What is an industrial chiller and how does it work?

An industrial chiller is a machine or refrigeration system used in industrial sectors to cool process water, products, mechanisms, machinery, etc.

Industrial chillers will remove heat from the process water and transfer it to air via a heat exchanger.

An industrial chiller typically has four components, compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator.

An industrial chiller works in a closed and open loop. In the evaporator, the liquid refrigerant flows over the evaporator tube bundle and evaporates.

In this process, the heat chilled water or process water is circulating through the bundle.

The heat process water carries with it is absorbed by the refrigerant and thus the process water is cooled down before it returns to the industry process, while the refrigerant vapor is pulled to the compressor.

Inside the compressor, the refrigerant is compressed and its temperature and pressure are increased. And then the high-pressure refrigerant is further driven into a condenser where its heat removed by water or air.

The refrigerant vapor is further condensed and cooled into liquid before it leaves the condenser. When it travels to the expansion valve, its pressure drops and a small portion of the refrigerant boils off.

The boiling off helps cool the remaining refrigerant to the desired temperature before it goes to the evaporator again to complete a cycle.

Types of industrial chillers

Industrial chillers are commonly used refrigeration equipment in the industrial refrigeration industry. They are characterized by a wide variety of models, complete models, affordable prices, and can be customized and have a wide range of applications.

More importantly, the industrial chiller has high-temperature control precision and large temperature control range.

Then, what is the temperature control range of the industrial chiller, and how to set the temperature? we will have a classification as below:

1. High-temperature industrial chiller (5~30°C)
This chiller uses a conventional refrigerant to control the temperature between 5 and 30 °C.

That is to say, when adjusting the temperature control range, the industrial chiller has a minimum temperature of 5 ° C and a maximum temperature of 30 ° C, which is the most widely used temperature control range in the industry.

However, some requirements are controlled at 3 ° C, which needs to be proposed and determined in the production of industrial chiller solutions.

2. Medium temperature industrial chiller (0~-15°C)
Water will freeze at 0 °C, which is a common sense for both elderly and children. So if the industrial chiller requires zero cryogenic chilling liquid, can this be achieved?

The answer is of course yes.

The temperature of the medium temperature industrial chiller can be set at 0 °C ~ -15 °C, and the brine can be calcium chloride (saline). Or an aqueous solution of ethylene glycol chiller

3. Low-temperature industrial chiller

It can provide low-temperature industrial chillers below -15 °C ~ -35 °C, usually used in chemical and pharmaceutical industries, for reactor cooling or material condensation recovery.

4, deep low-temperature industrial chiller
An industrial chiller that can provide cryogenic chilling fluid below -35 °C, which we call a cryogenic industrial chiller, is a binary cascade or ternary cascade refrigeration system.

so it is also known as a cascade industrial chiller. It can be seen that the temperature control range of industrial chillers is really wide.

Since many customers are using industrial chillers for the first time, they are not very familiar with the method of operation.

In fact, the industrial chiller temperature setting is very simple, each industrial chiller has a control panel, you need to set the temperature, press the set button directly, then press the up and down keys to set the temperature.

However, the types of industrial chillers are different, and the control panels used are different, so the industrial chiller temperature settings are not necessarily the same.

But by chilling types, industrial chillers can mainly be classified into two categories, air-cooled chillers and water cooled chillers.

The above three categories can be further classified into three subcategories, namely

1. reciprocating
2. semi-hermetic scroll
3. semi-hermetic screw

The above 3 types of compressor driven based on the types of compressors used.

In terms of industrial applied, industrial chillers can be classified as

1. plastic chillers
2. medical chillers
3. laser chillers
4. brewery chillers
5. plating & anodizing chillers
6. glycol chillers
7. styrene chillers
8. water jet chillers, etc.

There are many other types of chillers in different sectors of industry.

In working modes, there are center chillers, individual chillers, portable chiller units.

What are the applications of industrial chillers?

Industrial chillers are widely applied in numerous types of industries with different requirements.

They are commonly seen in the plastic industry, medical industry, printing industry, laser cutting industry, brewery industry, chemical industry, food industry, greenhouse industry, ice rink industry, and more.

Some of the applications have their special requirements due to the properties of the industry or the specialty of the specific machines.

It is wise to contact your chiller supplier to get professional advice and have tailor-made machines for your application.

TopChiller as one of the top-notched manufacturer of industrial chillers in China would be glad to offer their help to you.

Below we shall introduce the most typical applications of industrial chillers for your reference. If you have other special cases that need to use chillers, you can also contact us for more information.

3.1 Plastic Industry

As we all know that the plastic industry is a very wide field.

There are more and more types of plastic forming methods and as a result, industrial chillers are used in more circumstances.

Plastic chillers cool the hot plastic that is injected, blown, extruded or stamped, etc.

A chilling system not only can cool down the products but also used to cool the equipment that is used to create plastic products (hydraulics of the molding machine, gearbox, and barrel of the extruder that saves energy and on the wear and tear of the machine itself.)

