Portable Chillers for Plastics Processing

Whether you choose an air-cooled or water-cooled model, a portable chiller is an effective way to cool down your plastic process.

Transferring a significant quantity of heat is necessary for processes involving the moulding and manufacture of plastic items. To begin the process of shaping the plastic, heat is first applied to it. After that, the component that has been made must have the heat removed before it can be handled and sold. How well heat is removed from this process can have a big impact on how much productivity can be increased and how well a business can keep its place in the market. Using a portable chiller is the most typical approach people choose to achieve this task of heat removal.

In general, portable chillers are measured in terms of their capacity in tons. In the context of this conversation, a ton is an ability to take out or throw away 12,000 BTUs in one hour. As an example, a 5-ton chiller has the capacity to dissipate 60,000 BTUs each hour. Table 1 shows, for a variety of processes and materials, the connection that exists between the throughput rate, which is measured in pounds per hour, and the size of the chiller, which is measured in tons. According to the chart, in the event that a chiller is needed for an injection-moulding machine that is processing 120 pounds of HDPE per hour, a 4-ton chiller is the one that should be selected as the most appropriate option for the work. Portable chillers are often available for purchase in capacities ranging from a tenth of a ton up to around 30 to 40 tons. In addition to this, the gadgets are much too cumbersome and difficult to be considered portable in any sense that is significant.

Portable chillers come in two primary varieties: air-condensed and water-condensed. The air-condensed kind is the more common of the two. The mechanical diagrams in figure 1 show the distinctions. Air-condensing devices can use a radiator-type coil with fans or a squirrel-cage blower to condense the refrigerant. This means that there needs to be a steady flow of air that is both slightly cool and clean. Condensing water from a cooling tower at a temperature of around 85 degrees Fahrenheit is necessary for water-condensed units, which, in contrast, use a shell-and-tube heat exchanger to achieve the same goal. Follow us on Social Media