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Small Chiller-An Ultimate Buying Guide by TopChiller.

A Small Chiller helps in the removal of extra industrial heat, which is a major byproduct of industrial machines and processes.

For a Small Chiller, removing this heat is necessary to maintain the production times, prevent equipment shutdowns and provide protection against equipment failure.

This guide includes features, working principles, construction, applications, and customization of a Small Chiller. Let’s begin.

What is a Small Chiller?

A Small Chiller is a system that uses a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle to remove heat from any liquid and uses refrigerant as the operating fluid.

There are several refrigerant options; when choosing a Small Chiller, the application, cooling temperature specifications, and refrigerant cooling characteristics must all be compatible.

The working temperatures and pressures are important factors to remember.

The refrigerant is supplied directly to the system, while chilled water or another medium is delivered to the machine.

A Small Chiller keeps the manufacturing operation at constant pressure and temperature.

The extraction of pressure and temperature variables leads to the optimization and production of processes, resulting in high-quality results. It recirculates the cooling water rather than using a redundant single-pass-through mechanism.

Re-circulation reduces the expense of water use, which can be both costly and harmful to the atmosphere.

Small chiller manufactured by TopChiller

What are the Features of a Small Chiller?

A Small Chiller has the following outstanding features:

• The temperature range falls between -40 to 30 °C.
• Covers less space.
• Has lower water demand.
• Energy-efficient.
• The environment is friendly.
• Features an efficient touch screen controller.
• Allows temperature monitoring and operation.
• Clear display for the animation.
• Small Chiller can automatically record even false alarms.
• Possesses both the central and remote control depending on the need.

What are the Working Principles of a Small Chiller?

A Small Chiller has several cooling applications in which its pumping system plays a role in the circulation of cooling water and the refrigerant.

The cooled water then helps in the removal of extra heat from several industrial processes.

• Phase Change 

On heating, the liquid refrigerant will convert into gas and change its phase. After the gaseous refrigerant is supercooled, it converts back into a liquid with the help of the condensation phenomenon.

• Heat Flow

Heat flow occurs as the heat energy starts traveling from a low concentration area to a high concentration area.

• Boiling Point

The liquid’s pressure is reduced, which results in a decrease in its boiling point. Opposite to this, the liquid’s boiling point is raised when its pressure is increased.

What is the Function of a Cooling Tower in a Small Chiller?

In a Small Chiller, water is transported to reject heat, where a portion of it evaporates, chilling the remaining water.

The efficiency of a cooling tower in transmitting heat is determined by the ambient wet bulb, water temperature, and water flow rate.

The range is defined as the difference of temperature between the water coming inside and that going outside the cooling tower.

The approach is the temperature differential between the departing water temperature and the incoming wet-bulb temperature.

Load’s influence as the building load on the performance of the cooling tower diminishes, so do the range and approach.

Thus a Small Chiller may supply cooler water when the building is only partially occupied.

Small chiller cooling tower

How does a Compressor Function in a Small Chiller?

There are several types of refrigerant compressors, the most popular of which are centrifugal, screw, scroll, and reciprocating compressors.

Each type has its benefits and drawbacks. It’s always located between the evaporator and the condenser.

It is normally partially insulated and has an electrical motor attached as the driving power, which can be installed either inside or outside.

Hearing protection should be used when close to the Small Chiller since compressors may be exceedingly noisy, generally giving a steady deep droning sound with an overlaying high pitch.

The refrigerant then goes to a compressor, which serves several purposes.

To begin, from evaporator extracts the refrigerant liquid and maintains the pressure there keeping it low enough to absorb heat at the proper pace.

Second, it increases the pressure in the evaporating refrigerant to ensure that its temperature remains high enough to release heat when it reaches the condenser.

Small chiller compressor

What is the Function of the Condenser in a Small Chiller?

The transferred heat must eventually be rejected outside or to another system to cool a machine or operation (heat recovery).

The sum of the evaporator load, compressor effort, and motor inefficiency is the total quantity of heat rejected.

In a Small Chiller, the condenser eliminates these loads, having the motor and compressor in the same area.

The heat of the motor is directly removed into the surrounding, where the motor is independent of the compressor and connected via a shaft.

The condenser rejects the evaporator load and begins the compressor action. The motor heat must be handled by the building’s chilling system.

As the exiting condenser-water temperature rises, so do the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant.

In contrast, as the temperature of the departing condenser-water lowers, so do the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant.

The work that a compressor must-do changes as the refrigerant pressure and temperature fluctuate.

How Does the Evaporator Work in a Small Chiller?