3.1.1 Injection molding

The cooling process is an important part of the molding cycle as the material, melted plastic resin, which has been shot into the mold, has to be cooled and solidify prior to being injected.

Without proper cooling time, there will be likely a large number of defects. And as the cooling time is about 90% of the total cycle time, effective industrial chillers can reduce production time and increase efficiency.

TopChiller has been providing industrial chillers to plastic processing machines for twenty years. TopChiller comprehends the need for injection molding chilling. Our industrial chillers for the injection molding have below advantages.

1) Reduce scrap rate
A reliable industrial chiller produced by TopChiller supplies proper temperature to cool process water and reduces scrap count.

2) Shorter cooling time
Better heat transfer rate reduces the production cycle time and increases production efficiency.

3) Less maintenance and downtime
A heavy-duty, rugged, reliable industrial chiller can reduce maintenance time and avoid breaking down, and thus increase production efficiency and reduce cost.

3.1.2 Blow molding

Bottle-making heavily relies on blow molding. In blow molding, a plastic resin is heated into a liquid state and then pressed through a die head to form a hollow parison.

The parison is enclosed by two mold halves. Heated air is blown into the parison, expanding it to completely line the mold walls.

After that, the mold is cooled to solidify the molten plastic. And finally the mold is opened and the finished hollow product is ejected.

So in the process, chilling is an important link. Cooling time is the longest part of the total blow molding process and is often extended to get the heat from the part all the way through the wall to the mold.

During the cooling process, the internal surface of the hollow part remains at a much higher temperature than the external surface of the part.

The difference between the external and internal surface temperatures causes material stress and poor product quality.

But extending the cooling time slows the production and increase the cost.

We provides you good quality industrial chillers that are energy saving and can accelerate heat removal. This guarantees to reduce material stress and cooling time and increase productivity.

3.1.3 Thermal forming

Thermal forming is mainly used to produce disposable cups, containers, lids, trays, blisters, etc.

In the process, the plastic sheet is heated and then transported through a thermoforming machine, and a mating mold and pressure box enclose the sheet.

A vacuum removes air as the plastic is stretched onto or into a mold, and pressurized air helps the plastic assume the mold’s shape.

An industrial chiller is used to expedite the formation process. A reverse vacuum helps eject the product from the mold.

Finally, the extra plastic was trimmed and the product is finished. Managing the cooling process is just as important as managing the heating process.

A reliable water cooling system can help the machinist gain better control of overcooling time.

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3.1.4 Extrusion

Extrusion is often used to produce objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile.

Plastic resin is heated and then pushed through a die of a certain cross-section to form the desired shape.

The hot die-cast is usually given a cold water bath to solidify the form. Pipe, straws, film, sheets are produced in this kind of plastic forming process. Plastic extrusion process requires chilled water to function correctly.

To choose the right type and size of industrial chillers for your extruder, you can consult our chiller experts.

3.1.5 Other plastic processing methods

There are many other plastic processing methods like compression molding, transfer molding, reaction injection molding, stamping, etc.

Most of them need chilling in the manufacturing process. For some special cases there might be special requirements, we would like to offer help to you any time you contact us.

3.2 Brewery, winery, beverage, dairy, bakery food processing

In breweries, industrial chillers are used to cool down the hot wort to a lower temperature before it is transferred to a fermentation tank containing yeast.

The process of milk, yogurt, and other dairy products include cooling down after the pasteurization process.

Central chilling systems are often used as they are more efficient, reliable and accurate.

In bakeries, chilling is more widely used.

Mixer cooling: a Large amount of heat generated during the mixing process and chilling help control the dough temperature, which is critical to the bakers.

Liquid yeast is stored in a jacketed tank and it is important to control its temperature.

There are many other industrial chiller applications in food processing industries.

3.3 Medical

Medical is the field that chillers are more and more widely used as technology developed. Besides the typical usage on MRI, below is the list of examples of medical equipment that chillers are utilized.

MRI, PET, CT, Digital X-Ray Systems, Medical Lasers, Linear Accelerators, Bolograph Systems, Blood Analyzers, Low Light CCD Camera, etc.

In the medical industry, reliability and safety are top priorities. It’s crucial to choose the best chiller to cool the medical equipment.

Industrial chillers are one of the most efficient ways to cool MRI devices in the hospitals to ensure the machines operate normally. In many hospitals, Industrial chillers are applied in high powered electronics or sophisticated diagnostic tools.

There are many machines such as X-ray and MRI machines (Magnetic resonance imaging), which often generate excess heat during operation and these chillers play an important role in cooling down the devices and securing operation smoothness.

Our industrial chillers are suitable for magnetic resonance imaging, laboratory testing, scanning and blood cooling, etc. As a long-time chiller supplier for many medical facilities, our industrial chillers can provide exact performance as medical standards request.

Whether you are in need of a chiller for a CT, MRI, or any other medical machines, your facility will be safe and never be at risk of shutdown or functional failure due to high temperature.

