Intelligent Process Cooling: Saving Money, Protecting the Environment and Curing Process Headaches Lou Zavala, National Sales Manager – Frigel North America
Dec 27, 2015
Intelligent Process Cooling: Saving Money, Protecting the
Environment and Curing Process Headaches
Lou Zavala, National Sales Manager – Frigel North America
Presentation Overview• The state of today’s manufacturing resources• Traditional process cooling technology vs. the
intelligent process cooling alternative• Opportunities for water, energy and chemical
savings while greening your operations• Improved productivity through implementing a
central chiller alternative• How process cooling can improve your
profitability and ability to better serve customers
Today’s manufacturing resources
Energy use in manufacturing• Approximately 92% of a manufacturer’s energy
consumption is attributed to processing machinery and associated services
• 16% of that energy goes to process cooling (chillers & pumps)
• Energy savings of 25% are easily achievable with virtually no technical risk
• Improperly maintained cooling towers lose heat transfer efficiency and scale causing chillers to consume 2.5 to 3.5% more energy for each degree rise in condenser temperature
Source: Dr. Robin Kent, “Energy Management in Plastics Processing – Strategies, targets, techniques and tools” and U.S. Department of Energy
Energy cost and consumption trends
Source: US Government Energy Information Administration
By sector, nominal2 prices, 1960-2007
Water use in manufacturing• Industry uses 22% of the earth’s available
clean water• That number increases to 45% in developed
countries• One of the top 5 ways water is wasted in
industry is inefficient and poorly maintained methods for cooling
• In process cooling, over consumption occurs as a result of evaporation and blow down
Source: Arlington Institute “Global water crisis overview” and Water Wise “How to save water in the workplace”
Water considerations• Water is likely to be the most important strategic
resource by the end of the next decade• Clean water is one of the major concerns of the
U.N.• Local governments are imposing high disposal
costs for concentrated and contaminated fluids– This includes cooling tower waste water in some areas
Source: The World Bank and IATP “Bio-fuels and global water challenges”
Traditional solutions for process cooling
Cooling tower basics• Temperature: 85°/90°F• Open System• Method of heat rejection =
water evaporation• The center of industrial cooling
for over 80 years
Cooling tower costs
• Continuous water consumption – evaporation & blow down loss
• Increasing costs for water & fluid disposal
• Ongoing water treatment• Regular heat exchanger
maintenance • Very high pumping energy
consumption• Changing laws and regulations• Constant fan operation creates
energy waste
Cooling tower disadvantages• Poor quality water to
process• Harmful emissions• Difficult cold-weather
operation• Permanent contamination
hinders heat transfer and performance
• Water evaporation & blow down loss
• Contaminated air in the system creates contaminated process water
Cooling Tower: Very high pumping energy consumption
Plate heat exchanger
proc
ess
Filtering
Ope
n ci
rcui
t to
wer
sys
tem
Clo
sed
circ
uit
tow
er s
yste
m NozzlesNozzles
1st Filtering
2nd Filtering
proc
ess
Effect of a Scale layer on Heat Transfer
Thermal Conductivity of Microbiological Film and Calcium Carbonate Scale
Effect of Scale on Energy Consumption of Chillers
Traditional set up1. Open tower water
consumption is up to 1.3 million gallons annually/ 100 tons of cooling due to evaporation, drift and blow down based on water quality
2. Centralized chiller system utilizes more energy to achieve flow & pressure at the process
3. Thermal gain increases as distance increases
4. Two sets of insulated pipes needed
1
2
43
Intelligent process cooling
Intelligent process cooling set up1. Closed-loop, dry-cooling
technology using ambient air to cool process water
2. Small reservoir tank for automatic draining in cold temperatures to avoid freezing
3. Single set of non-insulated pipes for simple and inexpensive installation
4. Machine side temperature controller/ chiller for high performance cooling
1
2
3
4
Intelligent cooling basics• Temperature: 90°/95°F• Closed System• Method of heat rejection = air