The evaporator part of a Small Chiller is a refrigerant-to-water shell-and-tube heat exchanger.

The tubes hold either the water or the refrigerant, depending on the configuration of your Small Chiller.

In a shell-and-tube evaporator, the cold, low-pressure liquid refrigerant moves to the distribution system staying in the shell, and then uniformly goes across the tubes, where it absorbs heat from warm water which is flowing through the tubes.

The warm water then fills in the shell of a direct-expansion (DX) shell and tube evaporator, while lower-pressure, cold liquid refrigerant moves through the tubes.

How does a Two-Valve and Three-Way Valve Control your Small Chiller Working?

At the coil, the two-way water regulating valve possesses the exact function as the three-way valve in terms of water throttling.

The coil cannot differentiate between these two processes. The chilled-water system notices a significant change.

When talking about a two-way valve the entire flow is throttled in the coil circuit. There is no water bypassed. As a result, a two-way valve system is a chilled-water system with a variable flow.

The return-water temperature is higher at part-load in comparison to the three-way valve control because the bypass water has not diluted the water exiting the coil.

In reaction to loads, a three-way control valve adjusts the quantity of water running through a coil.

The freshwater is bypassed around the coil by the valve and initiates a fast water flow through the system irrespective of the load.

The water’s temperature that is exiting the three-way valve is lowered during part-load circumstances, which is a disadvantage of this bypass.

In a Small Chiller, many current systems, particularly those with constant volume pumping, employ three-way valve control.

Small chiller solenoid valve

What are the Effects of a Variable Speed Pump Load on your Small Chiller Working?

The flow may be adjusted by altering the pump speed when choosing a pump for every coil. In such systems, at the coil, there are no control valves.

This can decrease the valve and also valve installation costs while increasing the coil pump and its maintenance expenses.

How Face and Bypass Dampers Effect your Small Chiller Working Operations?

The conditioned air supply is moved in the system by face-and-bypass dampers, which let some air bypass through the surface of the coil.

The removal of control valves and greater part-load dehumidification are two advantages of this method.

The fact that all the time the water is being pumped is a drawback. Also in case of very low water pressure drops, the configuration may function ineffectively.

How is a Small Chiller helpful in Food Processing?

Small Chiller is widely utilized in food manufacturing and processing processes that require precise temperature control.

A Small Chiller, for example, is used to regulate the temperature of the wine during fermentation and storage.

It aids in the chilling of mixers, potable water, and jacketed cooling yeast tanks, all of which are key bakery equipment.

Small chiller is famous in food processing industry

How is a Small Chiller Used in Metal Finishing?

In metal finishing processes like electroless plating and electroplating, temperature management is vital to remove surplus heat since the metals are often bonded at extremely high temperatures (several hundred degrees).

A Small Chiller is used in some industries for cooling the anodizing liquid, or a water/glycol cooling medium is used to decrease the temperature inside the tank.

How is a Small Chiller Useful in Injection Molding?

Injection molding is a method for the production of plastics that involves the use of thermoplastic pellets, injection-molding equipment, and mold.

To avoid difficulties like warping, cracks, and internal tensions in the final product, the process and melt must be kept within the specified limitations of the temperature. Small Chiller helps to maintain the temperature during the working process.

What are Some Tips for Choosing the Best Small Chiller for your Applications?

A Small Chiller can be wisely chosen depending upon your application requirements by considering the following factors:

• Power

The right pump horsepower is a must to ensure its smooth operation. An incomplete power supply will contribute to inefficient performance.

• Water Pump

The water pump must be efficient enough to help in the undisturbed pumping of the water so that the water can be passed on to different parts of the Small Chiller.

• Connection Size 

Small Chiller possesses a low flow rate, thus requiring a small connection size.

Small pipe sizes are preferable as they save you a lot of space without compromising the quality of the heat removal process.

• Refrigerant 

A good quality refrigerant should be preferred to match the cooling demands of the industrial processes and machinery.

• Customization Controls

A Small Chiller that has customization controls is worth buying as it can be designed exactly following your cooling application requirements.

Small chiller water piping system

How can you Customize your Small Chiller?

• Formulation of automated algorithms for trending and energy conservation.
• Improved compressor design for increased efficiency, lower internal losses, and quieter operation.
• Capacity-restricting unloaders on compressors, such as slide valves, should be removed. So when the compressor is being operated at the highest speed, these restrictors limit refrigerant flow, resulting in an improvement in sound volumes.
• Use of variable speed drives on compressors to minimize running speeds, resulting in improved power control, reduced energy consumption, and smoother operation.
• Variable speed drives on condenser fans mounted, resulting in improved performance and quieter operation.
• Improved condenser fan design to raise airflow while maintaining lowering energy consumption and noise levels.
• Development of modern condenser coils made of aluminum microchannel steel, resulting in improved heat transfer, surface area, and performance.

