Green Building Air Conditioning Fails

A recently constructed ( 2015 ) green building utilises a novel air conditioning cooling and heating system which relies on lake water for cooling of the HVAC system. The cooling /heating process takes place in a 330 x plate heat exchanger which fouled and blocked after limited usage. After cleaning and return to service the plate exchanger leaked and pitting corrosion of the stainless steel was found to be the root cause. It was recommended to select a different grade of stainless steel and choose a different plate heat exchanger spacing to avoid biological fouling.