Hydraulic Oil Chiller-An Ultimate FAQ Guide by TopChiller.

What is Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

Hydraulic Oil Chiller is a highly reliable temperature maintenance device that ensures the cooling of hydraulic oils for hydraulic-based machines.

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It is furnished with a compact stainless steel body and caster wheels optionally for easy movement of the whole unit. It contains a highly developed refrigeration circuit to dissipate the heat from the oil supply.

Temperature controller and digital thermostat are equipped with it as safety components ensuring durability and reliability to deal with the high-temperature load.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller protects CNC, injection molding and broaching machines, etc., by maintaining the oil viscosity and heat dissipation.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Designed by TopChiller

What are the Key Features of Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

Hydraulic Oil Chiller is a reliable cooling unit that comes with some basic key features as given below:

• Compact designed and sturdy body of chiller.
• Stainless steel material for the construction of the outer surface of the chiller.
• The powder coating of the whole unit makes it protective from corrosion.
• Shell type or PHE evaporator for heat exchanging.
• Temperature controlling unit with digital display.
• Constant heat dissipation from processing machines.
• Energy-efficient working scroll/screw-type compressors.
• Maintenance of oil temperature for the durability of processing machine irrespective of ambient temperature.
• Integrated HP switches for the protection and safety of compressors.
• Factory mounted pre-wiring and piping for easy installation and maintenance.
• Single/double/multiple refrigeration systems for heat dissipation.
• Air/water-cooled condensers for final heat discharge collected from the system.
• Castor wheels are configured with lockable brakes for easy movement of the whole unit.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Compressor

What are the Main Components of Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

Hydraulic Oil Chiller is used to cool the oil of hydraulic machines by connecting it directly with oil pumps or oil supply requiring cooling.

The main components which are involved in the production of the chilling effect are given below:

Compressor

A scroll or screw compressor is integrated to increase the temperature and pressure of the circulating refrigerant. A scroll compressor is highly reliable with its smooth and silent working.

It plays its efficient working by its two rotating parts. One is a fixed scroll, while the other part moves over the other scroll.

Condenser

Both air-cooled condenser and water-cooled condenser can be used for heat liberation collected from heated oil.

The air-cooled condenser discharges heat from refrigerant through air circulated over condenser coils. While the water-cooled condenser releases heat through chilled water circulation coming from the water tank.

Evaporator

Plate type heat exchanger or shell and tube type heat exchanger is installed with Hydraulic Oil Chiller for heat exchange between hot oil and refrigerant. PHE is widely used for heat exchange designed with stainless steel material and brazed joining.

Cooling Fan

The cooling fan protects thermal overloading by releasing temperature and pressure from the refrigerant that leaves the condenser. The phase of refrigerant changes from a gaseous state to a liquid state.

Temperature Controlling Unit

The temperature controlling unit maintains the temperature with a digital screen display. Any temperature change is monitored through an alarm system integrated with the controlling unit.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Cooling Fan

How Does a Hydraulic Oil Chiller Work?

Most processing machines use hydraulic oils for their normal working and lubrication. During machine processing, the machine oils get heated and may cause a hindrance in the smooth working of hydraulic machines.

So Hydraulic Oil Chiller cools the machine oil in the following way:

Step 1

The water/glycol coolant is installed to cool the heated oil. The hydraulic oil either directly circulates through a chiller or is cooled down by an installed coolant.

Step 2

The glycol/water coolant absorbs heat from hydraulic oil and gets heated. The hot coolant enters inside the plate type/shell or tube-type evaporator for getting cooled back through refrigerant.

Refrigerant and coolant flow in a counter-current manner and exchange heat. The refrigerant absorbs heat from the coolant, and the chilled coolant flows back towards the oil supply/oil pump of processing machines for cooling.

Step 3

After absorbing heat, the heated refrigerant leaves the evaporator with low temperature and pressure and enters the compressor.

Step 4

The scroll or screw compressor receives the incoming vaporized refrigerant and liquefies it by increasing its temperature and pressure. The compressor assists the condenser in condensation of the refrigerant.

The compressed refrigerant discharges out and enters the condenser for finalizing the heat discharge.

Step 5

An air-cooled condenser or water-cooled condenser receives compressed refrigerant that circulates in condenser coils. Air/water circulates over refrigerant, absorbs heat, and condenses it into the liquid phase.

The air dissipates out in the environment. While in the case of water circulation, water moves towards the cooling tower to restore its chilling effect.

