differential pressure transducer
116 - Hot water temperature sensor
118, 120 - Cold water temperature sensors
122 - Controller
124 - Hot water Input line
126 - Cold water pipeline
128 - Hot water pipeline
130 - Cold water discharge line
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms "a,” "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element is referred to as being "mounted on," “engaged to,” "connected to," or "coupled to" another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner,” “outer,” "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
Conventional heat exchangers/water-cooled solutions (chillers) are designed with compressor as source of cooling (refrigeration system). In such conventional system, indoor heat is exchanged between water and a refrigerant in evaporator. Further, the heat rejection to ambient is achieved with the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air in condenser.
Therefore, there is a need for an integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange. This integrated apparatus is designed to exchange heat between water and ambient air using in-tube heat exchanger, thereby removing the need of the refrigerant based cooling cycle.
Referring to Figure 1 and 2, the present disclosure envisages an integrated apparatus (hereinafter “apparatus 100”) for water-to-air indirect heat exchange. The apparatus 100 comprises at least a pair of pumps (106a, 106b), at least a pair of cooling circuits, at least a pair of control valves (108a, 108b), and a control circuitry.
The pair of pumps (106a, 106b) is configured to receive a stream of hot water from a hot water header 112 through a hot water input line 124. The pair of pumps (106a, 106b) is further configured to pump the received hot water stream through a hot water pipeline 128. These pair of pumps (106a, 106b) provides redundancy of flow of received hot water stream in the hot water pipeline 128.
Each cooling circuit comprises a heat exchanger unit (102a, 102b) and an electronically commutated (EC) fan (104a, 104b). The heat exchanger unit (102a, 102b) comprises a finned tube fluidly connected to the hot water pipeline (128) to allow the hot water stream to passthrough and to transfer the heat from the passing hot water to the environment. In an embodiment, each of the finned tubes is a V-shaped fined tube heat exchange coil.
The EC fan (104a, 104b) is disposed proximal to the heat exchanger unit (102a, 102b). For e.g. the EC fan 104a is disposed proximal to the heat exchanger unit 102a and the fan 104b is disposed proximal to the heat exchanger unit 102b. The fans (104a, 104b) is configured to draw an ambient air through the finned tube of the heat exchanger units (102a, 102b) to facilitate transfer of heat from the hot water to the drawn ambient air, thereby providing a cooling effect. The heat exchanger unit (102a, 102b) is connected to a cold water pipeline 126 and is configured to discharge a cold water into the cold water discharge line 130.
Each of the control valves (108a, 108b) has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of each control valve (108a, 108b) is fluidly connected to the cold water pipeline 126 and the outlet of both the control valves (108a, 108b) is fluidly connected to a cold water discharge line 130 discharging the cold water into a cold water header 110. The heat exchanger units (102a, 102b), the EC fans (104a, 104b) and control valves (108a, 108b) together provides redundancy in the cooling operation.
The control circuitry comprises a plurality of sensors and a controller 122. The plurality of sensors is configured to measure one or more parameters associated with the cold and hot water and generate corresponding sensed data. The sensors comprise a flow sensor, a hot water temperature sensor 116, at least two cold water temperature sensors (118, 120) and a differential pressure transducer 114. The flow sensor is configured to measure a flow rate of the cold water in each of the water pipelines 126 and generate a flow rate signal. The cold water temperature sensor (180, 120) is disposed in each cold water pipeline 126. The cold water temperature sensors (180, 120) are configured to measure temperature of the cold water in the respective cold water pipelines 126 and generate cold water temperature signals. The hot water temperature sensor 116 is disposed in the hot water pipeline 128. The hot water temperature sensor 116 is configured to measure temperature of the hot water in the hot water pipelines 128 and generates a hot water temperature signal. The differential pressure transducer 114 is connected between the cold discharge line 130 and the hot water input line 124. The differential pressure transducer 114 is configured to measure a differential pressure between the hot water and the cold water and generate a differential pressure signal.
