Based on the concept of entransy dissipation resistance

this paper analyzes all the heat transfer processes in heat exchanger networks

the characteristics of variable speed pumps (VSPs) and the characteristics of pipeline resistances

to propose a general relationship

which connects the geometrical structures of each heat exchanger and the operating parameters of VSPs directly to the demands of users and the supply of refrigerating unit. To illustrate the applications of the newly proposed optimization method

a simple central variable water volume (VWV) chiller system is taken as an example. Results show that the optimal operating parameters with the lowest energy consumption can be obtained by the entransy dissipation resistance-based method. In variable operating cases

the enlargement of the heat transfer rates bring the increasing of the operating speeds of each VSP with different degrees

which are related with the characteristics of the working fluids and the pipeline resistances.