Case Study: Hilton Xinglong Hainan — 3-Chiller Condenser Online Cleaning

The Hilton hotel in Xinglong, Hainan, China, runs its air-conditioning on three water-cooled chillers in a tropical island climate — one of the hardest environments for condenser cleanliness. All three chillers were fitted with the HyApexFlow automatic condenser tube cleaning system (ATCS) — sponge-ball type, running on site as the HCTCS unit — and commissioned in August 2018.

Hilton Xinglong chiller room — all three chillers covered by the ATCS installation.

The Challenge

Resort properties in tropical China cool their condenser water with open cooling towers. Constant air–water contact pulls dust and microorganisms into the loop, and with cooling water sitting in the 20–30°C band year-round, slime and microbial growth accumulate fast. The end result is a hard scale layer — mainly calcium and magnesium carbonate — on the iron and copper condenser tubes, degrading heat transfer, raising condensing temperature and pushing compressor power up on every running hour.

The Solution

ATCS units were installed on all three chillers. Cleaning balls circulate continuously through each condenser bundle, wiping tube walls clean on every pass — no tower shutdown, no chiller downtime, no operator intervention. The system was commissioned in August 2018 and handed over to the hotel engineering team.

ATCS unit and control panel on the chiller condenser water line.

Measured Results (September 2019)

One year after commissioning, the No.1 chiller’s logged operating data — taken at or near 100% load across September 2019 — showed condenser approach temperatures of 0.9–1.2°C, averaging about 1.0°C. That keeps the machine comfortably inside the ≤2°C band where the compressor power penalty (3–4% per °C of extra condensing temperature, per China’s GB 50736-2012 design code) stays minimal — sustained efficiency, season after season.

Beyond Energy: Secondary Benefits

• No manual tube brushing — the maintenance team no longer opens chiller end covers or rods tubes by hand.
• Longer chiller service life — fewer intrusive cleanings means less wear on gaskets, tubes and headers.
• Lower maintenance spend — the plant stays in its efficient band between service windows instead of degrading after each manual clean.

Applicability

Hotels and resorts in tropical coastal regions face the worst combination for condensers: open towers, warm water and year-round runtime. This project shows the ATCS holding near-new heat transfer on all three chillers with zero disruption to guests — the same model applies to resort chains across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.