heat exchange• Revolutionizing process
cooling
Intelligent cooling cost savings
• Dramatically reduced energy consumption
• Lower pumping capacity• No continuous water or
chemical consumption• No fluid disposal saving fees
and the environment• Little to no downtime• Free cooling opportunities
Intelligent cooling advantages
• Clean water to process• No scale/corrosion on heat
exchangers or piping• Constant efficiency of process
equipment for better productivity• Minimal maintenance• Simple & expandable system• Decreased green house gas
emissions
How intelligent cooling works• Process water is
pumped through heat exchangers and cooled by ambient air
• Additional air flow is generated by axial fans with variable DC motors
• Water temp is held <10°F above out-door dry bulb temperature and to operating range set at control
Adiabatic cooling for minimum water
consumption• Ambient air at high temperature passes through the adiabatic chamber
• In the chamber, spray nozzles create a think mist of water
• The humidification of the air drops its temperature before it reaches the coils
• The sprayed water volume is automatically controlled by microprocessor
• Finned coils are kept completely dry and free of scale
Brushless DC Fans Motors with individual automatic control of speed
The Lowest Energy Consumption
-
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
100806040200OU T DOOR T E M P . ( F)
kW / fan
0.03 kW/ton*0.03 kW/ton*
Extremely high efficiency under partial load operation (reduced speed)
Annual average consumption less than 0.03 kW/ton
Very quiet operation – less than 57 dB(A)
Increased reliability and durability, maintenance free
Each fan can be substituted with the equipment running * Based on LWT = 90F in LA, CA
How intelligent cooling works• Adiabatic mode keeps
LWT below 90 to 95°F even with ambient temps of 120°F
• On cold days with little or no heat load, recirculation pumps turn off and unit drains fully, providing 100% freeze protection
• Control and software provide a fully-automatic water and energy savings based on actual thermal load and outdoor temps
Intelligent water & energy savingsWater savings • Only during high outdoor temperatures does the system
switch to adiabatic mode, minimizing the time additional water may be needed– Example: A typical 100-ton cooling system uses as much as 1.5 million
gal/year, intelligent process cooling with the same capacity requires only 20,000 to 40,000 gal/year
Energy savings• During low outdoor temperatures or partial load
operation, specialized controls automatically adjust pumps and fans to start and stop as needed, rather than running constantly– Example: A typical 100-ton chiller system operates with 0.8 to 1.2
kWh/ton energy consumption, intelligent cooling uses only 0.05 kWh/ton
Free cooling opportunities
• Free cooling is defined as using non-refrigeration cooling methods – This generally means using an
ambient-air closed-loop cooling system to supply clean cooling water and replacing chillers or turning off chiller compressors.
• Many processes can benefit from free cooling depending on process set points and local ambient conditions
99% 94%
81%
63%
50%
37%
19%
9%4% 1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Hrs
/Yr
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 -10 -20Temperature (F)
Hours per Year Below a Certain Temperature (Chicago)
Water Savings PeriodAbove 85°F
175 hrs2 %
Energy Savings PeriodBelow 40°F
3334 hrs38%
Boston/Logan, MADry-Bulb Temperature Hours For an Average year
(period of record 1967-1996)
This summary reflects the typical distribution of temperature in a typical year. It does not reflect the typical moisture distribution.
100 ton tower VS 100 ton Ecodry
100 Tons 100 Tons
105.0 °F 10.2 °F w /HX
95.0 °F 70.0 °F
91.4 °F 9.0 °F
No FC °F
° 0 Tons
° 40 % 4.0
ft 21.8 Psi
45.0 Psi 65.3 Psi
80 % 70 %
90 % 85 %
1
7
76.1 7
74.3 Series
45.9 21.8 %
51.4 81.6 °F
0.0030 13,592 1,112,083
0.12
18,508 34,092
65,040
0
10,067 24,900
10.6%
0.0%
240.08 GPM 266.76 GPM
10.0 °F 9.0 °F
0 hrs
253 hrs 0.79
3.4 GPM 3.23 GPM
Capacity
Dry LWT
Latitude 42.37
BOSTON
WMO Stat. Num. #725090
Adiabatic EWT
2% Of Capacity
Concentrations
Fan Pow erInstalled
Approach
Process Flow Rate
Gal./Year
Capacity
Tow er DeltaT
Tow er Pressure Drop
Adiabatic LWT
Freecooling Capacity
Row s of Fans
Pump Fluid-Dyn. Eff.