The controller 122 is configured to receive the sensed data from the sensors and is further configured to selectively control the operation of the control valves (108a, 108b), the pumps (106a, 106b), and the EC fans (104a, 104b) based on the received data. In particular, the controller 122 comprises a memory, a leaving water temperature control module, a water flow rate control module, and a supply pressure head control module. The memory is configured to store a pre-defined cold water temperature threshold value, a pre-defined flow rate threshold value, and a pre-defined differential pressure drop threshold value.
The leaving water temperature control module is configured to receive the cold water temperature signals from the cold water temperature sensors (118, 120) and is further configured to extract measured temperature values. Further, the leaving water temperature control module is configured to cooperate with the memory to modulate the speed of at least one of the EC fans (104a, 104b) based on a comparison of the measured temperature values and the pre-defined cold water temperature threshold value. Specifically, the leaving water temperature control module is configured to linearly modulate the speed of the at least one of the EC fans (104a, 104b) when the measured temperature values are low or high when compared to the pre-defined cold water temperature threshold value to provide the required cooling effect.
The water flow rate control module is configured to receive the measured flow rate signal from the flow sensor and is further configured to extract measured water flow rate values. Further, the water flow rate control module is configured to cooperate with the memory to modulate the speed of at least one the pump (106a, 106b) based on a comparison of the measured flow rate value and the pre-defined flow rate threshold value. The pump (106a, 106b) is also linearly modulated by the water flow rate control module with respect to the flow demand.
The supply pressure head control module is configured to receive differential pressure signal from the differential pressure transducer 114 and is further configured to extract measured differential pressure drop values. Further, The supply pressure head control module is configured to cooperate with the memory to modulate the speed of at least one of the pump (106a, 106b) and the control valve (108a, 108b) based on a comparison of the measured differential pressure drop values and the pre-defined differential pressure drop threshold value.
In an embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises a water flow switch. The water flow switch is disposed proximal to each of the pumps (106a, 106b). The water flow switch is configured to sense a water level in the pumps (106a, 106b) and generate an alert signal when the sensed water level is below a pre-defined threshold value, to prevent the pumps (106a, 106b) from running dry.
In an embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises a human machine interface (HMI) connected to the controller 122. The HMI is configured to allow an operator to set a desired mode of operation. The mode can be selected from the group consisting of a scheduling mode, a contingency mode, and a cascading mode.
When the scheduling mode is selected, the controller 122 is configured to schedule the operation of at least one cooling circuit and at least one pump (106a, 106b) based on a pre-defined set of calendrical operation points.
When the contingency mode is selected, the controller 122 is configured to operate at least one of the pumps (106a, 106b) with at least one of the cooling circuits, in case of failure of the other cooling circuit or pump (106a, 106b). In such cases, the failures of the cooling circuit or pump (106a, 106b) can be attended within time to avoid the situation of downtime of the apparatus 100.
When the cascading mode is selected, the controller 122 is configured to operate both the cooling circuits with both the pumps (106a, 106b) concurrently to cater to a condition where the load is beyond the capacity of a single cooling circuit.
The above-mentioned modes can be selected only when the capacity requirement of the apparatus 100 is half of its rated total capacity. In the case of full capacity requirement, the apparatus 100 is configured to optimize the performance through capacity modulation only.
In an embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises one or more ambient temperature sensors. The ambient temperature sensor is configured to measure an ambient temperature and is further configured to generate a sensed ambient temperature signal. In an embodiment, the memory is further configured to store an ambient temperature threshold value, an ambient temperature low alarm value, and an ambient temperature high alarm value. The controller 122 comprises an exigence handling module configured to cooperate with the ambient temperature sensor to receive the sensed ambient temperature signal and extract an ambient temperature value. Based on the ambient temperature value, the exigence handling module is further configured to generate a high temperature alert when the sensed ambient temperature value is greater than the ambient temperature high alarm value. In an event when the sensed ambient temperature value is less than the ambient temperature low alarm value, the exigence handling module is configured to generate a low temperature alert. In an event when the sensed ambient temperature value is less than the ambient temperature threshold value, the exigence handling module is configured to modulate the EC fan (104a, 104b) of an operating circuit. Additionally, the exigence handling module is configured to operate both the heat exchanger units (102a, 102b) with one of the pumps (106a, 106b) and without the EC fan (104a, 104b) if the sensed ambient temperature value is lower than the control capability of the EC fan (104a, 104b).
