A typical Air Cooled Chiller uses the ambient air around it to remove heat from a refridgerated system. Fundamental to the success of an air cooled chiller is the way it pumps both the air and cooling liquids throughout the system. It is important to understand how to select the right chiller pump for one’s specific application. There are different kinds of pumps and these are detailed in this article. Figure 1 shows the main factors to consider when making a pump selection.
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Figure 1. Consideration for pump selection. Image credit: PolyScience
There are 3 main chiller pump designs to consider, and depending on your application each offers a range of benefits for specific solutions.
Turbine Pumps
Turbine pumps enable moderate pressure and flow (20-90 psi, 1.4-6.9 bar.) that makes them well suited to applications that need high pressure or have a higher system pressure drop, such as long tubing runs or pumping vertically. A robust design makes turbine pumps very reliable and forgiving to impurities in the fluid stream. Bronze turbine pumps are standard; stainless steel pumps are available.
Positive Displacement Pumps
These have performance characteristics similar to turbine pumps and are suitable for high viscosity fluids, or pumping higher or further from the cooling product and the application. Moderate flow is produced by them at high pressure i.e. up to 100 psi or 6.9 bar. Brass positive displacement pumps are standard and stainless steel positive displacement pumps are available.
Centrifugal Pumps (Magnetic Drive)
These offer higher relative flow rates at lower pressures and are suitable for applications that are in close proximity to the chiller or require lower pressure, such as glass condensers. Centrifugal pumps are very quiet and require little maintenance, but they are more sensitive to pressure drops. Chillers with this pump option that are attached to a device with a solenoid valve coolant shut-off require the external bypass accessory.
About PolyScience
For almost five decades, PolyScience has responded to the needs of laboratory, chemical, medical, industrial, plastics and culinary markets with unparalleled innovation, passion, and user-focus.
PolyScience’s dedication to quality, ease of operation, and reliability has helped it to become a global company that spans six continents.The company’s refrigerated circulators, heated circulators, chillers, recirculating coolers, water baths and special-purpose products are designed to simplify tasks, take less space, integrate more seamlessly, and perhaps most important, make your work productive and enjoyable.
An ISO 9001 certified company, PolyScience has implemented the systems, processes, and procedures necessary to ensure the quality, performance, and reliability of every product and component it manufactures. The company deploys Lean Manufacturing techniques throughout its vertically-integrated operation to help ensure that every step of the manufacturing process meets ISO 9001 quality requirements.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by PolyScience.
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