Besides medical equipment, in some of the medical treatment or operations, industrial chillers are also needed.

Cancer Illumination, Cancer Research, Drug Testing, Fat Dissolving, Muscular Healing, Human Body Cooling, Laser Hair Removal, Laser Tattoo Removal, Post-Operative Healing, etc.

3.4 Plasma cutting, Waterjet cutting, Laser, Anodizing & Plating, Biodiesel, Biogas, Die Casting, Hydraulic Cooling, Oil Chilling, CNC, Welding, etc.

Chilling is needed in so many fields of heavy industry that we can’t list them all.

Plasma cutting can be seen in automobile manufacturing, custom auto body shop, construction companies, fabricators, locksmiths, etc.

Over-heated plasma torch has to be chilled otherwise it will wear out quickly.

Waterjet cutting is versatile in industries which can cut almost any material including copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, pre-hardened steel, mild steel, titanium, glass, ceramic, etc.

A chilling system can prolong the life of the waterjet machine by cooling down the pump.

Lasers are used for welding, cutting, drilling, engraving. Lasers are operated at extremely high temperature and must be cooled properly to function at peak efficiency. Chilling can maintain a precise laser wavelength, achieve desired beam quality, reduce thermal stress and get higher output efficiency.

Anodizing is an electrochemical conversion process that changes the outer structure of the metal. Aluminum is the most common material being anodized, but magnesium, titanium, tantalum are also applied.

The process of anodizing generates a lot of heat and thus cooling is absolutely necessary. Air cooled or water cooled chillers can be both used in this process.

Welding equipment needs chilling water to function properly. Typical types of welding machines that require chillers are resistance welders, seam welders, butt welders, induction welders.

Die casting is the process of forcing molten metal into mold cavities. Zinc, copper, aluminum, magnesium, lead and tin-based alloys are the material used.

3.5 Light industries

In dry cleaning, laminating, printing, spindle oil cooling, etc., industrial chillers all play an important role.

Most dry cleaning machines use water to cool the refrigerated solvent recovery unit, the solvent distillation unit and the solvent cooler.

Lamination machines produce a huge amount of heat to seal the plastic material around print documents and other productions.

The lamination machine needs chiller water circulating through it to keep it at the desired temperature.

In the printing industry, industrial chillers are used to remove the heat generated by the heated printing rollers due to friction. They also help to cool the paper when it comes out of the ink drying ovens.

Spindle oil has applications in many different industries like automobile making, grinding machine, rolling and welding machine, etc.

Fast moving precision machines should use spindle oil cooler because they keep a machine moving and extend the life expectancy.

Surely there are many other applications of industrial chillers that are not mentioned above. Industrial chillers play an important role in all applications.

We have the experience, expertise and knowledge that could help you choose the right type of chillers, size properly and work out the best solution.

Why are we a reliable industrial chiller supplier?

Established in 1999, TopChiller has grown phenomenally in the past 20 years and became the leader in industrial chillers manufactures.

We offered custom-made solutions to clients all over the world. We built our reputation with our best quality products that meet the most demanding requirements.

We have a wide range of products and we never stop our steps in innovating and upgrading. In various industries like plastic, medical, food processing, dairy, brewery, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, printing, welding, etc.

You can always see the equipment with our logo on it. We understand the dynamics and intricacies of different industries and different application cases, and we provide an optimum solution with our expertise.

Our Team

We have a team made up of industrial designers, engineers, technicians, quality experts, supporting staff.

All engineers all have years of industry experience and abundant learning in their individual domain. They are completely committed to satisfying the customers’ different requirements.

Quality Assurance

Our internal quality control department monitors each and every stage of production.

we have a whole set of the scientific and rigorous quality control system to make sure the final products are up to our and our customers’ standard.

All steps of production are monitored to eliminate all possibility of defects. Apart from this, our ethical business practices, the pursuit of endless improvement earned our reputation among our clients.

Manufacturing Equipment

We are equipped with advanced manufacturing equipment that includes modern machines and tools. They help us in carrying out the production process smoothly and efficiently.

Industries We Serve

We have carried out countless industrial chiller projects and have a huge client base since we were founded in 1999. We have experience serving the following industries.

1. Plastic Processing
2. Medical and Pharmaceutical
3. Food and Beverage
4. Heavy industry
5. Light Industry
6. Printing
7. Hospital and Lab
8. Chemical

Conclusion

There might be some aspects of industrial chillers that we haven’t covered in this article.

You might also have some questions about industrial chillers applied for your specific cases. You are welcome to contact us if you have any questions and we would be very glad to help.

TopChiller with its 20 years’ effort has become the most respected company in the refrigeration industry. We achieved recognition by consistently providing high-quality industrial chiller and superior service to our customers around the world.

We continuously strive to exceed our customers’ expectation. We bring added value to our customers’ businesses and we committed to providing scientifically designed all types of the industrial chiller.