Thermal Care is touting the efficiency of its new Accuchiller TCF hybrid film evaporator chiller, which it says reduces energy use by 34 percent and uses less refrigerant than competitors’ flooded chillers.
The central chiller is appropriate for process cooling in a variety of markets, including plastics processing. It has 40 to 120 tons of nominal capacity; for larger applications, multiple units can be linked together.
“This product is well-suited for use in all types of plastic processing plants, including injection molding, extrusion, pelletizing and sheet forming,” said Bob Smith, director of product management. “The larger the facility and the larger the amount of material the facility processes, the more applicable this technology becomes. The greater the amount of heat that needs to be removed, the greater the potential for energy savings this technology will provide.”
The key to the chiller’s efficiency is its combination of two technologies. Flooded evaporative cooling systems immerse copper water tubes in liquid refrigerant. Film evaporation systems use only a thin film of refrigerant to cool the tubes.
The Accuchiller TCF “is both a thin-film evaporator and partial-flooded evaporator all in one unit,” Smith said. “The thin film provides cooling, but, as the refrigerant flows over the tubes, it will collect in a tray under the tubes, so the bottoms of the tubes are flooded. There are all-flooded evaporators and there are all-film evaporators out there, but our new technology combines the two to achieve optimal performance while minimizing refrigerant charge and footprint of the chiller.”
The new chiller incorporates a variable-speed centrifugal compressor that operates without oil and features only one major moving part, the compressor shaft. The chiller’s PLC has a color touch screen and provides precise control, according to the company. Thermal Care’s Connex4.0 system allows users to remotely monitor the chiller and control multiple units.
The Accuchiller TCF can work in combination with other Thermal Care equipment.
“Thermal Care’s team of application engineers … can use a system design and control concept for a total system solution that will use our new TCF chiller and our adiabatic fluid cooler to provide ‘free’ cooling in the winter,” Smith said. “Our engineers have designed a system approach to cooling system efficiency where we use the cold winter air to provide 100 percent of the cooling for the process, and we can actually turn off the chiller for the best possible energy efficiency.”
Kathy S. Hayes, copy editor
Contact:
Thermal Care Inc. Niles, Ill., 847-966-2260,
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