Lisa Calovini June 24, Using glycol in your chiller may prove to be beneficial because it reduces the freezing point of process fluid and ensures that it continues to flow at the operating temperature. Using inhibited glycol in your system will prevent scale and corrosion from forming, algae and bacteria will not grow and metals such as copper, brass, steel cast iron and aluminum are protected.
However, there are some things to know when using glycol in your chiller that if not followed properly, problems may follow. Do not use automotive grade anti-freeze. Automotive glycols are not designed for industrial applications any may foul the heat exchanger and compromise heat transfer. How does a glycol cooling system work? If you are trying to achieve better temperature control or cooling, whether because you operate a cooling tower, make wine, or are even worried about your pipes freezing in your building, you may have come across the term glycol.
Glycol can help with these goals and many more, but it is important to understand how to use it and how it works so that you can be sure that it is the right fit for you. Glycol is a type of organic compound that belongs to the alcohol family. It contains two separate types of glycol: ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. Ethylene glycol, commonly used as antifreeze in vehicles and HVAC systems, is known for its sweet taste; however, it is toxic.
Propylene glycol is non-toxic and so sees use in a wide variety of consumables, such as cosmetics and oral hygiene products as a preservative and moisture-retaining agent and HVAC systems.
Glycol-based coolants consist of either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol. The main advantage of glycol coolants is anti-freeze properties. The low freezing point of glycol mixtures makes them ideal for cooling items that are below the freezing point of water.
Although glycol has a lower heat capacity than water each kilogram of glycol is easier to heat than one kilogram of water , the larger temperature difference allows the glycol mixture to remove heat more quickly than pure water. The glycol mixtures are more suitable for applications where the chiller must quickly remove large amounts of heat.
In addition to providing excellent heat transfer parameters, glycol tends to discourage algae growth in heat transfer equipment. A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid. At the heart of a glycol system is the glycol chiller. A glycol chiller consists of a compressor, an evaporator, a condenser, a throttling element, and an electric control system. The gaseous refrigerant is then circulated to a condenser which expels the heat through evaporative condensation.
Calculating the proper ratio of glycol to water in a refrigeration system depends on the coldest temperature you need during operation. If the refrigeration system is used indoors, where there is a lower chance of freezing, the amount of glycol required will be significantly less than a glycol chiller used outdoors. Adding too much glycol to a chiller system will result in an inefficient system. The evaporator is a heat exchanger. It allows the transfer of heat between the liquid coolant and the system's refrigerant gas.
The refrigerant's temperature must be lower than the temperature of coolant liquid in order for heat to flow and for coolant temperature to be effectively returned to set point.
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