Introduction to the workflow of INDUSTRIAL CHILLER

Industrial Chiller is one of the indispensable equipment in modern industrial production. It ensures the stability of production equipment and the smooth progress of production process by effectively cooling liquid. Its core function is to provide precise temperature control, and it is widely used in plastic processing, food and beverage, chemical and pharmaceutical fields. The following will introduce the working process of industrial chiller in detail to help understand how it can achieve efficient cooling effect.

1. Basic structure of industrial chiller
Industrial chiller is mainly composed of the following four core components:
Compressor: responsible for compressing low-pressure refrigerant gas into high-pressure and high-temperature gas.
Condenser: discharges heat by cooling high-temperature refrigerant gas into liquid.
Expansion valve: reduces the pressure of refrigerant to reduce its temperature.
Evaporator: exchanges heat between cooling medium (such as process cooling water) and refrigerant to achieve cooling effect.

2. Detailed explanation of working process
The working process of industrial chiller can be divided into the following main steps:
Refrigerant compression: The work of chiller starts with compressor. The main task of compressor is to compress low-pressure and low-temperature refrigerant gas into high-pressure and high-temperature gas. During the compression process, the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant increase significantly. There are many types of compressors, including screw, scroll and piston types. The right type of compressor is selected based on the cooling requirements and system design.
Heat Rejection (Condensation): The hot and high-pressure refrigerant gas then flows into the condenser. The function of the condenser is to reject the heat from the refrigerant gas to the environment, causing it to cool and turn into a high-pressure liquid. There are two main types of condensers: air-cooled and water-cooled. Air-cooled condensers use a fan to blow air through the condenser coil to remove the heat; water-cooled condensers use a cooling tower to provide cooling water to remove the heat. The type of condenser selected depends on the ambient conditions and the size of the system.
Pressure Reduction (Expansion): The condensed high-pressure liquid refrigerant flows through the expansion valve. The function of the expansion valve is to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant, causing it to drop in temperature. Through the expansion valve, the refrigerant becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid or gas-liquid mixture. This process allows the refrigerant to effectively absorb heat and cool in the subsequent evaporator.
Heat Absorption (Evaporation): The low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant liquid enters the evaporator. The evaporator is a key component of the chiller, which exchanges heat with the cooling medium (such as process cooling water or circulating water). In the evaporator, the refrigerant liquid absorbs heat from the cooling medium, causing it to evaporate into gas, while the temperature of the cooling medium drops. In this way, the refrigerant reduces the temperature of the cooled liquid by absorbing heat. The design of the evaporator can be direct contact or indirect contact, depending on the application requirements.
Gas reflux: The evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor in the form of gas, completing a refrigeration cycle. The compressor compresses the gas again and starts a new cycle. The whole process is repeated continuously to ensure that the cooling medium operates stably within the required temperature range.

3. Control system
To ensure the efficient operation of industrial chillers, modern equipment is equipped with a variety of control systems:
Thermostat: used to monitor and adjust the temperature of the cooling medium to maintain the set temperature range.
Pressure switch: used to monitor the pressure in the system to prevent equipment damage due to excessive or low pressure.
Flow switch: ensure that the flow rate of cooling water remains within a reasonable range to ensure cooling effect and system safety.
Automatic protection system: includes overheat protection, overload protection and other functions to prevent equipment from being damaged due to abnormal operating conditions.