Excessive heat generated during production processes in industry can be harmful to machinery, causing downtime and compromising the quality of end-products. Industries such as automotive, food and beverage, medical, pharmaceutical, chemical and petrochemical, plastics, printing, electronics, welding, manufacturing, and metalworking can benefit from industrial process cooling systems that help improve equipment and process performance, enhance operational efficiency and enable the more efficient production of high-quality end-products.

Atlas Copco's industrial process cooling systems, comprising a range of coolers and chillers and ancillary products, are specially engineered to eliminate heat by cooling water or a water-glycol mixture.

Atlas Copco Compressor Technique product manager: oil-free air division Pieter Du Plooy outlines the main difference between the company’s cooling and chiller product solutions. “The most effective way to distinguish between the two systems is that coolers are specifically suited for cooling compressors and other equipment that function between 30 °C and 50 °C while chillers are specifically engineered for customer processes that operate within a temperature range of -5 °C to 25 °C.”

The company’s industrial cooling chillers are classified into three distinct product groups, according to cooling capacity in kilowatts, namely: TCX4-90A (up to 90 kW), TCA 55 – 215 (up to 215 kW) and TCS 190 – 310 multiscroll chillers (up to 310 kW).

The air-cooled TCX and TCA chillers incorporate the in-house technology designed to deliver cooling efficiency, while the TCA has been specially developed to optimise energy savings. The TCA55-215 hybrid 'plug and play' chiller features a free-cooling section and patented adiabatic air - pre-cooling on the inlet.

Du Plooy emphasises that the TDV air-cooled units are particularly well-suited for applications where minimising water consumption is a top priority, noting: “By using ambient air to dissipate heat, they effectively eliminate the need for a cooling tower.”

Atlas Copco’s TDV industrial cooler incorporates closed-loop technology to reject heat from water-cooled compressors and industrial processes, allowing the unit to function as either an adiabatic or dry fluid cooler and is designed to ensure optimal temperature regulation to enhance compressor efficiency, longevity, and system reliability.

The industrial process chiller ranges all comply with the ‘Ecodesign Directive 2021’, aimed at ensuring top-tier energy-saving standards. The air-cooled units use less water and energy, helping to minimise environmental impact while still delivering precise temperature control and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

A range of ancillary products are also available for the industrial cooling systems and all units can include an onboard pump, while a tank can also be fitted onboard chiller units. The Atlas Copco TTV 300 - 4000 vertical inertial tanks are available to store heat transfer fluid that circulates in pressurised and atmospheric loops and the TPC 1A-2H series high efficiency pump skid range includes an integrated controller and features hydraulic centrifugal pumps for industrial applications.

“With all hydraulic and refrigerant circuits, condensers, compressors, fans, and advanced control systems included, our all-in-one installation simplifies the process with 'plug and play' connections, ensuring seamless installation and setup,” asserts Du Plooy. “Moreover, all of our units are delivered with all the hydro devices factory-fitted (air vents, fluid drains, shut-off valves, safety valves, etc).”