Intelligent water cooling machine

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of intelligent water cooling machine, comprising: main circulation system, the main circulation system includes frequency conversion compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporator that pipeline is connected in turn, the evaporator is further connected with the frequency conversion compressor and forms main circulation loop after;Sub-circulation system, the sub-circulation system includes water tank, frequency conversion water pump, electrochemical processor and the evaporator that pipeline is connected in turn, the evaporator outlet is connected with heating work unit.The utility model is to the improvement type intelligent water cooling machine of traditional water cooling machine high energy consumption, scaling serious, temperature control lag and maintenance complex and other problems.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of water-cooling equipment technology and is applicable to scenarios such as industrial cooling, commercial air conditioning, and data center heat dissipation. Background Technology

[0002] The general structure of a chiller in industrial or commercial applications can be summarized by four core components: a compressor, a condenser, a throttling valve, and an evaporator. The core principle of a chiller unit is the refrigeration cycle, which continuously provides chilled water through the changes in the refrigerant's state (evaporation absorbs heat, condensation releases heat). The compressor is the power source of the entire refrigeration cycle. It draws in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas from the evaporator, compresses it, and transforms it into a high-temperature, high-pressure gas, creating conditions for the refrigerant to release heat in the condenser. The condenser cools and condenses the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas from the compressor into a liquid. During this process, the refrigerant releases the heat absorbed from the system load and the heat generated by the compressor's work to the cooling medium. The throttling valve, located between the condenser and evaporator, reduces the pressure of the high-pressure, room-temperature refrigerant liquid flowing from the condenser, making it a low-temperature, low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase mixture, preparing it for boiling and heat absorption in the evaporator. After being throttled, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant flows within the evaporator pipes, absorbing heat from the chilled water (or "cold water") flowing from the other side, boiling and vaporizing into a gas. Simultaneously, the chilled water is cooled, thus achieving the purpose of refrigeration.

[0003] However, existing water chillers have the following prominent drawbacks in long-term use:

[0004] 1. Energy waste: Most existing water chillers use a single-cycle system, with the flow rate of the cooling medium (such as water) and the power of the compressor being fixed or simply adjusted according to the temperature difference. When the load (such as the heat generated by the equipment) fluctuates little, the phenomenon of "overpowering a small load" easily occurs, resulting in redundant energy consumption.

[0005] 2. Scaling and corrosion: During circulation, the cooling medium is prone to precipitating calcium and magnesium ions due to temperature changes, forming scale that adheres to the evaporator surface, leading to a decrease in heat exchange efficiency. Furthermore, traditional periodic acid washing maintenance can easily corrode the equipment.

[0006] 3. Complex maintenance: Scaling, leakage and other faults require shutdown for inspection and repair, rely on manual identification of fault points, and have high maintenance costs.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an improved water chiller. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a smart water chiller that is low in energy consumption, anti-scaling, and has precise temperature control, and solves the core pain points of traditional water chillers through dual-cycle coordinated regulation.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a water chiller, comprising: a main circulation system, the main circulation system including a variable frequency compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator connected in series by pipes, the evaporator being further connected to the variable frequency compressor to form a main circulation loop; and a secondary circulation system, the secondary circulation system including a water tank, a variable frequency water pump, an electrochemical processor and the evaporator connected in series by pipes, the outlet of the evaporator being connected to a heating working unit.

[0010] Furthermore, an ultrasonic sensor is connected to the evaporator, and the ultrasonic sensor is connected to the electrochemical processor via an electrical signal.

[0011] Furthermore, the variable frequency compressor is a variable frequency screw compressor.

[0012] Furthermore, the condenser is a shell-and-tube condenser.

[0013] Furthermore, the expansion valve is an electronic expansion valve.

[0014] Furthermore, the intelligent water chiller also includes an intelligent control system, which uses a PLC+HMI interface to realize human-machine interaction and automatic program control. The automatic program control process has built-in optimization algorithms that can automatically plan and adjust curve setpoints based on accumulated climate and cooling demand data, and provides an OTA interface to upgrade the algorithm and achieve energy-saving program control operation.

[0015] This utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. It adopts a main-secondary dual-circulation heat dissipation system, which dynamically switches the circulation mode according to the load to achieve low-power operation under light load;

[0017] 2. Integrated electrochemical anti-scaling module and real-time scaling monitoring replace traditional acid washing, extending the life of heat exchangers.

[0018] This utility model is an improved intelligent water chiller that addresses the problems of high energy consumption, severe scaling, delayed temperature control, and complex maintenance of traditional water chillers. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments or technical solutions of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, wherein:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a plan view of the water chiller of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0022] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0023] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have the same meaning as in the context of the prior art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless specifically defined.