Step 6

Expansion valves are also integrated with Hydraulic Oil Chiller to lower the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant before its entrance into the evaporator.

Step 7

After the expansion refrigerant enters the evaporator, the whole process is repeated until the working process may not get completed.

What are the Advantages of Using Hydraulic Oil Chiller for your Industry?

Hydraulic Oil Chiller is a renowned and reliable cooling device for its wide range of industrial applications. It offers an assorted number of advantages for its respective application as given below:

Maintenance of Oil Viscosity

The heat produced by processing machines decreases oils’ viscosity, resulting in oil leakage in different machine parts.

The refrigeration circuit of the Hydraulic Oil Chiller circulates the machine oil configuring the cooling effect with extra heat dissipation.

Durability

High-temperature production in the machine may cause molding and damage to machine components. When a chiller is installed, it makes the constant dissipation of heat from the machine, ensuring longer service life.

Increase in Working Efficiency

Maintenance of recommended temperature by Hydraulic Oil Chiller increase working efficiency and machine productivity. The whole machine is lubricated with oil, assuring the machine’s working at peak efficiency.

Reliability

It assists machine to face lower shutdowns, increase machine uptime, and ultimately reduces the need for machine repairing and maintenance.

How is Air Cooled Hydraulic Oil Chiller Different from Water Cooled Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

Air Cooled Hydraulic Oil Chiller

Air Cooled Hydraulic Oil Chiller is a cooling unit that dissipates the heat from refrigerant through air circulating over condenser coils.

The air-cooled condenser is designed with aluminum fins and copper tubules in which the refrigerant flows. The heated refrigerant enters with high pressure and temperature.

Ambient air over condensing coils absorbs heat from refrigerant when it circulates in coils.

The condensed refrigerant moves toward the evaporator to complete the refrigeration cycle. While air directly discharges out in the environment.

Water Cooled Hydraulic Oil Chiller

When environmental air is very corrosive and dusty, and ambient temperature greater than 55˚C, the water-cooled condenser is preferred to integrate with chiller.

A water-cooled condenser consists of tube-in-tube coils. Refrigerant enters these coils after compression through the compressor.

Chilled water also circulates in tubing over condenser coils. After dissipating heat from the refrigerant, the water moves towards the cooling tank to cool back again.

Water Cooled Hydraulic Oil Chiller

What are the Applications of Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

A Hydraulic Oil Chiller is widely used for an assorted number of applications requiring oil cooling that is used for processing of machines as given below:

• Milling
• Holes Drilling
• Injection Molding Machines
• Extrusion
• Honing
• Welding Engineering
• Grinding
• Electroplating Industry
• Factory Furnaces
• Broaching
• Gear Hobbing
• Blow Molding Machines
• Mercerize
• Hydroforming
• Plasma Spray Machines
• Metal Cutting
• Deep Drawing
• Turning
• Induction Hardening Machine
• Spindle Cooling
• Drying

Applications of Hydraulic Oil Chiller

Which Refrigerant is Used for Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

A refrigerant is a chemical compound that is mostly available in the liquid state and can readily absorb heat from a system.

For heat dissipation from a system, refrigerant is also installed in Hydraulic Oil Chiller. The R134A, refrigerant, R404, R410A, and R407C refrigerant can be used optionally for efficient heat absorption from hydraulic oil.

Refrigerant is the essential component of the refrigeration cycle that mediates the overall processing of the chiller.

Refrigerant circulates heat in the refrigeration cycle by changing its phase and finally discharges heat from the system.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Refrigerant

What is the Temperature Controlling Range of Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

Hydraulic Oil Chiller ensures the cooling of hydraulic oils by dissipating the heat produced by machine tools while working.

Its ambient temperature controlling range is 10˚C to 50˚C. Its cooling capacity ranges from 1.75KW to 50KW.

Some hydraulic-based machines use oils that get heated with time, cause a change in machine characteristics and ultimately make it useless for further processing.

The Hydraulic Oil Chiller is configured to bear the high heat load with its specific temperature controlling range. So it feasibly discharges heat from hydraulic oils.

Which Type of Compressors are Installed in a Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

A compressor is an integral unit of the refrigeration cycle that puts compression over refrigerant and increases its pressure to assist the condensation of refrigerant in the condenser.

Two types of compressors are being used for reliable and energy-efficient working of the Hydraulic Oil Chiller as given below:

1-Scroll Compressor

A scroll compressor is a highly effective and noise-free working unit that reduces power consumption and other costs under its simple design. The scroll compressor consists of two rotating parts.

