Why Industrial Water Chiller Need Expansion Tank ?

In the production and sales process of industrial water chillers, expansion tank also called water tank or buffer tank or internal tank ,we often encounter the problem that customers need to install an expansion tank. So what is an expansion tank?

Expansion tank is widely used in the industrial water chiller. It stores cooling water, which is then cooled to a low temperature by a chiller refrigeration system. A pump then delivers the cooled water to the equipment requiring cooling, removing heat. The hot water then flows back to the expansion tank for further cooling, creating a continuous and stable cooling cycle. It is a key liquid storage and buffer device for achieving constant temperature, constant flow, and constant pressure cooling.

What the Function of Expansion Tank ?

Water Storage and Buffering: The expansion tank acts as a "reservoir" and "buffer" for chilled water, storing the chilled water in the system and buffering the flow between hot and cold water to stabilize water temperature and pressure.

Heat Exchange Medium: The chilled water is cooled by the chiller unit in the water tank, then pumped out to absorb heat from the equipment, and finally returns to the water tank to release heat, completing the heat transfer process.

System Balancing: The expansion tank's volume and design help the system cope with load changes, maintaining a constant supply water temperature and flow rate to ensure effective cooling.

System Makeup and Venting: In open systems (exposed to the atmosphere), the expansion tank also serves as a makeup water and venting unit, maintaining system water volume and preventing cavitation in the pump.

How Expansion Tank Work In Industrial Water Chiller System ?

Water Injection and Cooling: Water is injected into the chiller's expansion tank. The refrigeration system (evaporator) absorbs heat from the water, cooling it down.

Low-Temperature Water Delivery: A water pump delivers the low-temperature chilled water to the process equipment.

Heat Absorption: As the chilled water flows through the equipment, it absorbs the heat generated, causing its temperature to rise.

Heat Recirculation: The heated cooling water returns to the expansion tank, continuing its cooling cycle and completing the cooling cycle.

What the Negative effects for Expansion Tank?

Expansion tank is necessary for the industrial water chiller system , however, if the expansion tank is not properly used or maintained, they can have a number of negative effects, including:

Water contamination: If expansion tanks are not regularly cleaned and maintained, they may lead to a decline in water quality that will produce rust, sediment and microorganisms and affect the operation of the system and water quality.

Expansion tank leakage: If the sealing performance of the expansion tank is poor or damaged, water leakage may occur. It may result in unstable or reduced system pressure, which will affect the normal operation of the system.

System pressure out of control: If the expansion tank failure or fails to properly regulate the system pressure, it may lead to system pressure is too high or too low so as to affect the safety of the system equipment and operational stability.

Increase in energy consumption: If the expansion tank fails to effectively regulate the water pressure and water volume of the system, it may lead to frequent starting and stopping of the system pumps or reduce the operating efficiency, and increase the energy consumption of the system.

Therefore, to give fully play to the role of the expansion tank and avoid its possible negative impact, you need to regularly check and maintain the expansion tank to ensure that its sealing performance is good, the water quality is clean, and according to the actual situation of the system to adjust and manage the tank's operating parameters.

When selecting a chiller, consider whether it has its own expansion tank (built-in pump tank type) or can utilize an existing water tank (tankless type) to meet the needs of direct water supply or cooling of water in an existing tank. If you want to know more information about expansion tank for your industrial water chiller ,welcome inquiry our email :[email protected] .