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5 Reasons Why Your Chiller Keeps Tripping
Is your chiller constantly tripping during operation? You’re not alone. Frequent tripping not only disrupts your process and damages experiments, but it can also harm the equipment itself. In this article, we’ll break down the 5 most common reasons why chillers trip and what you can do about them.
Related：chiller troubleshooting
Tips
Chiller tripping is not a fault, but a way to protect the equipment. Chillers with self-monitoring and safety device functions will protect themselves by tripping when they detect abnormal equipment operation. Repeated tripping puts strain on internal components and can eventually lead to critical failures or safety hazards. Therefore, when your equipment trips frequently, it is time to consider repairing it.
Power supply
One of the most common reasons for chiller tripping is abnormal power supply. Most chillers require three-phase AC voltage. If the voltage is too high or too low, it will trigger overvoltage or undervoltage protection.
When one phase of the three-phase power supply is disconnected or the wiring sequence is wrong, the compressor and fan cannot work properly, which will trigger the under-phase or reverse-phase protection and cause tripping. The current at the moment of chiller startup is large, which may reach 5 to 8 times the rated current. If the power supply is unstable or the line design is improper, it will also cause tripping.
Check if your power supply matches the chiller’s voltage and phase requirements, and inspect connections for looseness or short circuits. If the voltage is unstable, you need to install a voltage stabilizer.
Compressor overload
When the compressor is overloaded, the high temperature and high pressure will trigger the thermal protector and trip. Common causes and solutions for overload include the following:
Condenser is dirty
Dust and stains on the surface of the condenser will affect heat exchange, causing poor heat dissipation of the gaseous refrigerant, resulting in increased high pressure in the cooling system and increased compressor load. You should regularly clean the stains on the surface of the condenser to maintain good heat dissipation.
Ambient temperature is too high
Poor ventilation or high ambient temperatures, especially in air-cooled chillers, can lower heat dissipation efficiency. high, the cooling efficiency will decrease. This situation is prone to occur in air-cooled chillers. You should check whether the fan and motor are operating normally. Auxiliary exhaust needs to be installed if necessary.
Circulation system is blocked
If the refrigerant is blocked in the condenser, expansion valve, dry filter, etc., the condensing pressure will increase, the pressure at the exhaust end of the compressor will increase, and the chiller will easily overload and trip. You should regularly clean the evaporator and dryer and replace the dry filter.
Insufficient lubricating oil or poor oil return
When the lubricating oil in the compressor is insufficient, mechanical friction will be aggravated, resulting in heating and tripping. It is necessary to replenish lubricating oil and check the oil return regularly.
Insufficient chilled water flow
Many chillers rely on coolant to control the cooling temperature. If the coolant circulation is not smooth, the system will judge it as lack of flow, thus triggering the protection mechanism and causing tripping. This is often caused by clogged pipes, coolant freezing inside the system, or malfunctioning flow switches that falsely trigger alarms.
You need to adjust the formula of coolant so that its freezing point and boiling point meet the operating temperature range of the chiller to prevent coolant from freezing in the pipe. And regularly replenish coolant and clean the pipe. Some mechanical flow switches are prone to misjudgment. Choosing a reliable electronic flow monitoring device can help you reduce a lot of troubles.
Temperature control system failure
Most chillers use PID intelligent temperature control system and multiple groups of PT100 sensors to control the cooling process. Sensor damage or incorrect parameter setting causes abnormal compressor status and tripping. The correct approach is to check the status of the temperature sensor regularly to ensure normal use. Set a suitable start-stop temperature difference to prevent the compressor from starting and stopping frequently.
Improper human operation
Many tripping problems are caused by improper operation. Forced restart before the compressor is depressurized will cause high-pressure startup failure. Operators should always follow the on-off operation specifications to ensure that the startup interval is not less than 3 minutes. Setting the temperature beyond the operating temperature range of the chiller will also cause tripping. Some users will add a large amount of refrigerant, but excessive refrigerant will cause high pressure or poor refrigeration in the system.
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If you are planning to purchase an industrial chiller, contact our chiller experts. We have a complete temperature control solution, from standard temperature zone to ultra-low temperature customization, to meet your high-precision needs under different working conditions.
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