One scrolling unit is fixed while the other rotates over the scroll compressor’s fixed part, ensuring noise-free working.

The optimized compressor is specially designed for a hydraulic chiller to bear the load easily.

2-Screw Compressor

The screw compressor also consists of two rotating spiral screws. It compresses the incoming refrigerant efficiently by positive displacement rotary movement of screws.

Screw compressor has replaced reciprocating compressors requiring a little volume of compressing gas, ensuring no volumetric loss of refrigerant.

Chiller Models Based on Number of Compressors

Based on workload, three different models of Hydraulic Oil Chiller are available:

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• A chiller containing one compressor is called a single compressor series.
• The chiller featured with compressors and two refrigeration cycles is known as the dual compressor series.
• While the chiller model containing multiple compressors is called a multiple compressor series.

Which Accessories are Integrated with Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

For safe, protective, and efficient working, different accessories options are integrated with Hydraulic Oil Chiller as given below:

• High/Low Refrigerant Pressure Controlling Switches
• Fan Speed Controlling Unit
• Antifreeze Thermostat
• Inline Filter
• Oil Pressure and Flow Switches
• Rotating Wheels With Brakes
• Alarms and Control Signals
• Electrical Control Box
• Polyurethane Air Filter

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Flow Switch

What is the Function of Digital Thermostat of a Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

The digital thermostat is a temperature regulating unit with a digital display screen. The thermostat is set with ‘ON’ and ‘OF’ switches based on required cooling adjustments.

A digital thermostat regulates the high/low temperature of the oil.

Alarms and oil temperature sensors are configured with a thermostat that rings when a change occurs in oil temperature.

Which Type of Heat Exchanger is Used for a Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

Two types of heat exchangers/evaporators can be used for heat exchange between refrigerant and coolant in Hydraulic Oil Chiller oil as given below:

Shell and Tube Type Heat Exchanger

Shell and tube-type heat exchanger consists of a shell and a bundle of tubules inside the shell.

The refrigerant flows inside the tubules. At the same time, the other fluid, either coolant or direct oil supply, flows over tubules for heat exchange.

The refrigerant absorbs heat from the oil and converts it into refrigerant gas. At the same time, the coolant moves back towards the working machine.

The copper-designed shell and tube type is resistive to corrosion but occupies an ample space as compared to PHE.

PHE (Plate Heat Exchanger)

The brazed plate heat exchanger is an efficiently working evaporator by configuring the turbulence flow of fluid. The plate-type heat exchanger consists of the plate in which firmly impregnated tubules.

One fluid flows in plates while the other fluid is in tubules. The heat gets exchanged between fluids from hot to cold fluid.

The evaporated refrigerant leaves the heat exchangers to recover its liquid phase. At the same time, the other fluid or coolant turns back to the system.

PHE occupies less space than shell and tube-type heat exchangers with its reliable design and working efficiency.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Plate Heat Exchanger

Which Condenser is Used for Heat Dissipation in Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

Two types of condensers are used for heat dissipation from Hydraulic Oil Chiller that is given below:

Air Cooled Condenser

When there is low ambient temperature, and the environment is clean from dust and rusting factors, the air-cooled condenser is preferred to use.

The air-cooled condenser consists of copper tubing with aluminum fins ensuring protection from corrosion.

Air circulates over condenser coils containing compressed and vaporized refrigerant.

Air absorbs the heat from the refrigerant to cool it down for the continuation of the refrigeration cycle and spreads in the surrounding environment ensuring refrigerant cooling.

Water Cooled Condenser

In case of high ambient temperature, the water-cooled condenser is installed for efficient heat release from the system.

It consists of a tube-in-tube system where the refrigerant and chilled water circulate. Heat exchanges between refrigerant and water.

Refrigerant gets cooled after heat liberation and leaves the condenser to enter the evaporator for heat discharge.

While water with absorbed heat flows back in the cooling tank for recovering its cooling from coming with the next refrigeration cycle.

Which Problems are Sorted Out by Hydraulic Oil Chiller Caused by Heated Oil?

