In this issue of Process Cooling, we bring you articles about optimizing cooling processes by capturing and reusing the heat you extract from the products you cool. Why and where would you want to use this heat? To preheat incoming process water, for one. Manufacturing processes are often highly interrelated productions rather than single steps, as you know, and while you may need to extract heat at one point, you likely need to add or at least manage heat at another point in the manufacturing cycle.

In “Solving the Waste Heat Recovery Conundrum,” Sam Gladis of Vilter, a business of Emerson Climate Technologies, explains how heat pump systems that use ammonia as the refrigerant can be incorporated into ammonia refrigeration systems to efficiently harvest waste heat. The technology is gaining ground in food and beverage plants, which must both consume electrical energy to remove heat from their refrigerated spaces and consume natural gas or other fossil fuels to heat the water used for facility and equipment sanitation and processing. As Gladis posits, if the rejected heat could be captured and used to provide water heating, substantive amounts of energy could be saved.

The effective operation of ammonia refrigeration systems is also the focus of an article by Luke Facemyer of Stellar. “The Importance of Relief Valves and Relief Valve Piping” looks at the processes and procedures that companies with ammonia refrigeration systems need to be aware of as they relate to safety issues. Facemyer includes a look at how to know if you need to update your relief system to comply with current codes.

Also in this issue, the engineering team at SPX Cooling Technologies looks at vibration-monitoring equipment that can be used with cooling towers for maintenance forecasting as well as to help prevent further damage to machinery and components. Monitoring devices range from simple switches to sophisticated surveillance systems.

This is just a sampling of the great articles we have in this issue. Also look for the first of a two-part series on enclosure cooling, an article on how to know whether analog temperature sensors need bypass capacitors, and tips for selecting a corrosion-resistant heat exchanger to cool sulfuric acid.

Linda Becker, Associate Publisher and Editor, 
BeckerL@bnpmedia.com