5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Industrial Chillers

Industrial chillers are an important part of many manufacturing and process environments, maintaining controlled temperatures for machinery, production equipment, products and processes.

Choosing the right equipment has a direct impact on cooling performance, energy consumption, reliability and ongoing operating costs. Industrial chillers shouldn't be selected solely from a product specification or based on the equipment already installed; the process, site and wider cooling system all influence what will work effectively.

Poor equipment selection can result in insufficient cooling, unnecessarily high energy consumption, difficult installation, increased wear or equipment that doesn't support future production requirements. So how can you avoid this?

From working with countless businesses across a wide range of industries, we've seen these common mistakes that businesses fail to address before investing in new or replacement cooling equipment.

Mistake 1: Assuming bigger means better

Chiller capacity needs to reflect the actual amount of heat that must be removed from the process; don't opt for additional capacity simply as a safety margin because that doesn't always mean a better-performing system.

An undersized chiller may struggle to reach or maintain the required temperature when production demand increases, resulting in longer running periods and insufficient process cooling. But oversizing creates different problems. A chiller operating significantly below its intended load may cycle more frequently instead of operating efficiently under stable conditions.

The middle ground needs to be found; this can be done by establishing the process heat – don't automatically use the capacity of an existing chiller as the specification for its replacement. Consider both normal and peak production demand, particularly where the amount of heat generated by the process changes throughout the working day.

Required water or glycol temperature, flow rate, operating hours and ambient conditions also influence equipment performance, so cooling capacity shouldn't be considered on its own. The aim is to select the appropriate capacity for the process and its operating conditions, rather than choosing the largest chiller available within the budget.

Mistake 2: Forgetting where the chiller is going

When making the equipment selection, the physical environment in which the chiller will operate needs to be accounted for, as a suitable specification on paper won't always translate once installation begins on site.

Available space needs to accommodate the equipment itself while still providing sufficient clearance around the unit. Delivery access also needs to be considered before ordering; it's all well and good having space for the chiller, but if there's no way of getting the chiller into that space due to doorways, gates or loading areas, the installation has failed at the first hurdle.

Air-cooled industrial chillers specifically need sufficient airflow to reject heat effectively, making positioning and surrounding obstructions important. Whilst chillers themselves are robust, it's still important to understand the impact that dust, debris or other contaminants from the production environment could have on the chiller, whether that's the potential to restrict airflow or increase maintenance requirements.

Chillers can't just be installed and then left until they eventually need replacing; routine servicing is key to maintaining efficiency, and repairs need to be dealt with swiftly to prevent disruption to operations. In which case, there must be enough space around the chiller to allow engineers to reach serviceable components, carry out inspections and make repairs easily.

A site survey before equipment is selected can identify space, access, airflow and utility limitations before they create additional installation work.

Mistake 3: Ignoring what's already connected to it

An industrial chiller operates as part of a complete cooling circuit, so its performance depends on the equipment and infrastructure connecting it to the process.

Existing pipework needs to be assessed for condition, size and layout to determine whether it can provide the required flow for the new equipment. Incorrectly sized or restrictive pipework can increase pressure losses and limit flow, preventing a correctly specified chiller from performing as intended.

Pumps need to provide the required flow and pressure across the complete circuit; an existing pump shouldn't automatically be assumed suitable for replacement equipment.

System water volume and the requirement for a buffer tank may need consideration depending on the chiller and application, particularly where maintaining stable temperatures and avoiding excessive cycling are important. Where glycol is used, its concentration needs to suit the operating temperature and application. The glycol mixture also changes the properties of the circulating fluid and should therefore be considered when assessing system performance.

Assessing these elements before choosing the chiller helps identify necessary modifications in advance rather than discovering compatibility problems during installation or commissioning.

Mistake 4: Choosing on price without considering running costs

Purchase price provides only the initial cost of the equipment and doesn't show how much the chiller will cost to operate and maintain throughout its working life.

Energy consumption becomes particularly important for industrial chillers operating continuously or for long production periods because relatively small differences in efficiency can accumulate over years of operation. Correct specification contributes to operating costs; equipment that frequently cycles, runs for excessive periods or operates outside suitable conditions may use more energy and experience additional wear.

Maintenance requirements should be considered alongside purchase price, including servicing, replacement components and the availability of technical support. Reliability also has a financial value in process environments. The cost of a cooling failure can extend beyond repairing the chiller if production has to slow or stop while the fault is resolved.

New equipment may be preferable where long-term investment, the latest equipment or a particular specification is required – but a used chiller can sometimes offer a lower initial investment and quicker availability.

Condition and testing are particularly important when considering used equipment. Nexus used packaged chillers are tested and supplied with certification confirming that they are in full working order.

The key takeaway is to compare options based on suitability, expected running costs, reliability and support, as well as the figure on the initial quotation.

Mistake 5: Only thinking about today's production

Industrial chillers are a long-term investment, while the production environment they're installed into may change considerably during their working life. Increased production volumes, additional machinery, longer operating hours or changes to the manufacturing process can all increase cooling demand. Known expansion plans should therefore be discussed during equipment selection rather than waiting until the existing cooling capacity becomes insufficient.

Futureproofing doesn't mean choosing a substantially larger chiller than currently required; unnecessary oversizing would contradict the correct-sizing considerations covered earlier. Instead, consider whether the overall cooling system can be designed to make future expansion easier, such as allowing space for additional equipment or incorporating suitable connection points into the pipework.

Planning around realistic future requirements can reduce the amount of pipework modification, equipment replacement and production disruption required when additional cooling capacity is eventually needed.

Making the right choice

Choosing industrial chillers requires consideration of more than capacity and purchase price. Correct sizing, installation environment, existing cooling infrastructure, lifetime operating costs and future production requirements should all form part of the decision.

Considering these areas together helps avoid equipment that performs well on paper but isn't suitable for the actual process or facility. At Nexus Cooling we can assess cooling requirements and provide support with equipment selection, system design, installation and ongoing maintenance. We also have a selection of both new and tested-used chillers to suit different applications, budgets and timescales.

Choosing an industrial chiller and not sure where to start? Speak to the Nexus Cooling team about your requirements and we'll help you find the right solution for your application.