CASE60 · Manufacturing · Chiller additive pilot
Retaining a null result when a chiller-oil additive did not show clear improvement
An oil-fouling hypothesis is tested through actual additive application and before/after operating analysis. The completion report records no demonstrated benefit, providing no basis to assign savings or proceed from an assumed claim.
01 · CASE ANALYSIS
Hypothesis and test objective
The proposed mechanism was that lubricant entering the refrigerant circuit could foul heat-transfer surfaces and an additive might reduce that effect.
This was a project hypothesis. Its physical plausibility does not establish that oil fouling was the actual dominant problem or that the additive worked.
02 · CASE ANALYSIS
Prepare a comparable baseline
Record chiller kW, RT from flow/ΔT, condenser-water conditions, chilled-water setpoint and load factor. Check meter validity and document concurrent cleaning, maintenance or controls changes.
Define the required improvement, measurement uncertainty and observation duration before applying the product.
| Input | Purpose |
|---|---|
| kW and delivered RT | Cooling-normalized performance |
| Condenser-water conditions | Separate lift changes |
| Chilled-water setpoint and load factor | Match operating conditions |
| Sensor quality | Assess measurement confidence |
| Concurrent work | Separate additive and other effects |
03 · CASE ANALYSIS
Actual project sequence
The source schedule included procurement, analysis/application planning, additive application, efficiency evaluation and a later expansion decision.
Compare kW/RT under comparable conditions rather than lower absolute kW after a load reduction. Other changes may confound apparent efficiency differences.
04 · CASE ANALYSIS
Completion result and decision
The final improvement-item table recorded “no effect” and recognized no separate saving amount. The English interpretation is that the expected improvement was not clearly demonstrated in this field test.
This is not evidence that all additives are ineffective under every condition. It is evidence that this test does not justify assigning a saving or extrapolating an unproven benefit.
| Stage | Source status |
|---|---|
| Oil-fouling prevention idea | Improvement hypothesis |
| Additive application and evaluation | Actual project activity |
| Completion-report effect | No effect recorded |
| Recognized standalone saving | None |
| Scope of conclusion | This test and its conditions |
05 · CASE ANALYSIS
A reusable pilot protocol
Check test quality even when the result is null: baseline coverage, matched load ranges, sensors, confounding and duration. Document the result for future procurement decisions.
Models may adjust external conditions but should not manufacture an expected benefit. Preserve the gate from hypothesis to field evidence and adopt/decline decisions.
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