[0024] See Figure 1 The water chiller of this invention includes a variable frequency compressor 1, a condenser 2, an expansion valve 3, and an evaporator 4 connected in series via pipes. The evaporator 4 is further connected to the variable frequency compressor 1 via pipes to form a main circulation loop. The water chiller also includes a water tank 7, a variable frequency water pump 8, an electrochemical processor 9, and the evaporator 4 connected in series via pipes, forming a secondary circulation loop system. The outlet of the evaporator 4 is connected to the heating unit 6.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, an ultrasonic sensor 5 is connected to the evaporator 4, and the ultrasonic sensor 5 is electrically connected to the electrochemical processor 9. The ultrasonic sensor 5 monitors the scale thickness in real time, and when it exceeds the standard, it transmits a signal to the electrochemical processor 9, which then generates trace amounts of hydroxyl radicals through low-pressure electrolysis to inhibit calcium and magnesium ion crystallization and remove the scale.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the variable frequency compressor 1 is a variable frequency screw compressor.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the condenser 2 is a shell-and-tube condenser.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the expansion valve 3 is an electronic expansion valve.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the intelligent water chiller also includes an intelligent control system, which uses a PLC+HMI interface to realize human-machine interaction and automatic program control.

[0030] The following describes the specific operating scenario of this invention. Taking an electric-driven centrifugal compressor unit for underground gas storage as an example, both gas extraction and injection require variable frequency speed control, and the total power of the working unit is as high as 25MW. Winter is mainly the gas supply season, and the compressor operates in gas supply mode. The heating season generally lasts for 4 months (October of the current year to February of the following year), and the compressor operates in gas injection mode for the rest of the time. Therefore, every year, and even for up to 20 years, the electric-driven centrifugal compressor unit for underground natural gas storage operates under multiple operating parameters. This invention is an intelligent water chiller that serves as an auxiliary cooling system for the main equipment in the plant (the electric-driven natural gas centrifugal compressor unit, i.e., the working unit). The intelligent water chiller produces qualified cooling water and delivers it to the gearbox, motor, frequency converter, process cooler, and other water-requiring system components of the electric-driven natural gas centrifugal compressor unit. (The general requirement for circulating cooling water in the electric-driven centrifugal compressor unit of the underground natural gas storage facility is typically 33°C.) It is responsible for producing circulating cooling water to meet the qualified cooling water supply needs of the electric-driven centrifugal compressor unit under any operating condition at the plant for one year or even 20 years.

[0031] Operating Condition 1: Requires Strong Cooling in Summer. The ambient temperature at underground natural gas storage facilities fluctuates greatly (average summer temperature is typically 45℃ / average winter temperature is typically -25℃). If a simple water-to-air heat exchanger / radiator is used, a temperature difference of at least 5℃ (5K) with the ambient temperature is required for proper heat dissipation. Therefore, conventional methods cannot reduce the cooling water temperature to 33℃ in hot summer conditions. Designed with a 5K temperature difference, the water-to-air heat exchanger / radiator can only reduce the circulating water temperature to a maximum of 50℃, which is clearly insufficient to meet the 33℃ outlet water temperature requirement. For seasonal climate changes (mainly summer), we use a variable frequency compressor, condenser, and expansion valve to form the main circulation system, providing strong cooling. Through intelligent scheduling by the intelligent control system, the system outlet water temperature is adjusted and controlled to produce cooling water that meets the requirements of large centrifugal electric-driven natural gas compressor units.

[0032] Operating Condition 2: The daily production process requires peak-valley regulation of production load during both day and night. This is mainly manifested in light load phases; low-load production and high-load phases at night; and continuous production during the day. The primary reason is the cyclical variation in daily gas consumption, with higher gas consumption during the day and almost no gas consumption at night. Therefore, the intelligent control system of the smart chiller is needed to coordinate the water supply and temperature of the entire system. In this case, the water supply to the working unit adopts a secondary circulation mechanism (process), which can achieve energy saving, consumption reduction, and low-cost operation.

[0033] In this embodiment, the main circulation system (forced cooling) consists of a variable frequency screw compressor (assuming a cooling capacity of 1200kW, designed with a 5K temperature difference, specifically determined by the circulating water volume, inlet water temperature, and the highest summer temperature), a shell-and-tube condenser, an electronic expansion valve, and an evaporator. The main circulation system rapidly removes high-temperature heat through refrigerant circulation (such as R134a), maintaining the outlet water temperature of the intelligent water chiller at ≤33℃ (a general requirement for industrial circulating water temperature).

[0034] The secondary circulation system (weak cooling) consists of an air-cooled chiller (assuming a cooling capacity of 500kW), a closed-loop piping system, a buffer tank, a variable frequency water pump, an evaporator, an electrochemical processor (shared with the anti-scaling system), and an ultrasonic sensor (shared with the anti-scaling system). The secondary circulation system primarily uses air cooling to achieve low-energy operation and meets the 33°C industrial circulating cooling water supply requirements during the relatively low ambient temperatures of spring, autumn, and winter.

