Industrial Chiller Maintenance Secrets: The Key to Extending Service Life

The service life of an industrial chiller is closely related to daily maintenance and upkeep. Scientific maintenance can not only reduce the probability of faults but also maintain the equipment's efficient operation state and extend its service life by 3-5 years. Below, we share practical maintenance secrets from three dimensions: daily maintenance, regular maintenance, and key component care, to help enterprises reduce equipment operation and maintenance costs.

Daily maintenance is the foundation and should be carried out once before starting the equipment and once after shutting it down every day. Before starting, first check whether the equipment appearance is damaged and whether the pipeline interfaces are leaking; check the oil level in the oil tank to ensure that the oil level is between the scale lines of the oil gauge and the oil is clear and free of impurities. If the oil color turns black or flocculent substances appear, replace the refrigerating oil in a timely manner. After starting, record the equipment operation parameters: such as compressor current, evaporation temperature, condensation temperature, and the inlet and outlet temperatures of cooling water and chilled water. Compare these with the equipment's rated parameters; if there are abnormal fluctuations, check the causes in a timely manner. After shutting down, clean the dust on the equipment surface. For air-cooled chillers, wipe the floating dust on the surface of the condenser fins; for water-cooled chillers, close the cooling water and chilled water valves to prevent water in the pipelines from freezing and cracking in a low-temperature environment.

Regular maintenance should be carried out on a periodic basis, including monthly, quarterly, and annual maintenance. Monthly maintenance focuses on checking seals and fastenings: check the sealing gaskets of all pipeline valves, and replace them in a timely manner if they are aged or leaking; tighten the anchor bolts of motors such as compressors, water pumps, and fans to prevent bolt loosening due to vibration during equipment operation. Quarterly maintenance focuses on cleaning the heat exchange system: for air-cooled chillers, thoroughly clean the condenser, and use compressed air (pressure ≤ 0.6MPa) to blow from the inside of the fins to the outside to remove deep-seated dust; for water-cooled chillers, in addition to cleaning the condenser, check the cooling tower, clean the dirt and algae on the filler inside the tower, add or replace the worn filler, and add water quality stabilizers at the same time to prevent scaling and corrosion of the pipelines. Annual maintenance is a comprehensive in-depth maintenance: disassemble and check the internal components of the compressor, measure the motor insulation resistance (which should be ≥ 2MΩ), and replace the aged motor bearings; check the expansion valve, clean the impurities in the valve core, and adjust the opening to the optimal state; conduct a comprehensive inspection of the equipment's electrical system, replace the aged wires, contactors, and sensors to ensure electrical safety.

The care of key components is the core of extending the service life. The compressor, as the "heart" of the chiller, requires focused attention: avoid frequent start-stop of the compressor, and the interval between each start and stop should be at least 3 minutes to prevent motor overload; replace the compressor's refrigerating oil regularly - replace it every 6,000 hours of operation for screw compressors and every 8,000 hours for scroll compressors, and clean the oil filter at the same time when replacing. The evaporator and condenser, as the core of heat exchange, should be protected from scaling and blockage: in addition to regular cleaning, water-cooled chillers need to control the quality of cooling water, keeping the pH value between 7-9 and the hardness ≤ 200mg/L; if the equipment is out of service for a long time, drain the water in the evaporator and condenser, and inject nitrogen (pressure 0.2MPa) for protection to prevent rust on the inner wall.

In addition, during the maintenance process, it is necessary to establish an "equipment maintenance ledger" to record the time, content, replaced components, and changes in operation parameters of each maintenance. By tracking the equipment status through data, potential faults can be predicted in advance. Following the above maintenance secrets can keep the industrial chiller in a good operating state at all times, which not only extends the service life but also maintains efficient and energy-saving performance, providing guarantee for the long-term stable production of enterprises.