How to Install your Small Chiller?

Below are present many things you need to consider when installing a Small Chiller at the site.

• Firstly, choose a site where you have to install your Small Chiller, make sure it has sufficient room to accommodate it properly.
• Then, make sure that you clean the site from all the dirt and debris present on it.
• Also, remove unnecessary and unwanted objects from the site that may cause problematic interaction with your Small Chiller.
• To stay protected from airflow and heat dissipation problems, maintain a one-meter space between your Small Chiller and wall.
• Now, fix the wiring and piping connections according to the given manual and instructions. Make sure that you pay proper attention to the size of the pipes and wires to prevent any issues.
• Place a filter at the inlet of your Small Chiller. This filter will help in purifying and keeping dirt away from it.
• Double-check your inlet and outlet connections to stay protected from big losses.
• Now is the most critical point, connecting the pump. The pump is essential in sucking water from the source, such as a tank or basin, and supplying it to the unit.
• Whether you are using it as a self-sucking pump or not, keep in mind one thing to place the pump beneath the level of water present in the container.
• Next comes adding valves to every corner of your Small Chiller. These valves will help in controlling the flow of water.
• Don’t forget to add flexible joints; these are very helpful in keeping the water pipes protected from leaking issues.
• Add accessories to your Small Chiller to provide a better cooling function to the user.
• Finally, don’t forget to add maintenance valves and accessories. This will help in maintaining the normal cooling function.
• Now, carefully place your Small Chiller at the site using forklifts and handles.
• During placement, ensure that the ground where you are installing it can easily bear the weight.
• Once again, clean your Small Chiller, the site, and the surrounding area to create an overall pleasant and clean look that is safe for the users.

Small chiller water piping installation

How to Operate your Small Chiller?

Proper operation procedure will lead to proper cooling from your Small Chiller.

• Carefully read the instruction manual to read out about the proper way to connect the wires and pipes for the normal operation of your Small Chiller.
• Fix all the wiring connections.
• Connect the pipes and make sure to use appropriately sized pipes.
• Now supply your Small Chiller with a power source so that it can work efficiently.
• Check the position of the valves for a controlled water flow in your Small Chiller.
• At last, don’t forget to clean it after you have used it to stay away from various issues that can arise due to dirt and debris accumulation.

What are the Safety Tips you Must Follow When Using a Small Chiller?

Following are some safety tips that you must consider for the secure working of your Small Chiller and also for the user’s safety.

• Keep a daily maintenance check of all the essential features that will help in maximizing the effectiveness of your Small Chiller
• For a good heat transfer, you have to keep the tubes clean.
• Maintenance of a suitable refrigerant charge is important to achieve an appropriate cooling function.
• Do a proper analysis of the compressor oil, checking its quality and amount and making it suitable to be used.
• Keep the fan motors and give proper time to the condenser fan motors inspection.

Wear PPE before operating your small chiller

How to Maintain your Small Chiller?

Here are some important points that will help you in maintaining your Small Chiller.

• For an Air-Cooled Small Chiller, inspect both the fresh and the return air dampers.
• One essential thing is to clean the tubes of your Small Chiller so that dirt doesn’t cause any problem inflow of water and refrigerant.
• Also, keep the pipes clean and debris-free.
• Always check your device to prevent refrigerant leaks, or else you will never get the desired cooling.

How to Enhance the Efficiency of your Small Chiller?

While finding a Small Chiller for your application, an efficient and effective one is a prime concern.

Here are some points that will help you in increasing the efficiency of your Small Chiller.

• Make sure that you are implementing proper operating conditions that are safe for the Small Chiller and your health.
• One thing that can help in increasing efficiency is to increase the chilled water temperature.
• Decreasing the temperature of the entering condenser water will also maximize efficiency.
• Maintenance of the cooling tower is necessary. If you fail to maintain your cooling tower, you have failed to maintain your Small Chiller also.

Small chiller cooling tower maintenance

What are the Most Common Problems of Small Chiller?

• Corrosion

The metal piping works for taking the system water to the climate-controlled space. Oxygen is the main structural element of water.

The presence of oxygen in water is the leading cause of corrosion problems in metal pipes. This causes damage to the performance and efficiency of the Small Chiller.

