Sizing Steps for Chillers in Plastic Process Cooling

For our example, we will calculate what size chiller is required to cool 40 GPM
(gallons per minute) from 70 °F to 58 °F? Use the following five steps and general
sizing formula:

1. Calculate Temperature Differential (ΔT°F)

ΔT°F = Incoming Water Temperature (°F) - Required Chilled Water Temperature.

 Example: ΔT°F = 70°F - 58°F = 12°F

2. Calculate BTU/hr.

BTU/hr. = Gallons per hr x 8.33 x ΔT°F

 Example: 40 gpm x 60 x 8.33 x 12°F = 239,904 BTU/hr.

3. Calculate tons of cooling capacity

Tons = BTU/hr. ÷ 12,000

 Example: Ton capacity = 239,904 BTU/hr. ÷ 12,000 = 19.992 tons

4. Oversize the chiller by 20%

Ideal Size in Tons = Tons x 1.2

 Example: 19.992 x 1.2 = 23.9904

5. You have the ideal size for your needs

 Example: a 23.9904 (or 25-Ton) chiller is required

 A 20 ton cooling-capacity chiller from Cold Shot Coolers

Plastic Process Cooling Applications

There also industry-specific, rules-of-thumb for chiller sizing. These may vary
depending upon the application. The below guidelines and formula may be used
for sizing chillers for plastic process cooling applications. In our example, we will
calculate what size chiller is needed for a polypropylene molding operation that
incorporates a 6oz. "Shot Size" and a 18 second cycle time with a 3 H.P. hydraulic
motor. We will use Charts 1 and 2 as references.

1. Calculate the pounds of material per hour being processed.

 Example: 6 oz. / 18 sec. = 19.99 oz/min (20.00 oz./min)

 20 oz. / min x 60 min. = 1200 oz/hr
 1200/16 = 75 lbs. / hr

2. Determine how many pounds per hour are required for each ton of cooling
capacity using Chart 1.

 Example: Polypropylene requires 1 ton of cooling capacity for every 35

lbs./hr processed
  75 lbs. ÷ 35 lbs. = 2.14 tons of cooling

3. Determine if the extruder or any auxiliary equipment will require chilled water
using Chart 2. If not, go to step #5.

 Example: A hydraulic motor requires 0.1 ton/HP of cooling capacity

 3 HP x 0.1 ton/HP = 0.3 ton of capacity

4. Combine the process and auxiliary equipment cooling requirements.

 Example: 2.14 tons + 0.3 ton = 2.44 tons

5. Size your chiller by rounding up to the closest standard unit.

 Example: This application will require a 3-ton unit

Chart 1: Plastic Material Process Cooling Requirements

Injection Molding 30#/hr H.D. Polyethylene 1 ton

35#/hr L.D. 1 ton
Polyethylene/Polypropylene
40#/hr Nylon 1 ton
50#/hr Polystyrene or ABS 1 ton
65#/hr PVC or Polycarbonate 1 ton
70#/hr P.E.T 1 ton
Extrusion
50#/hr 1 ton
Polyethylene/Polypropylene
75#/hr Polystyrene 1 ton
80 #/hr PVC 1 ton
Blow Molding 35#/hr Polyolefins 1 ton

Source: www.waterchillers.com

Chart 2: Auxiliary Equipment and Extruder Cooling Requirements

Extruder Cooling Gear box cooling 1 ton/100 hp
Feed throat: 3” screw or less 1 ton
Feed throat: larger than 3” 2 ton
screw
Barrel or screw cooling (per 1 ton/inch
inch of screw diameter)
Auxiliary Equipment
Cooling
Air compressor (no 0.16 ton/hp
aftercooler)
Air compressor (with 0.2 ton/hp
aftercooler)
Vacuum pump 0.1 ton/hp
Hydraulic cooling 0.1 ton/hp
Hot runner mold 0.1 ton/hp
Water pump in circuit 0.1 ton/hp
Feed throat: less than 400 0.5 ton
ton
Feed throat: greater than 400 1 ton
ton
  Source from other website:-
http://www.waterchillers.com/chiller-sizing-information.html

General sizing formula:

Calculate Temperature Differential (?T°F) ?T°F = Incoming Water Temperature
(°F) - Required Chill Water Temperature
Calculate BTU/hr. BTU/hr. = Gallons per hr x 8.33 x ?T°F
Calculate tons of cooling capacity Tons = BTU/hr. ÷ 12,000
Oversize the chiller by 20% Ideal Size in Tons = Tons x 1.2
You have the ideal size for your needs
For example, what size chiller is required to cool 40GPM from 70°F to 58°F?
?T°F = 70°F - 58°F = 12°F
BTU/hr. = 40gpm x 60 x 8.33 x 12°F = 239,904 BTU/hr.
Ton Capacity = 239,904 BTU/hr. ÷ 12,000 = 19.992 Tons
Oversize the chiller = 19.992 x 1.2 = 23.9904
A 23.9904 or 25-Ton chiller is required

 ANOTHER ONE
SOURCE BY:-
http://blog.smartcoolingproducts.com/calculating-process-
chiller-loads

The truth is the equation for calculating a heat load remains the same no matter
what the conditions. It’s the conditions that change.:
Q = m x C x ΔT
Q = Heat Load (BTU/hr)
m = Mass of fluid being cooled (lbs/hr)
C = Specific heat of fluid (BTU/lb-°F)
ΔT = Change in fluid temperature
Since we know that there are 8.33 lbs in each gallon of water and 60 minutes in an
hour, we can convert the “m” value to GPM or gallon per minute (of water). That
factor is 499.8. With that, our equation now looks like this:
Q = GPM x C x ΔT x 499.8
Q = Heat Load (BTU/hr)
GPM = Water flow in gallons per minute
C = Specific heat of fluid (BTU/lb-°F)
ΔT = Change in fluid temperature
499.8 = Constant converting lbs to GPM
Further clarifying this to incorporate fluids other than water, the equation changes
even more:
Q = GPM x SG x C x ΔT x 499.8
Q = Heat Load (BTU/hr)
GPM = Fluid flow in gallons per minute
SG = Fluid Specific Gravity
C = Specific heat of fluid (BTU/lb-°F)
ΔT = Change in fluid temperature
499.8 = Constant converting lbs to GPM
As a rule of thumb, you need to know at least three of these values in order to
calculate the load: Flow rate (& fluid type), Inlet temperature, outlet temperature,
and heat load or tonnage required. Going back to our example of a “10 ton” chiller
requirement, we will provide some more solid information: Flow = 20gpm; ΔT =
10°F; Fluid is 30% ethylene glycol; Leaving fluid requested at 35°F — Our
equation will look like this:
Q = 20gpm x 1.06 (SG) x 0.87BTU/lb-°F x 10°F x 499.8min-lb/gal-hr
Q = 92,183 BTU/hr
Q = 92,183 BTU/hr ÷ (12,000 BTU/ton)
Q = 7.68 tons
So in this case, the correct selection would be our STACT11S (11HP) air cooled
scroll process chiller. This unit will produce just under 8 tons at design. There
would not be much of a safety factor at these conditions, but it will still handle the
duty. Hopefully this helps to clear up some of the confusion in relation to
Calculating a Process Load. Thanks for reading.