Some of the hydraulic based machinery is configured with hydraulic oil that may get heated and cause different problems as:

• When the machine works, its gears and headstocks release heat that lowers oil’s viscosity, causing its leakage in the hydraulic device.
• The degradation process of oil also increases, hence requiring oil change before the due date of an oil
• The machine tools may damage due to defects caused by high temperature and increase the costs for extra consumption of oil.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller sort out these problems in the following way:

• These problems faced by processing machines are sorted out using a Hydraulic Oil Chiller. It is attached directly to the oil supply. The heated oil is circulated through the chiller for heat dissipation.
• The glycol/water coolant is installed that circulates an overheated oil supply in the system and returns to the evaporator after heat absorption.
• The evaporator cools down the coolant again for continuously circulating in the system for heat discharging and maintaining the temperature at a specific level.
• In this way, the hydraulic oil remains cool, ensuring the durability and efficient working of hydraulic system-based machines.

How Does a Hydraulic Oil Chiller Maintain the Viscosity of Oil in Hydraulic Machines?

Hydraulic oil used in machines heats up periodically because the machine releases heat while operating. The dissipating heat lowers the viscosity of the oil.

Oil becomes thin with decreased viscosity, resulting in internal oil leakage with different machine parts damages.

The heat produced by heat stock and gear causes the spindle to heat up and deviate from its working position.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller maintains oil’s viscosity by dissipating heat produced during machine processing.

The refrigeration circuit of the chiller cools down the hydraulic oil resulting in the maintenance of oil viscosity.

The coolant from the chiller maintains the machine’s temperature, prevents the oil from degradation, and ensures the longer service life of the machine.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Refrigeration Cycle

How is the Processing of Hydraulic Oil Chiller Different from Conventional Method of Oil Cooling?

Conventional Method of Oil Cooling

In the conventional method, the machine’s hydraulic oil is cooled down by using a cooling tower in the heat exchanger. The cooling tower discharges the heat from incoming heated oil in the heat exchanger.

But the drawback of this conventional method is that the temperature of water in the cooling tower does not remain constant. With time oil temperature deviates, resulting in a decrease the working efficiency.

The heat exchanger gets clogged due to a change in water quality. So the heat does not dissipate completely from hydraulic oil, affecting the working efficiency of working machines.

In the conventional method, a shell and tube-type heat exchanger is used to cool the oil circulating over the refrigerant in exchanger tubes.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller for Oil Cooling

Thus for better machine performance, Hydraulic Oil Chiller is being used that constantly maintains the viscosity and temperature of processing machines. It is featured with a gear pump that mediates the oil supply towards the chiller from the powerpack.

Oil is processed through a refrigeration circuit. Heat is exchanged between the refrigerant and heated oil. After heat discharge, the chilled oil is transferred back into the powerpack.

The brazed plate heat exchanger is being used to ensure rapid and efficient cooling of the oil. PHE is compact, covering less space than shell and tube-type heat exchangers.

The PHE provides the turbulent flow between oil and refrigerant counter-current flow, ensuring efficient heat dissipation.

How Does the Microprocessor of Hydraulic Oil Chiller Perform its Function?

The microprocessor is a specialized part of the Hydraulic Oil Chiller installed for automation control.

The microprocessor performs its function through a proactive controlled strategy and ensures the safety of the whole unit by making simple diagnostics.

The factory programmed the microprocessor to regulate the automation system according to the application requirements and features.

The microprocessor is user-friendly to answer questions typed in English. The microprocessor provides options in English for controlling cooling and other features of the Hydraulic Oil Chiller.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Controller

How to Size a Hydraulic Oil Chiller for your Applications?

A Hydraulic Oil Chiller is used for a vast number of industrial applications requiring heat dissipation produced during machine working. Different applications need this chiller of different sizes and types.

It can be sized for an application by keeping in view some critical points as given below:

Ambient Temperature

If the ambient temperature of the environment where the Hydraulic Oil Chiller has to work is less than 55˚C, then select the chiller with an air-cooled condenser.

While if the temperature goes above 50˚C and the environment is with dusty air, then make sure to select the chiller containing water-cooled condenser.

Heat Load

Make sure to calculate the heat load of your application and then select the Hydraulic Oil Chiller according to the cooling capacity and temperature, controlling a range of chiller.

Cost

Consider your budget while choosing the chiller for your application. Always select the chiller that would be suitable and comparable to your budget.

How to Troubleshoot your Hydraulic Oil Chiller?

Even after regular maintenance and inspection, Hydraulic Oil Chiller can face some problems and degradation in performance with time.

The problems can be evaporator clogging, refrigerant leakage, reduction in the compressor’s working efficiency, etc.

