Not too long ago, my family had to purchase a new personal computer. Our trusty "old" Pentium processor, which had served us for more than three years (so you can imagine how outdated it was), bit the dust. A computer technician told us that among the reasons our PC ultimately failed was "extended overheating." Admittedly, the device was left running 24/7. Unfortunately, it wasn't made for such a rigorous schedule. Perhaps if I had I implemented some of the equipment cooling solutions like the ones we present here in PCE, I may have been able to extend our PC's service life.
Keeping equipment cool and running effectively and efficiently -- especially in an industrial manufacturing environment -- can make or break a business. In this issue, you can read about how American Synthetic Fiber (ASF), an extrusion and nonwovens fabric facility in Pendergrass, Ga., keeps the 43 drives in its plant cool. And, because the company planned ahead, there is plenty of cooling power to spare for future expansion.
If you use ammonia refrigeration in your facility, we have two stories you won't want to miss. Bruce I. Nelson, P.E., of Colmac Coil Manufacturing Inc., Colville, Wash., talks about why you might want to consider using a stainless steel tube, aluminum fin coil rather than a galvanized steel coil for your next ammonia evaporator.
The advantages of replacing conventional pressurized refrigerants with an organic salt as the heat transfer fluid in a secondary loop heat transfer design are the focus of the article entitled " Please Pass the Salt." Secondary loop systems allow the high pressure refrigeration component -- for example, ammonia -- to be centralized and isolated, minimizing refrigerant charge. St. Paul, Minn.-based Camco Lubricants' Jim Fink says that given the significant regulatory barriers associated with high volume ammonia usage, the use of an organic salt for a secondary refrigerant is a cost-effective and safe enabler for use in secondary loop systems.
Have you noticed that your chiller has lost capacity? You may have oil entrained in the refrigerant. Mark Key of Redi Controls, Greenwood, Ind., explains how to purge your system and the cost savings that can be had by doing so.
Finally, if a portable chiller purchase is in your future, use our Cooling Capabilities Chart to help specify the one that is right for your process.
Our new home computer seems to be running well so far, though we are treating it with a little more TLC than its predecessor. If we do find that we need an equipment cooling solution in the future, thanks to PCE, I'll know where to start.
Sharon Spielman
Senior Editor
SpielmanS@bnp.com
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