Industrial refrigeration systems regulate and maintain internal temperatures for various processes, such as food processing, pharmaceutical production, chemical reactions and energy generation.
Refrigeration systems are essential in many industries, as they help preserve food freshness and product quality. Unfortunately, these systems consume considerable energy and need regular upkeep.
Thermostats
Cold Logic industrial refrigeration Melbourne systems, such as chemical manufacturing plants, cold storage facilities and pharmaceutical production plants, use thermostats to regulate product temperatures. It can be accomplished using either mechanical-type thermostats or digital-type thermostats.
Thermostats regulate temperatures inside refrigerators and freezers by detecting high and low temperatures and sending signals to the compressor to turn on or off. It prevents freezing and keeps food fresher for longer.
Commercial refrigeration relies on thermostats to regulate the temperatures in walk-in coolers and freezers. These thermostats come in two varieties: mechanical with a sensing bulb or digital with a thermistor.
A thermostat also controls the evaporator circuit of a refrigerator, freezer or chiller by controlling a solenoid valve in its liquid line. When set to de-energise this power to this solenoid, it stops refrigerant flow from the compressor to the expansion valve and evaporator coil, allowing air above freezing to melt any frost that had formed on it during its off cycle.
When selecting a thermostat for your commercial refrigeration system, ensure it has the necessary features. For instance, ensure it has a defrost timer that can automatically defrost the unit.
In addition to the above, you should consider your thermostat’s sensor filling. It is essential for its performance and dependability.
Standard thermostats designed for wall or sheet metal console mounting feature two adjustable scales on the front: an upper switching value and a difference setting (hysteresis). When connected electrically to contacts “1” and “4”, these thermostats will switch on at the left set value minus any difference and off at the correct value minus that same difference.
For proper operation of a thermostat, its sensor must be colder than its housing. It is because the liquid that evaporates inside will push apart the pressure bellows and trigger contact system activation—thermostats for wall or sheet-metal mounting feature different sensor fillings – steam and adsorption.
Controls
Cold Logic industrial refrigeration Melbourne employs a variety of controls. These include operating rules, safety controls and more that respond to temperature, pressure, humidity levels, liquid levels and other elements to maintain an ideal temperature or shut down the system if an unsafe condition is present.
Controls employed in refrigeration systems are designed to save energy and ensure equipment runs optimally. In addition, these controls can be utilised to optimise the performance of various components within an industrial refrigeration system, such as compressors, condensers, evaporators and electronic expansion valves.
The energy crisis is driving industrial companies to seek solutions that save them money and reduce the impact of high electricity costs. It is especially true for areas relying on cooling products or production processes.
Industrial companies can utilise their cooling systems to optimise production processes and minimise unexpected downtime, saving them up to 40% on energy bills.
These controls save energy and allow automatic adjustment of the refrigeration system’s set points to minimise its energy consumption under various operating loads and weather conditions. It is done by monitoring kWh input into the refrigeration system and automatically changing its set points according to predefined limits or preventing efficiency degradation.
These control systems can also monitor the energy usage of ancillary power loads around the refrigeration system (like lighting in display cabinets or small heaters) and automatically switch them off or turn them down according to a schedule to reduce its overall energy output.
Controls can be built-into system management units or packages designed to optimise the operation of an entire refrigeration system or used as ‘add-on’ controllers that enable additional compressors, evaporators, electronic expansion valves, and condensers to be optimised.
Monitoring
Cold Logic industrial refrigeration Melbourne systems can be an efficient way to save businesses energy costs. But, unfortunately, they may also become sources of unnecessary waste if their performance isn’t optimised. Therefore, monitoring the system’s operation is necessary to guarantee it operates efficiently and effectively.
Monitoring can be carried out manually or remotely. The latter option offers greater convenience, allowing staff to perform inspections more frequently and make necessary adjustments to equipment as needed.