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Ultimate Guide to Chiller Fluids: Water, Glycol, Oil & More
Chiller fluid refers to the heat transfer medium used in chillers to absorb and remove waste heat. It can typically be recirculated. It affects the temperature range, heat exchange efficiency and service life of the chiller.
What are the common chiller liquids? What are their characteristics? You will find the answer after reading this article.
Common Types of Chiller Fluids
The following are some common chiller fluids.
Water
Water is the most common chiller fluid. It is cheap and can be found everywhere. However, we usually do not use untreated tap water as a chiller coolant. Because it may contain particulate matter and minerals, which can easily form scale after absorbing heat. This can clog pipes and even damage the chiller.
The chiller fluids you see in process chillers are generally reverse osmosis water (RO) and deionized water (DI). Most of the dissolved salts and impurities in reverse osmosis water have been removed. However, it still contains a small amount of ions, which may cause mild corrosion to some metals.
Deionized water is very pure and does not contain minerals. However, metal ions may be dissolved in metal pipes and components, and microorganisms may be generated in closed circulation systems. Therefore, both reverse osmosis water and deionized water need to be added with preservatives, antibacterial agents, etc. to stabilize the water quality.
Water will freeze below 0℃, which will damage the pipes. Therefore, chillers that use water as a chiller coolant are generally normal temperature chillers, and the temperature range is generally around 5℃ to 30℃.
Glycol
Glycol refers to a family of organic compounds commonly used as antifreeze when mixed with water. When mixed with water in a certain proportion, it can lower the freezing point of water and prevent pipes from freezing at low temperatures.
Within a certain concentration range (about 60%), the freezing point of the glycol-water mixture will decrease as the concentration increases.
| Volume Concentration | Freezing Point （Ethylene Glycol-Water Mixture ） | Freezing Point （Propylene Glycol-Water Mixture） |
| 10% | -3°C / 27°F | -2°C / 28°F |
| 20% | -8°C / 18°F | -7°C / 19°F |
| 30% | -15°C / 5°F | -12°C / 10°F |
| 40% | -24°C / -11°F | -20°C / -4°F |
| 50% | -37°C / -35°F | -32°C / -26°F |
| 60% | -52°C / -62°F | -48°C / -54°F |
The chiller liquids commonly used in chiller systems are ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. When mixed with water, they are what we often call antifreeze.
Ethylene glycol is toxic, and some scenarios that require chiller coolants to be non-toxic, such as food and medical treatment, cannot use it. However, you can use a propylene glycol-water mixture because it is only slightly toxic and is food grade.
The price of propylene glycol is higher than ethylene glycol, and the heat exchange efficiency is slightly lower. Glycol-water mixtures can support bacterial growth over time, so anticorrosives and antibacterial agents also need to be added.
As the concentration increases, the viscosity of the solution will also increase. In order not to affect the pumping capacity and heat transfer efficiency, it is not recommended to use glycol-water mixture at working temperatures below -40℃(-40℉).
oil
In some scenarios where it is not suitable to use water or glycol as a chiller fluid, oil is usually used instead. Thermal oil is generally divided into synthetic thermal oil and mineral thermal oil.
Synthetic thermal oil is synthesized from high-performance chemical raw materials and has strong stability. It is not easy to oxidize and volatilize at high temperatures, and still has good fluidity at low temperatures. It is often used in high-performance chillers.But the cost is also relatively high. Mineral thermal oil is slightly less stable than synthetic thermal oil at high temperatures. But its cost is lower.
Thermal oil is often used in high-performance chillers. It has a wide temperature range, and the operating temperature is -80℃~ +350℃(-112℉~ +662℉). It depends on the type of thermal oil and the design of the chiller system.
Dynalene HC-40
Dynalene HC-40 is a high-performance low-temperature chiller liquid developed by Dynalene. It uses a water-based mixed formula with added antifreeze, preservatives and stabilizers, which is very suitable for low-temperature industrial cooling applications from -40℃ to -90℃.
It is non-toxic and can maintain good fluidity and thermal conductivity at extremely low temperatures. It is usually used in industries such as aerospace and semiconductors that require high temperature control accuracy.
Conclusion
Common chiller liquids include water, glycol-water mixture and oil. The type of chiller liquid you use depends on your application.Whether you need a glycol chiller, oil chiller, or a chiller using other coolants, LNEYA can customize it for you according to your needs.
Contact LNEYA now to get professional temperature control solutions.
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