Plant Utilities worked example

Chilled Water Delta T at 65% target delta t recovery: a worked example

Suppose target delta t recovery falls to 65%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Compare measured chilled water delta T to design delta T so teams can flag low delta T syndrome and coil or flow issues.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Measured chilled water delta T: 8 °F (held at the documented default)
  • Design chilled water delta T: 12 °F (held at the documented default)
  • Target delta T recovery: 65 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 90)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Chilled Water Delta T = measured chilled water delta t ÷ design chilled water delta t × 100.
  • Chilled Water Delta T rate works out to 66.67 % at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gap to target works out to -1.67 points at these inputs.
  • Measured load or hours works out to 8 value at these inputs.
  • Available capacity or hours works out to 12 value at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target delta t recovery sits at 90% and the headline result is 66.67 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 66.67 %.
  • It computes measured delta T as a percentage of design delta T and the gap in percentage points between that utilization and your target recovery. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Chilled Water Delta T rate: 66.67 % (headline result)
  • Gap to target: -1.67 points
  • Measured load or hours: 8 value
  • Available capacity or hours: 12 value

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Chilled Water Delta T calculator, set target delta t recovery to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.