Starter Type for Big LV Chiller

Without any other information about the system supplying the chillers or their type, the answer is "yes".

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Motor soft starter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Centrifugal Chiller Fundamentals - Literature SearchMcQuay HVA
Low Voltage Starters

It depends upon the resilience of the upstream supply and cabling, no detail of which has been offered in the original post. So go with #1 above.

Usually, the answer to this question is about regulatory compliance, not engineering. From a purely engineering standpoint, either one is an acceptable answer to "Can we..." Regulations will vary by location and are often administered by the servicing electric power utility through the permitting process.

If you are generating your own power, then it becomes an issue of the economic tradeoffs between having more generating capacity or more expensive starting methods.

Although DOL starting will result in higher starting current and higher voltage drop, nevertheless the starting torque developed by the motor will be higher. If the inertia of the driven equipment is high then there may be problem in starting (due to higher acceleration time or stalling) when you use a Star Delta Starter or Soft Starter because of reduced voltage at motor terminal.

Hence your decision will depend on the following:

- local regulation regarding starting of the highest rated motor

- short circuit level of the power network

- load inertia

Two out of three ain't bad.

Soft starter is advisable. Did you check the recommendations of chiller /compressor manufacturer?

Most HVAC compressor units start "unloaded".

Other than possibly limiting the higher inrush current during starting which is only present for a brief period of time, I can't see any advantage to using a soft start.