Freecooling LWT
Glycol %
Pump Motor Eff.
ECODRY
Total n° of Fans
Weighted AVG DB °F
°F
°F Connection
Weighted AVG WB
0.4% Occ. WB °F
Freecooling Time
1% Occ. WB --
GPP 1200/3
Gal./Year
EDK 71 S
Overdesign
Ecodry Fans Cons.
Proc. Pumps Cons.
Circ. Pumps Cons.
Longitude 71.02
Fans per Row
Elevation
Process Pressure Drop
16.4
LOCATION
Running Costs
Spray Start Temp.
Min. LWT
kW
Check here for notes
$
Process DeltaT
Energy Cost $ / kWhr
Glycol Loss
Altitude Loss
Running Costs
Tower Fans Cons.
Water ConsumptionWater Cost $ / Gall. Water Consumption
kW.hr/year145,609
Proc. Pumps Cons.kW.hr/year
Spray Max Flow Rate
Proc. /Tow er Flow Rate
% of Tow er Flow
$
TOWER
Spray Max Flow Rate
Adiabatic Time
Pump Motor Eff.
Process Pressure Drop
AVG Water Consumpt.
Process DeltaT
(Tower included)
Pump Fluid-Dyn. Eff.
Improving productivity through enhanced process cooling
Process cooling using central chillers• A standard central chiller system is often supplied
cooling water by a tower system
• They supply single temperature water to multiple processes within a plant and require a large pumping station to distribute the water
• Energy loss occurs due to large pumping stations, thermal losses as the water travels to process machines and scale and bio-film buildup in the heat exchangers
• It is extremely difficult to get precise water temperature to all process machines causing quality to suffer and loss of profitability
Intelligent process cooling at the machine level
• Machine side units adjust for required temperature, flow and pressure individually
• Cooling parameters optimized at each machine for better quality parts, less scrap and total repeatability with cycle time improvement of up to 20%
• As an alternative to central chillers, saves up to 80% on energy costs due to no thermal losses and additional pump HP
Achieving maximum productivity and part quality
Maximum productivity = minimum mold temperature• Achieve minimum cooling water temperature
– With independent temperature control at each machine– With a high flow rate in the mold assuring max efficiency of
heat exchange and minimum ΔT across the mold
High quality product = automatic control of mold temperature
• Automatic controls allow for– The ability to “research” the best temperature for each
process– Perfect repeatability of the process cooling conditions
Injection Molding: Cooling time dominates cycle time
from 40% of cycle time (high speed packaging)
up to 90% of cycle time (engineering resins)
Time (sec)Time (sec)
Improve profitability and ability to serve customers
Look to process cooling to…• Increase profitability and competitiveness
– Low operating costs, simple installation, increased productivity
• Sustain performance and profits– Consistent and efficient system, total repeatability
• Reduce cost of labor, energy and water– No process water consumption, reduced electrical
consumption, virtually maintenance free• Address environmental concerns, regulations and
pressures– No ongoing chemical consumption, minimal environmental
impact
The power to change
• Changing established methods requires teamwork and extra effort
• Company leaders are encouraging and supporting sustainability process improvements
• Key champions/functions for change– Maintenance, process/production, health safety and
financial managers• The rewards and satisfaction to the new approach
is high and proven by thousands
Will you be a champion for the future?
The power to save
• Rebates from state and local government, as well as utilities, are available for manufacturers implementing energy saving technology
• Tax incentives are also available in 2009 giving depreciation deductibles of 60% for new equipment placed in service by the end of the year
The power to outperform
Manufacturers often overlook the full potential of cooling technology to improve product quality, increase productivity and
reduce operating costs
MAPP Member Exclusive Offer
• Free spare parts kit equal to 5% of the value of any Ecodry System order in 2010– In addition to the fast ROI realized from energy, water,
maintenance, chemical and downtime savings and process improvements
• To take advantage, contact us at 847-540-0160 or [email protected] and let us know you want 5% in free spare parts as a fellow MAPP member
For more information: www.frigel.com/na
Intelligent Process Cooling
Questions?
Frigel’s Ecodry represents a revolutionary way to improve
process stability, gain a competitive advantage and
experience the economic benefits.