Carrier’s AquaEdge® 19MV chiller is an oil-free, water-cooled centrifugal chiller designed to deliver reliable, efficient performance; easy installation; and a wide operating range. With capacity from 300-700 tons (1,055-2,461 kW), the AquaEdge 19MV possesses the ability to operate at severe conditions when unexpected building operation or extreme weather conditions occur. It was these features and more that led our panel of judges to select the chiller as the 2022 Commercial Comfort Product of the Year in the Cooling Equipment category.

The AquaEdge 19MV chiller combines exceptional efficiency at design and off-design conditions with the ability to operate reliably, even at severe conditions and heavy cooling loads in many different types of industries and buildings supporting different loads and weather conditions. The chiller is well suited for commercial offices, data centers, manufacturing facilities, educational campuses, health care complexes, hotels, and life sciences operations.

“While some chillers may offer attractive IPLV’s while having rather lack luster efficiency at 75% and 100% load, the AquaEdge 19MV provides balanced performance, including 10% better than ASHRAE 90.1 2019 path B at both full and part load,” said Tom Franaszek, global product management director,  water-cooled chillers, Carrier Commercial HVAC. “This performance, combined with low-lift operation and quick restart times, makes the 19MV well suited for 24/7 applications, like hospitals and data centers. Following a power loss event, the 19MV can restart and achieve full capacity in as little as 150 seconds after power is restored.”

Carrier’s revolutionary EquiDrive™ two-stage back-to-back compressor and drive train technology provide More Operating Range (MORe), providing an improvement in both chiller energy efficiency and building resiliency.

The unit offers numerous benefits, including:

  • Achieves <0.52 kW/ton and <0.31 kW/ton (IPLV) at Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) conditions;
  • An operating range of 40°-95°F entering condenser water down to 10% load;
  • An expansion control system with dual electronic expansion valves (EXVs) for optimized integration;
  • An oil-free magnetic bearing system;
  • A permanent magnet motor that improves efficiency at full and part loads;
  • A more balanced design means reduced thrust loads;
  • A direct drive that simplifies the design;
  • Streamlined gas flow reduces internal losses;
  • Optimized dual inlet guide vanes for better efficiency and stability; and
  • It is designed for both variable evaporator and variable condenser flow and can be used with R-134a or low-GWP R-513A.
Carrier’s AquaEdge® 19MV chiller is an oil-free water-cooled centrifugal chiller designed to deliver reliable, efficient performance; easy installation; and a wide operating range. Image courtesy of Carrier

The AquaEdge 19MV meets applicable standards, such as UL, ANSI, and ASHRAE 15. The chiller is certified in accordance with the AHRI Water-Cooled Water-Chilling and Heat Pump Water-Heating Packages. The certification program is based on AHRI Standard 550/590 (I-P) and AHRI Standard 551/591 (SI). One point LEED EAC4 can be earned when selecting the 19MV AquaEdge.

“Specifying engineers and professionals can use Carrier’s PLV Pro software to evaluate overall chiller performance based on site-specific weather data, U.S. Department of Energy building load profiles, multi-chiller staging, and economizer operation for a quick and free-of-charge alternative to generic IPLV based lifecycle analyses,” Franaszek said. “The AquaEdge 19MV and PLV Pro, built on the legacy of Willis Carrier’s breakthrough invention of the centrifugal chiller technology and the celebration of the 100th anniversary this year, opened the door to large-scale comfort air conditioning while improving the effectiveness of process cooling.”

The Judges’ Verdict

The chiller’s versatility caught our judges’ attention, pushing it to the top of the podium.

“The ability to operate in variable condenser and evaporator systems under a wide range of temperatures make the Carrier 19MV a useful machine for a variety of applications,” said one judge. “Quick restart and the ability to operate inverted are necessities for mission critical applications and provide added flexibility for operators of all systems.”

Another judge lauded the unit’s use of magnetic-bearing compressors.

“The long-term impact of lower operating costs has to play a key role in selecting equipment for a project,” the judge said. “Magnetic-bearing compressors offer other intangible benefits as well.

They are super quiet, most likely cannot be heard over the operation of the pumps in the mechanical room, and are oil-free. This means they’re not plagued by oil-flow issues a typical water-cooled centrifugal compressor may encounter.”