New Standard Released, Three Method of Testing Standards Updated
From eSociety, August 2018
A new ASHRAE standard addresses method of testing for electrical power drive systems, and three method of testing standards have been updated.
The new standard, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 222-2018, Standard Method of Test for Electrical Power Drive Systems, is derived from AHRI Standard 1210, and AHRI requested that ASHRAE take ownership of this test method along with its ongoing maintenance and increased scope.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 32.2-2018, Methods of Testing for Rating Premix and Postmix Beverage Dispensing Equipment, includes the addition of performance testing at normal room temperature, high ambient conditions and very-high ambient conditions.
Testing for pulldown and standby performance now are separated into individual tests, and a new informative appendix suggests a method to use the test data for an energy efficiency metric.
ASHRAE Standard 32.2 prescribes a uniform method for testing and rating the capacity and efficiency of premix and postmix beverage dispensing equipment.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 72-2018, Method of Testing Open and Closed Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers, adds energy management devices and drawer openings for refrigerator and freezer units with drawers.
The revised 2018 edition also clarifies door and drawer opening methods, test probe locations for units over 1220 mm (4 ft) in width, electrical loads that need to be on during the test, air current measurements within the test room, and the measurement of internal volumes.
ASHRAE Standard 72 prescribes a uniform method of testing open and closed refrigerators and freezers for rating. The standard applies to horizontal, semi-vertical and vertical open and closed refrigerators and freezers, and to both remote and self-contained open and closed refrigerators and freezers.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 158.2-2018, Methods of Testing Capacity of Refrigerant Pressure Regulators, provides a means of accurately measuring the refrigerant mass flow capacity of regulators.
The flow capacity may be expressed in terms of refrigerating effect with various refrigerants by performing simple thermodynamic computations.
Examples of the computations necessary to express regulator capacity in kilowatts (tons) or other appropriate units are included in Informative Appendix C of this standard for the user’s convenience.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 222-2018, Standard Method of Test for Electrical Power Drive Systems, is a method of test for determining the performance of HVAC&R-related adjustable-speed electric alternating-current (AC) power drive systems.
The standard is intended for rating the energy efficiency and electrical compatibility of the power drive systems with the power grid and with motor insulation.
An example application of the standard is its anticipated reference by AHRI and others for product certification and verification purposes of variable-frequency-drive systems. Those systems are a type of complete drive module that regulates the speed of a motor by adjusting the fundamental frequency and the voltage of the electrical power supplied to the motor.
The body of this standard is derived from AHRI Standard 1210, Appendix C, “Methods of Testing Variable Frequency Drives—Normative.”
Several efficiency test standards exist for motors and for power drive systems, including loss segregation methods and caloric methods. The efficiency determination in this standard is based strictly on a method involving input power and output power.