Chillers play a vital role in the manufacturing industry, as they keep the production equipment cool. Used in a variety of sectors and applications, they work by drawing heat away from the equipment during the production process.
The UK manufacturing sector employs 2.7 million people, contributing 11% of GVA (Gross Value Added) to the economy. It accounts for 45% of Britain’s total exports, totalling £275 billion, and has steadily increased by 1.4% every year since 1948, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Sustained growth has been attributed to a better quality of goods, a shift from low to high productivity items, a more skilled workforce and improvements in automation and technology.
Operating at 7% below the level for February 2020 during the first lockdown, the sector was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but began to recover in July, when it had increased again by 5.2%. Manufacturing is vital to the nation’s economy.
As machinery can generate excess heat, there is always a risk of it becoming overheated, which is a potential fire or breakdown hazard. More thermal energy is produced by manufacturing machines if they are located in direct heat from the sun, or if there’s a lot of equipment in one compact space. Without chillers, commercial buildings wouldn’t be able to operate safely.
When heat is generated by industrial processes, often as a result of friction or burning, the chillers use process cooling to direct the heat away from the machinery to maximise the lifespan of the components, keep production moving efficiently and prevent overheating hazards.
The chillers used in manufacturing are different standard HVAC systems in the home or office. They use a pumping action that sends cool fluid from the chiller to remove the heat from the process. The equipment stays cool because the chiller eliminates the heat.
Industrial chillers have four main components:
As process water enters the evaporator, the heat boils the refrigerant, transforming it from a low-pressure liquid into a gas. Then, inside the compressor, the gas converts to high-pressure, before travelling to the condenser, where it releases its heat. Condenser water or ambient air cools the high-pressure gas, turning it back into a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid. Finally, the liquid refrigerant travels to the expansion valve, entering the evaporator to begin the whole cycle again.
Various manufacturing sectors need chillers including food and beverage, injection moulding machines for plastics, pharmaceutical, chemicals, metal finishing, commercial printing, composite manufacturing, machine tooling, die-cutting and laser cutting.
Regardless of the processes and industry, efficient process cooling is vital for your business’s safety, productivity and cost-savings.
Contact Klima-Therm and tell us about your processes and we’ll help you to find the right chiller. We have various models, including scroll chillers – we can supply everything from compact units for tight spaces to single pump or double pump models. The latest units have eight compressors and two independent circuits.
Commonly used in the food manufacturing, gas and oil, chemical, waste and plastic industries, our absorption chillers are a proven solution for combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) applications and combined heat and power (CHP) applications.
Klima-Therm’s screw chillers are also available for process cooling, enabling flexible water temperatures as low as -10°C.
Give us a call on 020 8971 4195 or send us a message online for more details of our chillers for the manufacturing industry.
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