• Poor Maintenance 

Poor Maintenance of a Small Chiller can lead to the clogging and blockage of pipes, inefficient performance, and poor heat transfer properties of the system.

• Electrical Issues 

These issues involve overload, low voltage, short circuit, and fire problems which may end up shutting down the Small Chiller and cause heavy damage.

What are the Solutions to the Most Common Problems of your Small Chiller?

• Corrosion: Use plastic pipes or apply anti-corrosion coating on metal pipe surfaces.
• Poor Maintenance: Maintain a regular log of your Small Chiller performance to ensure proper maintenance and timely repairing of minor issues.
• Electrical Issues: Cover the electrical wirings using insulation material to make them shockproof. Replace any cracked or damaged wires.

Small chiller electrical connection troubleshooting

What are the Functional Parts of a Small Chiller?

The functional parts of a Small Chiller include a chilled water distribution pump, condenser water pump, pipes, condenser fan, cooling tower, compressor, and evaporator.

How do Controls Help in the Working of a Small Chiller?

Controls of a Small Chiller are useful for ensuring coordinated working of the components as a system.

What are the Heat Generation Sources in a Small Chiller?

The heat generation sources in a Small Chiller include the heat generated from the vapor-compression cycle and the heat removed from the chilled water.

How is the Working of an Air-Cooled Small Chiller Different from that of a Water-Cooled Small Chiller?

An Air-Cooled Small Chiller has fans that help in cooling the heat coming from the surrounding air.

On the other side, a Water-Cooled Small Chiller has an evaporative cooling tower that aids in the cooling process.

Why is an Air-Cooled Small Chiller More Preferable?

An Air-Cooled Small Chiller is more preferable because it has low maintenance costs, easier designs, smooth low ambient operation, and easy installation procedure.

What are the Benefits of a Water-Cooled Small Chiller?

A Water-Cooled Small Chiller offers greater efficiency and possesses a longer mechanical life.

How is the Cooling Load Satisfied in a Small Chiller?

A Small Chiller cooling load is satisfied with the use of air handlers that have coils for transferring heat to the circulating chilled water via the conditioned space air.

Which Factor Contributes to the Proper Performance of a Small Chiller?

The factor that contributes to the proper performance of a Small Chiller is choosing the right coil size and type, as coils are the main site for the cooling process.

What are the Piping Material Options in a Small Chiller?

The piping material options in a Small Chiller include plastic, copper, or steel.

Why is Pipe Size Important to Consider in Small Chiller?

The pipe size of a Small Chiller is important to consider as it decides the pressure loss maintenance, water velocity control, and construction cost of the unit.

What is the Necessary Condition for the Working of a Small Chiller Chilled Water Pump?

The necessary condition for the working of a Small Chiller chilled water pump is that the pressure scale at the pump inlet should be high enough to facilitate smooth pump operation.

Also, this high-pressure scale must contain positive pressure values.

What Will Happen if the Dynamic Pressure Head in a Small Chiller is not High Enough?

When the dynamic pressure head in a Small Chiller is not high enough, then a proper flow of the liquid through the system would not be maintained.

Which Things Decide the Type of Chilled Water Pump Flow in a Small Chiller?

The things that decide the type of chilled water pump flow in a Small Chiller include the system configurations and the terminal control devices.

How Installing Pumps on the Small Chiller Outlet is Preferable?

Installing pumps on the Small Chiller outlet is preferable when you want to eliminate the demand for high-pressure water boxes.

Why Installing Pumps on the Small Chiller Inlet is Beneficial?

Installing pumps on the Small Chiller inlet is beneficial because it allows the direct removal of the heat from the system.

What is the Drawback of Using a Single Pump in the Small Chiller Connection?

The drawback of using a single pump in the Small Chiller connection is the lack of redundancy because such a system involves the direct dedication of the pump and system to one another.

How to Deal with the Decreased Redundancy Problems in a Small Chiller?

You can install extra pipes, pumps, and valves to deal with the decreased redundancy problems of your Small Chiller in emergency conditions.

Why is Manifold Pump Installation not Preferable in a Small Chiller?

Manifold pump installation is not preferable in a Small Chiller as this arrangement complicates the system hydraulics.

What Are Some Components of the Small Chiller Distribution System?

Some components of the Small Chiller distribution system include the expansion tank, air separator, balancing valves, control valves, check valves, etc.

Small chiller push button

What is the Purpose of Installing an Expansion Tank in a Small Chiller?

The purpose of installing an expansion tank in a Small Chiller is to allow the water volume’s expansion and contraction.