In an event when the sensed ambient temperature value is greater than or equal to the ambient temperature threshold value, the exigence handling module is configured to modulate the EC fan (104a, 104b) of an operating circuit. Additionally the exigence handling module is configured to operate both the cooling circuits with one of the pumps (106a, 106b) if the sensed ambient temperature value is higher than the control capability of the EC fans (104a, 104b).
In an event when the heat exchanger units (102a, 102b) are working inefficiently, may be due to dust, corrosion, aging, and the like, the exigence handling module is configured to modulate the EC fan (104a, 104b) of an operating circuit. Further, the exigence handling module is configured to additionally operate both the cooling circuits with one of the pumps (106a, 106b), if the sensed temperature is beyond the control of a single cooling circuit.
In an embodiment, the apparatus 100 is connectable to additional cooling circuits. The HMI coordinates with the controller 122. The controller 122 is configured to allow the operator to perform group control of the cooling circuits by facilitating selection of a desired mode of operation for each of the connected cooling circuits. The desired mode of operation includes group level scheduling module, contingency module and cascading module, thereby providing additional advantage of modularity for higher capacity extension. Hence, the controller 122 of one apparatus 100 is configured to support and operate multiple similar apparatuses 100.
In an embodiment, the controller 122 is powered with Modbus communication to building BMS system, for online monitoring of received sensed data and controlling the operational parameters and alarms.
In another embodiment, the apparatus 100 includes a fire and smoke detector. The fire and smoke detector is configured to generate an alarming sound upon detection of fire or smoke in vicinity of the apparatus 100.
In an embodiment, the pair of cooling circuits and pumps (106a, 106b) is housed in a metallic structure. The metallic structure has a rigid structural skeleton, and is configured to reduce unit vibration during operation of the EC fans (104a, 104b). The metallic structure skeleton of the housing comprises unique top and bottom sections for ease of manufacturing and transport.
In still another embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises a pressurizer tank and a pressure relief valve. The pressure relief valve is configured to open to allow the pressurizer tank to absorb a water surge in case of an increase in the mean temperature and pressure, and is further configured to close and support a water makeup in case of a decrease in the mean temperature and pressure. When the pressure is increased above the mean temperature or unsafe limits, there are the chances that the apparatus 100 can burst. In such cases, the pressurizer tank is configured to absorb water hammer to avoid any burst.
The apparatus 100 is also provided with an electrical energy meter. The electrical energy meter is configured for online monitoring and to display power consumption.
The pipe joints in a piping network of the apparatus 100 provides with quick release and leak-less couplings. The pipe joints are especially effective for ease of assembly and servicing of the apparatus 100.
This integrated apparatus 100 is designed to exchange heat between water and ambient air using in-tube heat exchanger, thereby removing the need of the refrigerant based cooling cycle. Due to this, failure rate associated with the compressors in the apparatus 100 are nullified. Also, as no refrigerant is involved in the apparatus 100, drawback such as greenhouse effect, Ozone depletion and the like are nullified. Therefore, when compared to the conventional water-cooled systems, this integrated apparatus 100 of present disclosure requires low power, offers no harm to atmosphere, and offers reduced failure rates.
Additionally, the functionalities in the apparatus 100 such as internal redundancy and external grouping and exigence handling logic, helps to improve serviceability without any downtime.
The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer- readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described above can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.
