In any industry, ensuring your machinery remains cooled and regulated is important for preventing damage or undue strain on machinery.
This is a job that’s often best suited for industrial chillers, which are also used for dehumidifying air and preventing corrosion or contamination. You can likely imagine what process water chillers do broadly, but let’s discuss that process more specifically and provide some examples of ideal applications.
What Are Industrial Chillers?
In both commercial and industrial facilities, water chillers are the go-to solution for portable cooling systems. As a refrigeration unit, industrial-sized chillers serve as either a way to cool liquids or dehumidify air. This process assists in managing equipment temperature to keep production rates at an optimal level and avoid possible downtime.
However, this is where we introduce a “twist” with these units. Industrial chillers don’t actually chill anything, but remove heat from a unit to keep temperature at a lower relative level. This is more efficient than actively pumping cold air into a heated system to cool it down and, generally, it would be more accurate to think of these devices as “heat removers” rather than chilling tools.
The Chilling Process
Let’s expand this conversation to talk about the process that industrial chillers undergo when working to keep a unit cool. For reference, this process is comparable to what you would expect from a normal refrigerator and can be broken down into four steps:
1. Refrigeration process
The chiller removes heat from the machinery, fluid, or surrounding area in order to keep the intended object or environment at a desired temperature.
2. Vapor created
Once the refrigeration process has begun, heat will cause the evaporation of water, though the exact process depends on whether you use a water-cooled or air-cooled chiller.
3. Vapor compressed
The newly-created vapor will rise and enter a compressor, increasing its temperature and pressure.
4. Vapor goes to condenser
Once the vapor has been compressed it moves to a condenser that lowers its temperature and reverts it to a liquid. This liquid is then sent back through the evaporator and the cooling cycle repeats itself again.
Because this process partially recycles and reuses water or air, it can be repeated over and over again without a need for refills. This ensures you receive constant and consistent cooling that maintains an optimal production rate.
Water vs. Air Chilling
These are the two main processes for industrial chillers — water-cooled and air-cooled — that each offer their own advantages. Neither of these are the “wrong” choice, but knowing the inner workings of both can help your team select the option best suited for the application.
Water-cooled chillers: More efficient and precise heat transfer, generally longer lifespan (up to 30 years), but higher upfront and maintenance costs.
Air-cooled chillers: Lower upfront costs, easier installation, no water treatment costs, but shorter lifespan (15–20 years) and less precise cooling.
Sourcing Industrial Chillers
One lingering question remains here: Where is the best place to find a chiller?
Our team recommends shopping on the CompressorWorldLLC website, an online leader in the world of air compressors. With a team of experts in the field on staff, we would be happy to work with you and ensure you get the perfect tool for your applications.
📞 Call us: +1 786 358 5613 ✉️ Email: Support@compressorworldllc.com