Types Of Industrial Refrigeration. Being able to vary the temperature quickly in a room or piece of equipment is essential for many industrial and production processes. The different types of existing industrial refrigeration are valid both for air conditioning and for use in equipment capable of keeping food cold. Knowing each one of them can help us to know how an air conditioning refrigeration system unit works or how it can cool a cold room.
What Is An Industrial Refrigeration System
An industrial refrigeration system can be defined that serves to reduce the temperature of a fluid through heat exchange caused by the use of a cooling liquid. Its purpose is to be present in equipment intended for the refrigeration and conservation of different foods and products, widely used in a wide variety of industries and for the air conditioning of large and small spaces.
These systems remove heat through a thermal exchange, to considerably reduce the temperature of a medium. To do this, they consist of a refrigeration unit (chiller) and a heat exchanger. They can be classified as follows:
- Open or closed systems: The open ones are those in which the refrigerant is in contact with the environment, while the closed ones, the refrigerant is in a tube (this is the case of the operation of conventional industrial air conditioning).
- Direct or indirect systems: In direct systems, there will only be one heat exchanger, while in indirect systems, there will be at least two.
Types Of Industrial Refrigeration
Depending on the cooling method they have, the following types of industrial refrigeration can be differentiated:
- By air:It is the most traditional method, very effective in electronic devices, although it is capable of cooling any element. It is based on an exchange of heat between the air at room temperature and the medium that is usually at a higher temperature.
- Liquid:The most used is water. It has better thermal conductivity and a higher specific heat than air, so it is capable of transmitting heat more effectively and over a greater distance. It is also known as water cooling.
- Evaporative coolers: It is one of the most affordable and effective types used by many industries and by commercial and residential settings. It consists of air cooling through pads soaked in water. In this way, the water is able to absorb heat from the air and then evaporate.
- Thermoelectric:Used in industrial environments, its operating principle is the temperature difference generated when two metals or semiconductors come into contact. They are quite versatile, as the polarity can be changed to reverse their effect. At the same time, they are the most environmentally friendly, since they do not use harmful gases for their operation.
- By cryogenics:They are characterized by the use of materials at very low temperatures on a processor to keep it cold. The most common materials used are dry ice and liquid nitrogen.
The different types of industrial refrigeration are valid both for use in air conditioning of spaces and in machines capable of refrigerating food or products. Its different operating and performance properties mean that when choosing them, it is necessary to study the one that adapts to the needs of the economic activity where it is going to be installed. If you need professional advice to choose the optimal type of industrial refrigeration, contact refrigeration system TECNOFREDDO.