In addition, any disclosure of components contained within other components or separate from other components should be considered exemplary because multiple other architectures may potentially be implemented to achieve the same functionality, including incorporating all, most, and/or some elements as part of one or more unitary structures and/or separate structures.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of an integrated apparatus for water-to-air indirect heat exchange that:
• is reliable;
• requires low power for its operation;
• is easy to assemble and disassemble for servicing;
• is connected to other similar apparatuses to offer higher capacity; and
• ensures serviceability without any downtime.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. An integrated apparatus (100) for water-to-air indirect heat exchange, said apparatus (100) comprising:
• at least a pair of pumps (106a, 106b) configured to receive a stream of hot water from a hot water header (112) through a hot water input line (124) and further configured to pump (106a, 106b) the received hot water stream through a hot water pipeline (128);
• at least a pair of cooling circuits, each cooling circuit comprising:
o a heat exchanger unit (102a, 102b) comprising a finned tube fluidly connected to said hot water pipeline to allow the hot water stream to passthrough and to transfer the heat from the passing hot water to the environment, said heat exchanger unit (102a, 102b) connected to a cold water pipeline (126) and configured to discharge a cold water into said cold water pipeline (126); and
o an electronically commutated (EC) fan (104a, 104b) disposed proximal to said heat exchanger unit (102a, 102b), said fan (104a, 104b) configured to draw an ambient air through the finned tube of said heat exchanger units to facilitate transfer of heat from the hot water to the drawn ambient air,
• at least a pair of control valves (108a, 108b), each having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of each control valve (108a, 108b) fluidly connected to said cold water pipeline (126) and the outlet of both the control valves (108a, 108b) fluidly connected to a cold water discharge line (130) discharging the cold water into a cold water header (110);
• a control circuitry comprising:
i. a plurality of sensors configured to measure one or more parameters associated with the cold and hot water and generate corresponding sensed data; and
ii. a controller (122) configured to receive the sensed data from said sensors and further configured to selectively control the operation of said control valves (108a, 108b), said pumps (106a, 106b), and said EC fans (104a, 104b) based on said received data.

2. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sensors comprise:
• a flow sensor configured to measure a flow rate of the cold water in each of said water pipelines and generate a flow rate signal;
• a cold water temperature sensor (118, 120) disposed in each cold water pipeline (126), said temperature sensors (118, 120) configured to measure temperature of the cold water in the respective cold water pipelines (126) and generate cold water temperature signals;
• a hot water temperature sensor (116) disposed in said hot water pipeline, said temperature sensor (116) configured to measure temperature of the hot water in said hot water pipelines and generate a hot water temperature signal; and
• a differential pressure transducer (114) connected between said cold discharge line and said hot water input line (124) and configured to measure a differential pressure between the hot water and the cold water and generate a differential pressure signal.

3. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said controller (122) comprises:
• a memory configured to store a pre-defined cold water temperature threshold value, a pre-defined flow rate threshold value, and a pre-defined differential pressure drop threshold value;
• a leaving water temperature control module configured to receive said cold water temperature signals from said cold water temperature sensors (118, 120) to extract measured temperature values, and further configured to cooperate with said memory to modulate the speed of at least one of said EC fans (104a, 104b) based on a comparison of the measured temperature values and said pre-defined cold water temperature threshold value;
• a water flow rate control module configured to receive said measured flow rate signal from said flow sensor to extract measured water flow rate values, and further configured to cooperate with said memory to modulate the speed of at least one said pump (106a, 106b) based on a comparison of the measured flow rate value and said pre-defined flow rate threshold value; and
• a supply pressure head control module configured to receive differential pressure signal from said differential pressure transducer (114) to extract measured differential pressure drop values, and further configured to cooperate with said memory to modulate the speed of at least one of said pump (106a, 106b) and said control valve (108a, 108b) based on a comparison of the measured differential pressure drop values and said pre-defined differential pressure drop threshold value.

4. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, which comprises a water flow switch disposed proximal to each of said pumps (106a, 106b), said water switch configured to sense a water level in the pumps (106a, 106b) and generate an alert signal when the sensed water level is below a pre-defined threshold value, to prevent the pumps (106a, 106b) from running dry.
5. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, which comprises a human machine interface (HMI) connected to said controller (122), said HMI configured to allow an operator to set a desired mode of operation, said mode selected from the group consisting of a scheduling mode, a contingency mode, and a cascading mode.
6. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein in the event of selection of the scheduling mode, said controller (122) is configured to schedule the operation of at least one cooling circuit and at least one pump (106a, 106b) based on a pre-defined set of calendrical operation points.
7. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein in the event of selection of the contingency mode, said controller (122) is configured to operate at least one of said pumps (106a, 106b) with at least one of said cooling circuits, in case of failure of the other cooling circuit or pump (106a, 106b).
8. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein in the event of selection of the cascading mode, said controller (122) is configured to operate both the cooling circuits with both the pumps (106a, 106b) concurrently to cater to a condition where the load is beyond the capacity of a single cooling circuit.
9. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, which comprises an ambient temperature sensor configured to measure an ambient temperature and generate a sensed ambient temperature signal.
10. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein said memory is further configured to store an ambient temperature threshold value, an ambient temperature low alarm value, and an ambient temperature high alarm value.
11. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein said controller (122) comprises an exigence handling module configured to cooperate with said ambient temperature sensor to receive said sensed ambient temperature signal and extract an ambient temperature value, and further configured to:
• generate a high temperature alert when the sensed ambient temperature value is greater than said ambient temperature high alarm value;
• generate a low temperature alert when the sensed ambient temperature value is less than said ambient temperature low alarm value;
• modulate the EC fan (104a, 104b) of an operating circuit, if the sensed ambient temperature value is less than the ambient temperature threshold value and additionally operate both the heat exchanger units (102a, 102b) with one of the pumps (106a, 106b) and without the EC fan (104a, 104b) if the sensed ambient temperature value is lower than the control capability of the EC fan (104a, 104b);
• modulate the EC fan (104a, 104b) of an operating circuit, if the sensed ambient temperature value is greater than or equal to the ambient temperature threshold value and additionally operate both the cooling circuits with one of the pumps (106a, 106b) if the sensed ambient temperature value is higher than the control capability of the EC fans (104a, 104b); and
• modulate the EC fan (104a, 104b) of an operating circuit, if said heat exchanger units (102a, 102b) are working inefficiently, and additionally operate both the cooling circuits with one of the pumps (106a, 106b), if the sensed temperature is beyond the control of a single cooling circuit.

12. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 5, which is connectable to additional cooling circuits, wherein said HMI coordinating with said controller (122) is configured to allow the operator to perform group control of said cooling circuits by facilitating selection of a desired mode of operation for each of the connected cooling circuits.
13. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said apparatus (100) includes a fire and smoke detector configured to generate an alarming sound upon detection of fire or smoke in vicinity of said apparatus (100).
14. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, said pair of cooling circuits and pumps (106a, 106b) are housed in a metallic structure.
15. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 14, wherein said metallic structure has a rigid structural skeleton, and is configured to reduce unit vibration during operation of said EC fans (104a, 104b).
16. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 15, wherein the metallic structure skeleton of the housing comprises unique top and bottom sections for ease of manufacturing and transport.
17. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said finned tubes is a V-shaped fined tube heat exchange coil.
18. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, which comprises:
• a pressurizer tank; and
• a pressure relief valve configured to open to allow said pressurizer tank to absorb a water surge in case of an increase in the mean temperature and pressure, and further configured to close and support a water makeup in case of a decrease in the mean temperature and pressure.
Dated this 27th day of December, 2022

_______________________________
MOHAN RAJKUMAR DEWAN, IN/PA – 25
of R.K.DEWAN & CO.
Authorized Agent of Applicant