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Process Chillers: A Process for Daily Use

Growing up in a newspaper family I learned in the ins and outs of a printing press and the process involved. As a child I loved walking into the printing facility and letting the smell of ink and paper fill my nose. Process chillers are used extensively in the printing industry to regulate temperatures in the presses.

Process chillers most commonly use water, halocarbon or ammonia refrigerants that provide cooling for a variety of industrial and process applications. As with most chillers, process chillers have four basic components: a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve and an evaporator. Process chillers also include pumps and relief valves and sometimes cooling towers, filters and fans depending on the type of chiller. Together they remove heat from applications in order to maintain a set temperature 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Process chillers are intended for the harshest of environments and are extremely durable. They differ from heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) chillers and commercial chillers because they are meant for less harsh environments.

Many items that you use in your everyday life are made with the use of process chillers. For example, the baking industry uses process chillers to maintain the temperature of mixers. This allows the mixers to be used longer and have a high quality final product. The food industry needs process chillers for multiple processes such as chocolate and confectionary manufacturing and meat and vegetable processing. Other industries include: marine, aerospace, automotive, metal finishers, chemical, composite manufacturing and other governmental applications.

Process chillers can be found right next to the application, in a separate room or outside of the building. The location of the chiller depends on the size and its purpose for the application it serves. Process chillers are utilized to make the food you eat, the books and newspapers you read, the cars you drive and so on.