What is an Industrial Chiller and How Does it Work? How is the price of an industrial chiller determined? How are industrial chillers designed and manufactured? Stay with us until the end of this article to find answers to these questions.
What is an Industrial Chiller and How Does it Work?
In various industrial processes, a significant amount of heat is generated due to friction, combustion of fuels, or various equipment functions. This heat can cause serious damage to equipment or reduce its lifespan if not controlled.
There are various methods for controlling this heat, but if the amount of heat generated is high, there is no alternative to using a cooling device such as an industrial chiller.
Among different cooling equipment, industrial chillers are the most widely used. Industrial chillers, also known as process chillers, have differences from HVAC chillers. The most common chiller used for cooling various equipment is the compression refrigeration chiller.
Compression Chiller
A compression chiller consists of four main components: condenser, evaporator, compressor, and expansion valve. The principle of operation of compression chillers is based on the evaporation of the refrigerant at a low temperature and the absorption of heat from the cooling fluid in the evaporator. To get acquainted with the operation of compression chillers, let’s examine their working process.
The refrigerant, which is in the form of vapor at the evaporator outlet, is compressed in the compressor. The only energy input to the cycle is in the compressor section, and other sections do not require energy. After the compressor, the refrigerant enters the condenser.
The condenser is a heat exchanger that is responsible for cooling the refrigerant. The refrigerant entering the condenser is in the gas phase, but it turns into a liquid during the condensing process due to cooling. This liquid has a high temperature and pressure. After the condenser, there is an expansion valve.
The function of this valve is to suddenly reduce the pressure of the refrigerant, which causes a part of the refrigerant to evaporate and, due to the heat-absorbing nature of the evaporation process, the temperature of the refrigerant drops significantly. Cooling of the compression refrigeration cycle is only possible due to this temperature drop.
After the expansion valve, the two-phase refrigerant enters the evaporator to release its cold to the cooling fluid, which is often water. The refrigerant, by turning into vapor, reaches the beginning of the cycle (the compressor inlet) and this cycle continues continuously.
Air-cooled and Water-cooled Industrial Chillers
Industrial chillers are divided into two categories: air-cooled and water-cooled, based on the condenser cooling method. In water-cooled compression chillers, heat exchangers are of the shell-and-tube type and require additional equipment such as a cooling tower.
Due to the hot climate of the country, water-cooled chillers are only recommended for conditions where there is a need for a very high cooling capacity and abundant water is available; because in a cooling tower, a significant amount of water evaporates and this water must be replaced.
In air-cooled compression chillers, copper-finned heat exchangers are used. Air-cooled chillers are cheaper and require less equipment than water-cooled chillers.
Factors Affecting the Price of Industrial Chillers
Chiller Capacity
The most important factor that determines the price of a chiller is its capacity. The price of a chiller has a direct relationship to its capacity.
Type of Condenser
The type of condenser has a significant impact on the final price of the chiller and its specifications. Air-cooled condensers have a simple system and therefore their price is also low.
Water-cooled condensers have more equipment and a more complex control system, and therefore their price is also higher. On the other hand, the efficiency of water-cooled condensers is higher than that of air-cooled condensers.
Type of Compressor
The type of compressor can also have a significant impact on the final price of an industrial chiller. The type of compressor for a chiller is selected based on its conditions and capacity.
Environmental Conditions
The higher the temperature and humidity of the environment, the industrial chiller that is selected must have a higher capacity and be more resistant.
Type of Evaporator and Condenser Heat Exchangers
If shell-and-tube heat exchangers are used, the initial cost is lower, but on the other hand, the heat transfer ability of these exchangers is lower than that of plate exchangers. Plate exchangers are more expensive but take up less space.
Price of Industrial Chillers
The price of an industrial chiller depends on many factors, but if we want to summarize the price range of industrial chillers in 2023 in one sentence, we can say that the price of each ton of refrigeration from an industrial chiller is between 10 and 30 million tomans.
This price is only for the initial purchase of a chiller, and installation, maintenance, and other ongoing costs must be calculated separately for each chiller.
Design and Manufacturing of Industrial Chillers
Designing an industrial chiller is a complex process. In this section, we will review the general process of designing a chiller.
The first step in designing an industrial chiller is to select the type of chiller. To select the type of chiller, the condenser heat load in the compression refrigeration cycle is calculated and the type of condenser is selected based on the load.
Air-cooled condensers are the most suitable option for low loads and water-cooled condensers are the most suitable option for high loads. Evaporative condensers, which are a combination of the two mentioned condensers, are selected for medium loads.
After selecting the condenser, other sections such as the type of evaporator heat exchanger, the type and number of compressors, and the expansion valve are selected.
Selecting each of these sections requires complex engineering calculations and computer simulations. Also in the design process, many details such as output temperature, refrigerant type, and cycle pressure must be specified.
Applications of Industrial Chillers
Cooling the workshop or factory space
A large number of industrial machines are installed in workshops and factories. When all these machines start working, a lot of heat is generated in the environment, which after a while makes the space unbearable for workers and harmful to products. Industrial chillers with appropriate capacity are used to cool such environments.
Plastic industry
Cooling plastic at a specified rate is one of the necessities for producing high-quality plastic, and therefore industrial chillers are an integral part of the plastic industry.
Process cooling
In industrial processes, heat is generated due to friction and combustion in various machines, which, if not removed, will damage and reduce the lifespan of the equipment. In such cases, an industrial chiller is used to remove the generated heat from the building.
Food industry
In one or more parts of the production processes of many food products, it is necessary to cool the raw or final product. Therefore, industrial chillers are widely used in various food industries to increase the quality and prevent spoilage of products.
Metal plating
Another application of industrial chillers is to reduce the temperature generated during the melting process of various metals.
Concrete industry
Concrete cooling is essential for achieving durable concrete, and therefore the use of industrial chillers is common in this industry.
Textile industry
In the textile industry, controlling temperature and humidity is essential to achieve a high-quality product, and therefore another important application of industrial chillers is this industry.
There are also various criteria for selecting the compressor, but in general, scroll compressors are used for low and medium-capacity applications, screw compressors are used for medium-capacity applications and centrifugal compressors are used for high-capacity applications.
Conclusion
Farsard Industrial Chillers are designed and manufactured based on the vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The temperature of these chillers can be adjusted depending on the application.
Farsard evaporators are divided into three categories. The first category is brazed plate heat exchangers, which are made of stainless steel plates with special welding. This type of evaporator has high working pressure and low volume and therefore has the best performance compared to other evaporators.
The second type is plate heat exchangers, which are available in various sizes and designs. The third category is shell and tube heat exchangers, which have the lowest price compared to other models and are also easy to maintain. In shell and tube heat exchangers, the heat transfer coefficient is lower than that of plate heat exchangers, and therefore these heat exchangers take up more space.
Industrial chillers are designed to cool processes and equipment, while HVAC chillers are used to control the air temperature in buildings. Industrial chillers have more equipment and are designed to operate in all seasons and weather conditions.
Industrial chillers are classified into two types based on the type of condenser: water-cooled and air-cooled. Also, based on the type of compressor, industrial chillers can be of screw, scroll, and centrifugal types.