[0035] In addition to the main circulation system and the auxiliary circulation system, the intelligent chiller also has a common subsystem—the intelligent chiller intelligent control system (not shown in the figure). This subsystem consists of a temperature sensor (±0.5℃ accuracy) and a cooling water flow meter. It uses a PLC+HMI interface to realize human-machine interaction and automatic program control. The PLC presets temperature thresholds and energy consumption optimization algorithms. The intelligent control system monitors the ambient temperature, inlet water temperature, and outlet water setpoint (determined by process requirements) in real time, and compares the switching conditions of the main and auxiliary circulation systems based on the maximum heat exchanger capacity and the maximum allowable duration of water temperature exceedance.

[0036] Workflow and switching logic under high load / summer conditions:

[0037] When the algorithm detects the outlet water temperature in real time via sensors and monitors the ambient temperature, based on the AND gate logic of the chiller outlet water temperature and air temperature (switching occurs when the outlet water temperature is ≥ the threshold and the air temperature is ≥ 30℃), after 3 minutes, the PLC will cut off the secondary circulation and automatically start the main circulation system within 120 seconds, increasing the frequency of the inverter compressor to 60Hz, running the cooling tower fan at full speed, and increasing the flow rate to the maximum flow rate of 75m³ / h. 3 / h, the main circulation system will adjust the outlet water temperature of the intelligent chiller to 33℃ in a short time through refrigerant circulation (such as R134a). The stable control of water temperature is achieved by PLC-optimized PI regulation. There may be a short-term over-adjustment phenomenon during the entire PI regulation process, but it can ensure that the entire process system can withstand water temperature fluctuations.

[0038] Workflow and switching logic for light-load / spring, autumn, and winter operating conditions:

[0039] When the algorithm detects the outlet water temperature in real time via sensors and monitors the ambient temperature, based on the AND gate logic of the chiller outlet water temperature and air temperature (switching occurs when the outlet water temperature is ≥ the threshold and the air temperature is < 30℃), after 3 minutes, the PLC will cut off the main circulation and automatically start the secondary circulation system within 80 seconds, reducing the frequency of the variable frequency water pump to 30Hz and the flow rate to 45m³ / h. 3 / h. The chiller outlet water temperature is consistently maintained at around 33℃ through PI regulation. While there may be brief over-adjustment during the PI regulation process, the entire system can withstand water temperature fluctuations. Under light load conditions, the water flow velocity is much lower than under high load conditions, making it prone to scaling. Therefore, an electrochemical anti-scaling system is periodically activated (pulse treatment every 24 hours) to enhance the descaling effect.

[0040] Intelligent anti-scaling system to replace traditional acid washing methods:

[0041] The anti-scaling system is a subsystem shared by the main circulation and auxiliary circulation systems. This system uses an electrochemical processor and an ultrasonic sensor to replace the traditional acid washing method to achieve the anti-scaling function. When the ultrasonic sensor detects that the scale thickness exceeds a certain value (automatic trigger condition: scale thickness > 2 mm or running time > 500 hours) and after a delay, the electrochemical processor is activated. The electrochemical processor electrolyzes to generate trace amounts of hydroxyl radicals, which destroy the precipitation of calcium and magnesium ions.

[0042] This invention has the following advantages: 1. It adopts a main-auxiliary dual-circulation heat dissipation system, dynamically switching the circulation mode according to the load to achieve low-energy-consumption operation under light load; 2. It integrates an electrochemical anti-scaling module and real-time scaling monitoring, replacing traditional acid washing and extending the life of the heat exchanger. This invention is an improved intelligent water chiller that addresses the problems of high energy consumption, severe scaling, delayed temperature control, and complex maintenance of traditional water chillers.

[0043] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model.

Claims

1. An intelligent water chiller, characterized in that: include: The main circulation system includes a variable frequency compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator connected in series by pipes. The evaporator is further connected to the variable frequency compressor to form the main circulation loop. The secondary circulation system includes a water tank, a variable frequency water pump, an electrochemical processor, and an evaporator connected in series by pipes, with the evaporator outlet connected to the heating working unit.

2. The intelligent water chiller according to claim 1, characterized in that: An ultrasonic sensor is connected to the evaporator, and the ultrasonic sensor is connected to the electrochemical processor via an electrical signal.

3. The intelligent water chiller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The variable frequency compressor is a variable frequency screw compressor.

4. The intelligent water chiller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The condenser is a shell-and-tube condenser.

5. The intelligent water chiller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The expansion valve is an electronic expansion valve.

6. The intelligent water chiller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intelligent water chiller also includes an intelligent control system, which uses a PLC+HMI interface to realize human-machine interaction and automatic program control. The automatic program control process has built-in optimization algorithms that can automatically plan and adjust curve setpoints based on accumulated climate and cooling demand data, and provides an OTA interface to upgrade the algorithm and achieve energy-saving program control operation.

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