Some common issues can be troubleshot of a Hydraulic Oil Chiller in the following way:

Chiller is Not Running

If the chiller has stopped running, check out the circuit breaker, electric wires as well as controlled switches.

Inspect the problem, adjust the refrigerant temperature/ pressure and turn ON the chiller.

Low Cooling of Coolant

Check and inspect the cooling of the coolant that discharged out from the evaporator. If cooling does not come close to on set point, the problem would be due to clogging/freezing of the evaporator.

To troubleshoot the problem, use the anti-freezing agent or replace the evaporator with a new one in case of clogging.

The Ringing of Temperature Sensor Alarm

If a high-temperature sensor alarm runs while Hydraulic Oil Chiller is processing, it will be due to a high heating load.

Maintains the heating load at the normal range for smooth flow of chiller.

The Ringing of Low Liquid Alarm

If the low liquid alarm is on while working, the problem would be a reduction in refrigerant level or circulation system.

Troubleshoot this problem by reinstalling the refrigeration or regulating the circulation system at a set point.

Hydraulic Oil Chiller Troubleshooting

How to select the right industrial chiller

It is an established fact that industrial chillers are an essential part of manufacturing procedures, especially where production downtime, due to excess heat, is not an option. In recent times there have been major advances and innovations in the design, performance, and efficiency of industrial chiller concepts. The significance of these developments is included in this guide.

Industrial Cooling

Why the right choice of chiller is important

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 lifetime.

Specifying a chiller installation

When specifying a chiller installation, a working knowledge of chiller performance factors is crucial to obtaining the right product fit. What needs to be determined is: the type of process fluid that will be used; the process cooling temperature; the flow and pressure requirements; the operating environment; ambient temperature; the chiller size needed and the spatial constraints of its location.

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. The performance of a cooling fluid is based upon its properties at a given temperature. The relevant parameters are specific heat, viscosity, and freezing/boiling points. There is a direct relationship between specific heat and cooling capacity. In order to maintain system integrity and prolong optimum performance, mixing a percentage of ethylene or propylene glycol with water (typically in the 10 to 50% range) is recommended when low or high setpoint temperatures are required. In terms of compatibility, the potential for corrosion and the early degradation of seals are common failure modes for incorrectly sized systems. That is why the materials of construction and the nature of fluids should be an important consideration, and why inclusion of a corrosion inhibitor in the cooling fluid is recommended. However, in the latest developments of chiller technology, the storage tank and hydraulic parts of centrifugal pumps are constructed in stainless steel to prevent process water contamination with rust particles, as well as provide higher levels of reliability and temperature control. Similarly, state-of-art, all-aluminium microchannel condensers are designed to provide long life without corrosion and require 30% less refrigerant charge in comparison to other types of heat exchanger.

Cooling fluid temperature

The setpoint temperature will affect the cooling capacity of a chiller. Decreasing the temperature will put more load on the refrigeration system, and vice versa for increasing it. There is a direct relationship between the temperature at which the chiller has been set and its total cooling capacity. Therefore, it is important to review the chiller’s published performance data for relevance to the proposed installation. At the same time, if the chiller is destined for an exposed site, it is equally important to establish the level of freeze protection required, i.e., the coldest leaving fluid temperature of the chiller during operation.

Process flow and pressure requirements

While pump life is a primary consideration when configuring an industrial cooling system, pressure loss across the system and the necessary flow rate must first be determined by the pump size and performance.
Pressure: An undersized pump will reduce the fluid flow rate through the entire cooling loop. If the chiller has been equipped with internal pressure relief, the flow will be diverted around the process and back into the chiller. If there is no internal pressure relief, the pump will attempt to provide the necessary pressure and run at what is referred to as dead-head pressure, or limit. When this state occurs, the pump’s life can be drastically reduced; liquid ceases to flow and the liquid in the pump becomes hot, eventually vaporising and disrupting the pump’s ability to cool leading to excessive wear to bearings, seals, and impellers. Determining the pressure loss across a system requires siting pressure gauges at the process’s inlet and outlet, then applying pump pressure to obtain values at the desired flow rate.
Flow rate: Inadequate flow through the process will yield inadequate heat transfer so the flow will not remove the heat necessary for safe operation of the process. As the fluid temperature increases beyond the setpoint, the surface/component temperatures also will continue to rise until a steady-state temperature that is greater than the initial setpoint is reached. Most chiller systems will detail the pressure and flow requirements. When specifying the necessary heat load removal as part of the design, it is important to account for all hoses, fittings, connections, and elevation changes integral to the system. These ancillary features can significantly increase pressure requirements if not sized appropriately.

