Common faults of industrial chillers

Malfunctions are inevitable when using industrial chillers. Today, we will summarize the top ten malfunctions that occur during the use of chillers.

Fault 1: High voltage alarm during use
Common reasons for high pressure alarms in chillers:
If the cooling water flow rate of the chiller is too small or the temperature is too high, it cannot carry away the condensation heat of the compressor.
2. Excessive refrigerant charge in the chiller causes liquid to occupy the effective condensation area, resulting in an increase in condensation pressure.
3. The condenser in the chiller has been in use for too long without regular inspection, resulting in severe fouling of the heat transfer surface and excessive internal substances in the condenser, while the condensation pressure increases. So it is necessary to regularly inspect and clean the inside of the chiller to avoid malfunctions.

Fault 2: Low voltage alarm during use
Common reasons for low pressure alarms in chillers:
1. The internal system of the chiller lacks refrigerant.
2. The filter inside the chiller is clogged due to irregular inspection.
3. The air volume of the chiller fan is insufficient.
4. Failure to regularly inspect the condenser in the chiller resulted in frosting.
5. The expansion valve was too small when purchasing a chiller.
6. Failure to regularly inspect the capillary tube and expansion valve in the chiller resulted in blockage.

Fault 3: Oil pressure alarm occurs during use
Common causes of oil pressure alarm in chillers:
1. The interior of the chiller has not been inspected and cleaned, resulting in dirty oil, clogged oil pump filters, etc.
2. Insufficient refrigerant oil added to the chiller resulted in insufficient oil level in the compressor case, causing the pump to be unable to absorb the oil.
3. The chiller oil pump has malfunctioned.

Fault 4: The compressor experiences thermal protection during use
Common reasons for compressor thermal protection in chillers:
During the use of the chiller, there may be a phase loss in the power supply voltage, motor overload, and abnormal power supply pressure.
2. Insufficient return air volume in the chiller system and insufficient cooling of the motor.
3. The motor temperature of the chiller is too high during use.

Fault 5: Poor performance of the chiller during use
Common reasons for poor performance of chillers
1. Failure to regularly inspect the chiller resulted in internal blockages, unopened valves, and malfunctioning solenoid valves.
2. The compressor in the chiller has malfunctioned.
3. The chiller did not add enough refrigerant.
4. When starting up, the expansion valve should be opened too large or too small.

Fault 6: Exhaust alarm of chiller during use
Common causes of exhaust alarm in chillers
When using a chiller, the cooling water volume is insufficient or the water temperature is too high.
2. Excessive condensation pressure and temperature occur in the chiller, leading to an increase in exhaust temperature.
3. The suction pressure of the chiller is too high or too low.
4. There is an excessive amount of non condensable gas in the chiller system.

Fault 7: Severe frosting on the evaporator when using the chiller
Common causes of evaporator frosting in chillers
1. The evaporator has sufficient air flow, resulting in poor heat transfer efficiency.
2. Excessive refrigerant on the evaporator surface leads to poor heat transfer efficiency.
During the use of the chiller, the operating temperature is too low and too high, resulting in severe frosting.
4. The evaporator is not regularly inspected or checked, and there are too many impurities inside, which affects heat transfer and leads to frosting.

Fault 8: Abnormal oil return in the chiller
Common reasons for abnormal oil return during the use of chillers
1. The exhaust temperature of the chiller is too high, resulting in a decrease in oil separation efficiency.
2. There are many impurities in the filter of the chiller, and the return oil pipeline is blocked.
3. The oil separator in the chiller has been used for too long, resulting in a decrease in efficiency.
4. The chiller lacks a return oil bend pipe, resulting in oil being stored in the evaporator or other pipelines.

Fault 9: The chiller has a compressor suction temperature that is too high
Common reasons for compressor suction temperature being too high during the use of chillers
1. The refrigerant in the chiller has overheated or is insufficient in the evaporator.
2. The pipeline of the chiller is blocked.
3. The chiller has a throttle mechanism malfunction.

Fault 10: How to accurately determine the refrigerant injection amount of the chiller
How to determine the injection amount in a chiller
If we want to accurately determine the refrigerant injection amount, we still need to use the most accurate weighing method (you can also use a sight glass, current, pressure gauge). We can inject refrigerant according to the nameplate on the chiller at the time of purchase.