All you need to know about industrial chillers

An industrial chiller is a portable cooling system often used in commercial and industrial facilities. An industrial chiller mainly works as a refrigeration system that either cools down a fluid or dehumidifies air. Industrial water chillers have the ability to cool pieces of equipment in a quick and efficient way. Keeping equipment cool can continue production rates at an optimal level.

Though industrial chillers are used to cool equipment, they aren’t really chilling anything. An industrial chiller doesn’t make an object colder; rather it is just removing all the heat.

Industrial air chillers and water chillers remove heat from either water or air and circulate it through a heat exchanger to cool the surrounding air or equipment.

If you’re cooking in a kitchen and want to cool the food you’ve made, you would put it in a refrigerator. Similarly, the same idea is applied across the process of industrial chilling. An industrial chiller is used in four steps:

• Refrigeration: To chill equipment, it must first undergo a refrigeration process. This process transfers the heat that comes with the equipment, ultimately lowering the temperature.
• Evaporation: Once the refrigeration process begins, the heat will evaporate from either water or air. This process will change the water or air into vapour.
• Compression:Once the vapour is formed, it reaches a compressor that increases its temperature and pressure.
• Condensation:From the compressor, the vapour then reaches a condenser that lowers the temperature once again and turns said vapour back into a liquid.

Industrial chillers are used across a gamut of industries such as pharmaceutical, beverage, chemical, printing, rubber, blow moulding, injection moulding and die casting.

Advantages of water cooled chillers:

• A more precise heat transfer, compared to air-cooled chillers
• More energy efficient
• Longer lifespan compared to air-cooled chillers

Disadvantages of water cooled chillers:

• Higher up-front costs
• Higher maintenance and upkeep costs
• Requires more space than air-cooled chillers

Advantages of air cooled chillers

• Lower up-front costs
• Require less space than water-cooled chillers
• No water treatment costs, lower maintenance and upkeep costs

Disadvantages of air cooled chillers

• Shorter lifespan compared to water-cooled chillers
• Not as energy efficient
• A less precise heat transfer

Installing an industrial chiller is a must in every industry. It should be looked at as a sophisticated refrigeration system that can consistently maintain an effective productivity level.

Mr.Raviselvan, Managing Director of Gem Equipments (p) Ltd, Coimbatore. Leading Manufacturers, Suppliers & Exporters of Cooling Towers, Industrial Chillers & Air Dryers in India.