Chillers: News from the cold front

AN INTERNET-BASED system is about to take the chiller industry to a new level of predictive maintenance. ChillerNET allows Freeze Co. and ArctiChill chillers to notify staff and clients of alarms and abnormal operational conditions of the chiller. What makes chillerNET unique is its advanced predictive failure capabilities and user definable, publish-and-subscribe alerting technology.

“Critical downtime is almost always preceded by changes in temperature, pressure and/or flow,” explains Jackson Ball of Freeze Co. “The ability to notify personnel of operational changes that could lead to downtime, and to provide a quick method of isolating and correcting the problem before the chiller shuts down, is what sets chillerNET apart from anything else in the industry.”

For example, says Ball, a user could view a graph that shows how condenser water temperature changes during peak load times, possibly indicating an overloaded evaporative tower cell. A user can use port values, faults and graphs to quickly isolate where a problem exists and remedy it before downtime occurs.

Freeze Co. Systems Ltd. 905-789-9988

MAXIMUM OUTPUT, minimum input: Berg’s SC6 controller is designed to give the operator the maximum information about the refrigeration system while requiring the minimum amount of input information.

The faceplate consists of a touch type display screen, and four separate indicator lights. The display screens give the operator detailed information about temperatures, alarm and compressor status as well as the current set point. Detailed help instructions are provided to suggest possible causes of a particular alarm or trip.

The SC6 controller will stop and start the compressors (and energise the un-loaders and hot gas solenoids if applicable), to give safe, reliable and consistent temperature control.

It also operates as a multi-stage thermostat. Operating parameters and stage thresholds are determined and set by a Berg technician during the load testing of each refrigeration system.

Berg Chilling Systems Inc. 416-755-2221

THE INDUSTRY’S FIRST web-enabled mold temperature controllers are available from Nucon Wittmann. The units have embedded web servers in the controls to allow users instant access to setpoints, status, help documentation and debugging capabilities. The embedded web servers are available as an option on the Tempro Plus line of mold temperature controllers.

The operator controls of the devices are replicated as web pages and served out over Ethernet connections. This allows the equipment to be readily connected to a corporate intranet and the Internet, permitting monitoring, control and diagnostics from anywhere in the world.

Nucon Wittmann Inc. 888 GO NUCON

PRESSURIZED-WATER type mold temperature controllers may be a rarity in North America, but not so in Europe. Swiss manufacturer Regloplas offers its P Series of pressurized-water units for applications in which outlet water temperature is above 200F, and water is the preferred heat transfer medium, rather than oil.

The P Series can provide outlet temperatures to a maximum of 160C (325F).

In addition, the temperature control unit uses an indirect method, which means the outside cooling water circulates through a heat exchanger, and is isolated from the tool. The heat exchanger provides very precise, accurate temperature control — as little as 0.5 degrees from set point in many cases.

The temperature control unit has no integral tank, and thus has a very compact footprint.

Plastics Machinery Inc. 905-895-5054

MOKON’S DURATHERM NPS negative pressure temperature control system temporarily fixes cooling circuit leaks by pulling water through the process rather than pushing it. This allow production to continue to the end of the run, thereby reducing repair delays and improving efficiency.

“Even a minor cooling circuit leak from stress cracks or bad O-rings can stop operations,” explains Tom Valentine, vice-president of sales and marketing for Mokon.

The compact design of the Duratherm NPS incorporates a venturi jet pump and reservoir. It can accurately control temperatures up to 180F.

This versatile unit is able to provide positive pressure (when no leaks are present) and negative pressure (to stop a leak).

En-plas Inc. 416-286-3030

ROTATIONAL COMPRESSION technology on the R Series central chillers from AEC uses up to 50% fewer moving parts than reciprocating compressors to provide reliability, performance and economy.

In 30- to 100-ton capacity units, R Series central chillers use hermetically sealed scroll compressors; semi-hermetically sealed screw compressors are used in systems sized 54 to 195 tons.

All of the scroll compressors use R-22 refrigerant while all the screw compressors use R-134a, a non-CFC refrigerant providing energy efficiency increases of up to 12%.

Two levels of off-the-shelf network-capable controls are offered: a standard PLC screen controls up to four compressors in one or two circuits; an advanced PLC screen adds the ability to control multiple chillers, cooling tower fans and water pumps along with chemical feed pumps.

Dier International 905-474-9874

FOR ALL-ELECTRIC molding machines, Opti Temp has developed a combination water chiller/mold temperature controller in a single unit. Dubbed the “Cheater” (chiller/heater), the unit utilizes an innovative refrigeration circuit developed by Opti Temp to provide very stable temperature control (+/- 0.2F ) under zero to full load conditions with an operating temperature range of 30 to 190F.

The unit targets all-electric injection molding machines, where a chiller is often necessary only to provide cooling for a mold temperature controller. Cheater is also suitable for smaller mold applications (less than 100 lb./hr), and high end and specialty molding applications where precise temperature control is needed. Cheater is a stand alone self-contained system which does not require an outside source of water. Complicated plumbing changes are not required because changeover from heating to cooling is fully automatic. The Cheater will pre-heat the mold before starting a run and then automatically provide heating or cooling as needed to maintain mold temperature when the production run starts.

Opti Temp Inc. 231-946-2931

A SMALLER FOOTPRINT than previous models plus higher performance is the benefit of International Cooling Systems’ new Silver Series air- and water-cooled chillers. The Silver Series chillers are available with cooling capacity from 4 to 20 tons for air-cooled units and up to 25 tons for water-cooled units.

The use of scroll compressors in place of hermetically sealed compressors results in greater energy efficiency and reduced downtime. Flow rate has been increased by about 10% as a result of re-engineering the various components. In addition, fewer moving parts in the Silver Series design results in lower maintenance and longer life.

International Cooling Systems Inc. 416-213-5566