An industrial chiller is very important for the regular functioning of a factory. Chillers get congested at the time and create a huge nuisance in the industry operations.
These essential tips will help you eradicate problems with chillers-
Try and keep a daily log
Parameters like temperature, pressure, fluid levels and flow rates should be recorded and monitored. These will come in help during maintenance and repair. Keeping a daily log is essential for any industrial heavy equipment. Always try and keep a data for yourself which is already completed.
Remote monitoring technologies will allow you to inspect your machines periodically. It will also help you to generate trend reports that can pinpoint functional problems.
Keep the tubes of the clean
This is crucial for effective heat transfer. Condenser tubes should be cleaned at regular interval. Industrial chiller performance will be greatly compromised if the heat is interrupted by contaminants. Cleaning ensures that the tubes remain free of sludge, mud scale, algae, dust and other contaminants.
Treat condenser water
The water quality should be well monitored to ensure proper chilling and heat transfer. Condenser water loops that uses open cooling sources require water treatment to stay free from corrosion, scale and biological growth.
Decrease entering water temperature
Decreasing the temperature of the entering water increases chiller efficiency. Keeping the chilled water flow between 3 to 12 feet per second ensures better efficiency.
Maintain proper level of refrigerant
Keep the refrigerant level as per the chilling requirements. Too low or too high level of refrigerants is detrimental for the health of chillers.
Check compressor oil
Change the oil when the reports indicate anything wrong. Send the compressor oil samples to the laboratories to check its quality. This spectrometric analysis reveals a lot about the overall health of the chiller.
Install variable speed drivers
This also prevents electric charge overflow. As the chillers have huge electric intake, VSD should be installed for electric saving. This also prevents electric charge overflow.
Industrial chillers in most cases represent the single largest load in the plant. Hence, proper chiller maintenance is very important to keep the light on pocket. At Energy Plus, we offer best of its kind chiller operation and maintenance in India to give you a smooth factory experience.
If your facility uses process fluids or heavy-duty machinery that generates heat, you’ll need an industrial chiller system to cool your processes and internal machine components. Understanding how an industrial chiller works and knowing the various types of chillers available will help you make the right choice for your cooling needs.
What Is a Chiller?
An industrial chiller is a refrigeration system used to lower the temperature of the machinery, industrial spaces and process fluids by removing heat from the system and transferring it somewhere else. Industrial chillers are essential for temperature regulation in several industrial processes such as injection molding, metal plating, and oilified production and food processing.
Working Principles
Industrial chillers work based on the following principles of operation; Industrial chillers work based on the following principles of operation-
1. Phase change
A liquid coolant undergoes a phase change into a gas when heated, and when the gaseous coolant is super cooled, it condenses back into a liquid. A liquid coolant undergoes a phase change into a gas when heated and when the gaseous coolant is super cooled, it condenses back into a liquid.
2. Heat Flow
Heat energy always flows from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration.
3. Boiling Point
Reducing the pressure over a liquid decreases its boiling point and increasing the pressure increases its boiling point. Reducing the pressure over a liquid decreases its boiling point and increasing the pressure increases its boiling point.
How Does a Chiller Work?
Every chiller system contains a refrigerant. Chillers consist of four basic components, an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and an expansion unit.
The gaseous refrigerant goes into the compressor which increases its pressure. The process starts with a low pressure refrigerant entering the evaporator; the refrigerant is heated, causing it to undergo a phase change into a gas.