Run/standby configuration minimises downtime for dental manufacturer

The Challenge – Chilled water supply for metal grinding in ambient conditions

A dental equipment manufacturer required chilled water for its metal grinding equipment’s heat exchanger to draw heat away from the oil used in the grinding process. The water needed to be delivered at 15°C consistently in a 32°C ambient environment to meet the demands of the plant and keep production running.

The Solution – Run/standby configuration and free cooling

Whilst carrying out a comprehensive on-site consultation, our technical sales engineer specified two iC640 units (each with 119kW of cooling capacity), in a Run/standby configuration, with an auto-changeover panel, which actively monitors the production demands and utilises the additional chiller when necessary, using chiller control modulation.

With each of the units able to meet the plant’s requirements individually, the manufacturer has a back-up plan in case of failure and can carry out planned maintenance easily, without disrupting production. The units can cycle run times, leaving one unit idle when not needed. In the event of a unit requiring maintenance, the other unit can cover the full requirements of the plant.

A free cooling solution in the form of an additional flat bed free cooler was also recommended after reviewing the customers operating temperature requirements and the unit’s capacity.

Free cooling uses the ambient temperature to cool the water to around 5°C above ambient conditions. The benefit of a bolt-on solution means that there is greater surface area to maximise free cooling potential. In this customer’s case, they would be able to take 100% of the cooling load away from the chillers, providing large savings on energy costs with no refrigeration components to power. Free cooling also has the benefit of extending the lifespan of the chiller as it isn’t being used all year round.

The engineer carried out an energy analysis for the customer, a process which shows a customer the energy savings they can make in a year based on the ambient conditions, tailored specifically for their  geographic region. The results of the analysis showed that the customer would be able to save 54% of their energy costs annually by implementing the engineer’s free cooling suggestion.

To future proof production, allowing for growth, the engineer applied a ‘duty share’ setup, meaning that if the demand from the plant on a single chiller exceeded its capacity, the second unit would be able to handle the excess load automatically.

The Result – A future proof, tailor made, cost-efficient solution

The ICS Cool Energy engineer was able to provide a tailored solution using the iC640 from the i-Chiller range, a fully packaged solution ranging from 7kW up to 233kW and designed with industrial manufacturing processes in mind, as well as adding a flatbed free cooling unit to the solution. The benefits of the i-Chiller include:

• Eco-Design Compliance
• Fast customisation of standard units to meet your requirements
• Up to 5-year warranty for complete peace of mind