Cooling systems help stabilize temperatures across several industries including manufacturing, data centers, automotive, and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems. If temperatures are too high, they can damage systems, lower operational efficiency, and create safety risks. Cooling systems use heat exchangers, which are the main parts of the system, to transfer unwanted heat from one medium to another which allows the system to achieve its cooling objectives. LIATEM, a thermal management solutions professional, designs and makes high-quality heat exchangers suited to various cooling systems. For facility managers, engineers, and companies, knowing the cooling system’s heat exchanger function can enhance cooling efficiency, minimize system energy use, and prolong gear lifespan. This post highlights the principal roles of a heat exchanger within cooling systems and its practical worth in various application areas.
Achieving efficient heat transfer between two or more bodies with varying temperatures is the principal function of a heat exchanger within cooling systems.
Every cooling system has something that needs cooling and something that absorbs the heat. Coolant for heat-generating devices, engine oil, and indoor hot air are the “hot mediums” that need cooling, while cooling water, refrigerant, and outdoor cold air are the “cold mediums” that soak up the heat. A heat exchanger employs metal plates, tubes, or fins as dedicated contact surfaces and lets the hot and cold mediums transfer heat without direct mixing. Take the cooling system for the data center. Here, the heat exchanger transferring heat from the server’s cooling liquid to the circulating cooling water. The liquid returns to the server to absorb heat, and the liquid cooling cycle continuously flows. LIATEM’s heat exchanger adopts optimal structural designs, including heat transfer fins enhancement and turbulent flow channel designs, which extend the heat transfer range. These designs reduce the required heat transfer substantially, allowing the cooling system to quickly mitigate the hot medium’s temperature to the desired range. The heat exchanger’s ability to transfer heat efficiently makes it most important component in cooling systems.
In certain systems, for example, the refrigerant in a HVAC system is toxic and flammable, and an automotive cooling system has engine coolant that contains corrosion in inhibitors; the hot and cold medium must be separated.
A heat exchanger separates different media while transferring heat to maintain system safety and media purity. The design of heat exchangers like sealed tube bundles and plate gaps puts a physical barrier between the hot and cold exchanges. They flow through separate pathways, and only heat is exchanged through the walls without any mixing. The separation stops cross-contamination. For example, in a chemical plant, a heat exchanger cold coolant system prevents the heat exchanger from blending corrosive coolant with the public water to avoid corrosion and pollution. LIATEM uses highly sealed materials to avoid the mixing of media. Materials like EPDM gaskets and welded tube joints maintain separation, even at high temperatures and pressures. The separation of media is necessary to ensure the reliability and safety of the cooling systems.
A cooling system requires a heat exchanger to maintain system energy efficiency, as it optimizes heat transfer. In liquid cooling, a pump is used to circulate water, and a fan is used to circulate air, both of which are a large energy expense.
The use of advanced heat technology minimizes energy usage while maximizing heat transfer. LIATEM’s plate heat exchangers offer 30% to 50% better heat transfer coefficients. In the same cooling applications, the high efficiency heat exchangers use lower flow rates of cold mediums, such as water, refrigerants, and even ice. This lower usage of cold mediums translates to lower energy usage of water pumps, ice maker compressors, and refrigerant compressors. Other heat exchangers and recuperative heat exchangers also cool and recuperate heat. In the factory cooling system, heat exchangers cooled and recuperated heat from indoor exhaust air, pre-heating the fresh air to reduce the air conditioning load. This transfer of cooling system heat improves system efficiencies, lowers energy costs, and meets energy savings target and goals to comply with lower carbon developments.
The difference and uniqueness of every scenario and industry calls for different cooling system requirements. These may include different refrigerating temperatures (between 20 degrees below and 300 degrees) types of mediums (liquid, gas, and solid) and other climatic conditions (high humidity, and high corrosion) where the heat exchangers will be used.
LIATEM offers different heat exchangers to fit multiple cooling needs. The shell-and-tube heat exchangers work for high-temp high pressure cooling systems, like cooling steam in a power plant and plate heat exchangers suit low-temp liquid-liquid cooling (e.g. food and beverage processing). Finned tube heat exchangers are made for gas-liquid heat exchange like automotive radiators. For corrosive situations like marine cooling systems, LIATEM’s heat exchangers are made with longer-lasting corrosion-resistant materials like titanium alloys and Hastelloy. LIATEM’s adaptability for heat exchangers means they are used in almost all cooling systems. The scope ranges from small household air conditioners to large industrial cooling towers. This makes heat exchangers versatile components in making thermal management more efficient.
A heat exchanger stabilizes the operation of cooling systems to protect the equipment from damage. Sudden changes in heat load, like an increase in server heat generation in data centers or changes in engine speed in automotive cooling systems, cause instability in the cooling systems. This results in temperature fluctuations and damage to the equipment. A heat exchanger stabilizes the cooling systems by manipulating the heat transfer capacity of the system in response to changes in the heat load.
Several models of heat exchangers, like LIATEM's adjustable plate heat exchanger, have flow control valves or variable-speed fans installed. As heat loads gets higher, they heat exchanger increase flow rate of the cold liquid or add air supply to the exchanger to assist heat transfer. Conversely, if heat loads decreases, the exchanger flow rate of cold liquid is reduced to prevent over-cooling to save energy. Moreover, the heat exchanger's buffer effect stops the cold liquid from directly reaching the heat generating parts of the equipment, hence reducing the negative impact of radical temperature changes. Like in a battery cooling systems of new energy vehicles, contemporarily designed heat exchangers slowly battery temperature to avoid adversely rapid battery cell temperature changes. This heat exchanger stabilizing function protects heat generating equipment, if cooling systems are operative stagnant within a safe temperature range, the equipment's service life is greatly enhanced.
As the importance of protecting the environment grows, so too does the demanded reduction to environmental impacts of cooling system. Heat exchangers contribute to green cooling in many ways.
To begin with, a high-efficiency heat exchanger cuts down energy use which, in turn, cuts down the carbon emissions that come from power generation. For instance, a LIATEM high-efficiency heat exchanger helps a data center reduce its carbon emissions every year by 15-25%, compared to older, traditional systems. Secondly, evaporative heat exchangers can use air or water as a cold medium, thereby not needing the use of ozone layer damaging refrigerants such as CFC. Third, a heat exchanger’s own heat recovery functionality allows it to use waste heat for heating processes, which further lessens the demand for other energy sources, while also alleviating the waste heat that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. LIATEM’s heat exchangers also use eco-friendly production materials, like lead-free coatings and other recyclable metals, as a contribution to environmental protection. Reducing environmental harm, a heat exchanger gives cooling systems the greatly desired green operational capabilities, and it meets the eco-friendly regulations of many governments and industries.
EN
Hot News