Chiller operating environment

Ambient Temperature. An air-cooled chiller’s ability to dissipate heat is affected by the ambient temperature. This is because the refrigeration system uses the ambient air/refrigerant temperature gradient to induce heat transfer for the condensation process. A rising ambient air temperature decreases the temperature differential (ΔT) and, subsequently, reduces the total heat transfer. If the chiller uses a liquid-cooled condenser, high ambient temperatures can still have negative effects on key components such as the compressor, pump, and electronics. These components generate heat during operation, and elevated temperatures will shorten their lifetime. As a guideline, the typical maximum ambient temperature for non-exterior rated chillers is 40°C.
Spatial Constraints: 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. This affects chiller performance and potentially can damage the chiller unit.

Why size is important

Selecting a correctly sized chiller is a crucial decision. An undersized chiller will always be a problem – never able to properly cool the process equipment and the process water temperature will not be stable. In contrast, an oversized chiller will never be able to run at its most efficient level and prove more costly to operate. To determine the correct size of unit for the application it is necessary to know the rate of flow and the heat energy that the process equipment is adding to the cooling medium, i.e., the change in temperature between the inlet and outlet water, expressed as the ∆T. The formula for calculation purposes is: heat energy per second (or more commonly known as power) = mass flow rate × specific heat capacity × change in temperature (∆T)’. The specific heat capacity of the water is nominally expressed as 4.2 kJ / kg K but if it contains a percentage of glycol additives that value is increased to 4.8 kJ / kg. K Note: 1K = 1°C and the density of water is 1 i.e.,1l of water volume = 1kg of water mass. Here is an example of the formula application to determine the correct kW sized chiller to handle a water flow rate of 2.36 l/s (8.5 m3/hr) with a temperature change of 5°C: heat energy per second (kJ/s or kW) = 2.36 l/s (Flow Rate) X 5°C (∆T) X 4.2 kJ /kg K (Specific Heat Capacity of pure water), chiller size required = 49.6 kW. Alternatively, the heat load to be cooled may already be known in which case the formula can be re-arranged to determine the temperature difference (∆T) that can be attained with different flow rates (achievable with different pump sizes). There may be other circumstances that can influence size choice. Planning for future plant expansion, exposure to high ambient temperatures, or location at high altitudes, could all lead to the specification of a different size of unit.

Maintenance, safety, and control

In the latest, advanced generation of industrial chillers, ease of maintenance, operational safety, and intelligent control and connectivity are prominent features of their designs. For example, they are constructed with IP54-rated, sound-attenuated canopies that allow chillers to operate indoors or outdoors, even at ambient temperatures down to -45°C. They are specifically designed for easy access to the installed components − refrigeration systems in the front and the cooling water circulation assembly in the back. Wide canopy doors and intelligent layout reduces maintenance time and allows for easy inspection to prevent breakdowns. Innovative new models on the market feature a wide range of safety devices, such as flow and level switches, thermal probes, pressure probes, crankcase heating and strainers which allow the chiller to operate securely. Additionally, a fully hermetically sealed refrigeration system prevents refrigerant gas from leaking and requires zero maintenance. UK FGAS Regulations do require an annual, and on larger refrigeration systems, bi-annual inspection by a FGAs certified engineer. The provision of a phase sequence relay ensures no risk of compressor damage in case of incorrect wiring. In these new designs, a touch screen controller operates with energy-efficient algorithms, combines all the chiller sensors into one system and issues timely warnings in case of deviation from the operating parameters. Full connectivity is achieved with built-in smart remote monitoring capability on chiller sizes 11 Kw and above. This provides user’s machine data, in real time, in a clear format to ensure optimum efficiency.

Conclusion

In general, potential users of an industrial chiller system are advised to take into account the conditions in which the process chiller will be used, and the process for which it will be used. This will help to identify the features most needed in the system.

It is also wise to consider the possibility of expansion in the future. If the amount of heat output by one machine is increased, then the cooling power of the chiller has to be increased accordingly. If there is a variable heat rate, choose the kW rating that can handle the highest heat output.

In summary, taking all of these considerations on board, recognising the important technological advances, and the availability of chiller suppliers who incorporate them in their product offering, all helps in determining the optimal industrial cooling system for any particular application. 

Contact us to discuss your requirements of hydraulic oil chiller manufacturers. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.