Industrial chillers are an essential part of manufacturing procedures, especially where production downtime, due to excess heat, is not an option. In this guide, Atlas Copco discusses recent major advances in the design, performance and efficiency of industrial chillers and helps you select the right one for your process.
Atlas Copco
Among the most compelling reasons for a chiller installation is minimising downtime through the continuous protection it provides in removing heat from valuable and temperature-sensitive process equipment. At the same time, a chiller saves water and associated costs by recirculating and re-using the plant’s own water supply.
The cost of cooling water can add up quickly, especially if process equipment is running for several shifts a day. When a chiller is introduced into the system, it can bypass the costs and need for a monitored, municipal water supply and wastewater discharge, and contribute to substantial savings within production budgets. Furthermore, with the latest developments in chiller technology, capital investment payback can be realised over a very short period of the equipment’s lifetime.
How to make the right choice in buying an industrial chiller:
1. Why the right choice of chiller is important
When a chiller is introduced into the system, it can bypass the costs and need for a monitored, municipal water supply and wastewater discharge, and contribute to substantial savings within production budgets.
2. Specifying a chiller installation
When specifying a chiller installation, a working knowledge of chiller performance factors is crucial to obtaining the right product fit.
3. Process fluid performance
The main factors to bear in mind when considering the appropriate cooling fluids for a process are their performance characteristics and their equipment compatibility.
4. Cooling fluid temperature
The setpoint temperature will affect the cooling capacity of a chiller. There is a direct relationship between the temperature at which the chiller has been set and its total cooling capacity.
5. Chiller operating environment
An air-cooled chiller’s ability to dissipate heat is affected by the ambient temperature. In order to maintain the proper ambient air temperature, it is important to provide adequate air circulation space around the chiller. Without proper airflow, recirculation of an inadequate volume of air rapidly heats it up.