A guide to Industrial Cooling Technologies

Industrial cooling solutions relate to different types of cooling used in complex environments. Cooling technologies must offer excellent performance and efficiency in a commercial or industrial setting.

Managing excess heat generated by system processes is difficult. Larger facilities may choose industrial cooling towers for their higher capacity and energy efficiency. Other operations wishing to avoid open-circuit cooling towers may choose adiabatic systems, which require a smaller installation footprint and less industrial water to function.

The most common industries using industrial cooling are data centres, manufacturing, petrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals. These have sizable, ongoing cooling requirements, and operational costs must be considered. Precise temperature control is often required, especially during increased demand. Therefore, choosing the right industrial cooling system is essential to ensure optimal performance.

Below is a guide to industrial cooling technologies. We hope you find it useful.

1. Understanding industrial cooling

Definition and significance:

Managing heat is the primary requirement of industrial cooling systems. Whatever type of heat reduction methodologies are employed, cooling processes are designed to capture heat, process, and remove it.

Important systems will fail to operate optimally without adequate heat removal and cooling. Many will eventually break down due to overheating, excessive part wear, and other factors. A lack of heat mitigation could become a serious safety concern if unmanaged.  

The situation becomes acute in hotter and/or more humid environments. Nevertheless, even in colder locations, heat must be removed from HVAC systems, air compressors, server rooms, factory equipment, and elsewhere.

Applications:

Manufacturing plants rely on consistent, stable processes to deliver predictable outcomes. This is true whether the plant manufactures food, industrial machinery, or OEM replacement parts.

Maintaining cool temperatures is equally important for data centres. Server rooms are packed with racks and racks of computer servers, hard drive storage bays, and network switches, and heat levels rise rapidly and precipitously if cooling suddenly stops. For this reason, backup generators or other redundancies are used to manage downtime and allow for maintenance work.

Food production facilities and related food storage also require temperatures within a tight range. Otherwise, quality preservation is at risk, and food could go bad before its best-before date.

2. Types of industrial cooling technologies

There are different types of industrial process cooling systems. Below, we explain each of them.

Air cooling systems

Air-cooled systems rely on ambient air rather than water as their primary heat removal method. Ambient air is used to dissipate heat. Outdoor installations are common for these types of cooling systems. Water access, supply, and costs are not deciding factors.

While these systems are practical for medium or smaller loads, they are not ideal in all situations. For the system to function as intended, the ambient temperature must be cool or temperate, and humidity levels must remain low.

Liquid cooling systems

Liquid cooling often uses chillers in an industrial setting. Water is used to absorb heat, and this is more efficient than water-cooled systems. Sometimes, glycol is used as a heat-absorbing liquid solution.

Either a refrigeration absorption or vapour compression cycle is used. These units function especially well at power plants, where extreme heat levels exist and consistent, high performance is required.

The downsides include the need for continual water availability and a water treatment facility. Maintenance is also more demanding, including preserving industrial pumps and pipework.

Evaporative cooling systems

Evaporative cooling relies on water evaporation to lower temperature levels. Tall water cooling towers commonly use this process. These systems perform best in low-humidity environments. Access to easily accessible, continually flowing, and affordable water is essential.

While evaporation is energy-efficient, water supply expenditures balance out the cost savings. Evaporative cooling methods are often best for high cooling loads and applications where temperatures must remain consistently within a tight range.

Frequent maintenance is necessary to remove scale and address microbial issues. This prevents health risks associated with water-based systems, such as Legionella. Risk assessment and monitoring are required under the UK’s Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.

Adiabatic cooling systems

Adiabatic cooling systems remove heat using both water and air. A heat exchanger transports ambient air across hot water-filled pipework, reducing temperature levels. The basic idea is similar to how car radiators operate, but adiabatic cooling equipment is more modular in design, making it easier and less costly to install.

These systems, which run as dry coolers during moderate seasons, only use water when ambient air is warmer and requires cooling. They find a sensible balance between being environmentally friendly and achieving better water and energy efficiency.

Let Anglian Compressors help you to choose the most appropriate cooling solution for your needs.

3. Selecting the right cooling system for your industry

Here are some considerations for choosing the right cooling system for your industry.

Key factors to consider:

Heat load – How much heat is the system capable of removing?

Energy usage – What does it cost to run versus the capital investment?

Operating environment – Will the installation be outdoors or indoors? Are ambient temperatures and humidity suitable for the system? Is clean water affordable and accessible?

Industry-specific examples:

Manufacturing – Heat dissipation at a bigger scale requires cooling towers and often evaporation-based cooling systems.

Data centres – The compact configurations inside data centres suggest using liquid cooling systems rather than other cooling methodologies.

Pharmaceuticals – Cooling systems offering precise control over heat dissipation support the tight temperature ranges needed.

4. Maintenance and best practices

Best practices must be followed in industrial cooling systems; timely, regular maintenance is necessary for optimal results.

Why maintenance matters:

Maintenance is critical; otherwise, cooling systems become less efficient, eventually leading to downtime. Operations reliant on these cooling systems must pause until the matter is resolved.

Proper maintenance reduces wear and tear on industrial cooling systems, extending their lifespan.

Key practices:

All cooling equipment should be regularly inspected for corrosion, scaling, and leaks. Water-based cooling systems must be monitored closely to mitigate additional bacterial risk factors like Legionella.

Replace cooling fluids as needed. Inspect filters and replace them when they are clogged or are too old.

Use IoT-based intelligent tools for predictive maintenance and to enhance active monitoring with timely reminders.

Need other maintenance tips for reliable industrial cooling? Get in touch with Anglian Compressors.

5. Innovations and future trends in industrial cooling

Emerging technologies:

AI innovations are being incorporated into new cooling systems. This includes real-time optimisations, smart reminders, and prompts based on sensory feedback and interpretation.

Power cooling systems are beginning to support renewable energy integration to reduce the environmental impact of energy consumption.

Sustainability trends:

Evaporative cooling systems are reducing their water dependence. These water-saving methodologies lower their operating expenses, reducing the total cost of ownership.

Refrigerants are transitioning to eco-friendly alternatives. These support a lower global warming potential versus previous refrigerants used.

Conclusion

Industrial cooling systems provide heat mitigation and removal for commercial and industrial operations. Maintaining cooler temperatures allows equipment to operate more efficiently. This supports existing capital investment, making systems more sustainable while reducing potential breakdowns.

Anglian Compressors are experts in cooling technologies. Why not arrange a consultation to discuss the creation of a tailored solution? Contact us today to see how we can help your business.