Process Cooling

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1.Overview 2.Benefits 3. Experience 4.Unparallel Project

Process Cooling with ice thermal storage is the most cost-effective, reliable system approach for cooling a wide variety of applications. Ice thermal storage systems solve many cooling difficulties because of the constant 34°F (1°C) supply water available. Baltimore Aircoil Company has extensive global experience in satisfying the cooling and heat rejection equipment needs for process systems.

Q: Why Ice Thermal Storage for Process Cooling Projects
A: Because only ice can provide a system that yields:

1. Reduced chiller size. Variable capacity that provides quicker pulldown and less compressor wear

2. Constant low temperature supply

3. Less connected kW and smaller electrical equipment

4. Reduced energy costs by providing flexibility in when energy is used
5. Reduced maintenance by using smaller equipment with flexibility in service schedules

Reduced Chiller Size

By designing a process cooling system with ice storage, the size of the chillers and cooling towers or air-cooled condensers required are significantly reduced. The chiller no longer needs to be sized for the peak load but now can be sized for the average load with the ice storage handling the peak cooling requirements. The savings that result from the use of smaller chillers and heat rejection equipment and less connected horsepower offset the cost of the ice thermal storage equipment.

Variable Capacity

The ice thermal storage system will deliver most system load variations. The flow and entering water temperature set the instantaneous capacity. The ice thermal storage system will maintain a constant supply temperature regardless of the variations in instantaneous cooling demand.

Temperature Pulldown

Many processes have high pulldown loads at the start of the cooling requirement. Ice storage is an excellent solution to handling these loads quickly and without increasing chiller size. At the beginning of the pulldown period when the instantaneous load is high, the ice thermal storage system will compensate for the increased load since it has the cooling stored and ready to use and will attempt to deliver the full cooling requirement. By controlling the water flow and temperatures entering and leaving the ice thermal storage unit, the rate of cooling can be controlled.

Easier on Chiller

Since ice thermal storage systems are sized to operate primarily at full capacity, compressor wear from capacity adjustments (compressors cycling on and off) is minimized, providing maintenance savings over the life of the compressor.

Constant Low Temperature Supply

The ice thermal storage system can provide a constant 34°F (1°C) supply water to a process. The cold water can reduce the cooling time for many processes and allow increased production.

Less Connected kW

Since the compressor in an ice thermal storage system is often sized for the average load, not the peak load, it is smaller than the compressor for a traditional system. The smaller compressor horsepower means lower connected kW, which results in smaller transformers, switchgear, wire sizes and starter panels. If a facility uses a generator for daily or back-up power, the size of the generator will be significantly reduced when the peak electrical load of the facility is reduced using ice thermal storage.

Reduced Energy Cost

With less connected horsepower, ice storage can lower peak electrical demand for the process system by 50% or more. Since most electrical rates include demand times and/or higher day versus night kWh charges, savings on electrical bills can be substantial. Peak electrical demand rates of $15 to $18 per kW are not uncommon. In areas with “real time pricing”, where the electric rate varies hour-by-hour based on the market price of electricity, day-to-night kWh costs can vary by 500 to 1,000%. The use of electricity at night versus peak daytime hours can lead to large savings on energy bills.

No Real Energy Penalty

Although making ice requires more energy than producing chilled water, the efficiency penalty is not too large since the ice is made at night when condensing temperatures are lower. Because energy rates are lowest at night, the cost of building ice to produce cooling is less expensive than producing chilled water during the day. In addition, ice storage systems typically operate the chiller at full load which is very efficient. A process with a load that varies will have significant operating time with the chiller at reduced capacity and efficiency. Ice thermal storage can reduce the process cooling time frame resulting in additional kWh savings. As the electric industry continues to deregulate, and time-of-use rates, real-time pricing schedules and negotiated power process become standard, ice storage can provide even greater future savings in operating costs.

Reduced Maintenance

The ice thermal storage coils have no moving parts so very little maintenance is required. The only ice thermal storage maintenance required includes the air blower (when required), system fluid and controls. Because the chillers and heat rejection equipment are smaller and there is less wear from compressor capacity adjustment, ice storage systems will have less maintenance than a traditional system. The ice thermal storage system also allows a chiller to undergo routine maintenance during the day when the ice storage can handle the system load.

Q：Why Ice Thermal Storage for Process Cooling Projects?

A：BAC provides Proven Technology, as a result of:

- BAC has been involved in the design and manufacture of ice thermal storage for over 25 years

- Over 2,600 ice thermal storage installations worldwide, with more than 800 installations for process cooling applications

- Dedication to research and development in BAC’s 25,000 ft2 (2,323 m2) test facility, designed and built exclusively for the testing and development of heat transfer and thermal storage equipment

- Twelve patents on ice thermal storage products

The BAC product offering provides cooling solutions for many applications. Examples include food processing, power generation, emergency cooling, manufacturing, and product cooling.

Proven Technology

Baltimore Aircoil Company has successfully applied ice thermal storage technology to more than 2,600 installations worldwide. BAC has the application and system experience to assist you in the design, installation and operation of your ice storage system. BAC has supplied BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Products for projects that range in size from 90 to 125,000 ton-hours (0.3 to 441.3 MWh). Installations include food processing, biochemical processes, factory and office cooling, turbine inlet air cooing, product storage facilities, emergency backup cooling and a wide assortment of manufacturing processes. BAC’s success is a result of its diverse product offerings and dedication to research and development performed in BAC’s 25,000 ft² (2,325 m²) test facility. This facility was designed and built exclusively for the testing and development of heat transfer and thermal storage equipment. At this site, research and development engineers test equipment over the broad range of operating conditions encountered in actual use.

The BAC ICE CHILLER^® Products includes a variety of factory-assembled units for process cooling and industrial refrigeration projects. For large applications, where space is limited or factory-assembled units are not cost effective, BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Coils are available for installation in field-erected tanks.

BAC product line offering provides system design flexibility. Ice can be built using various refrigerants or glycols on steel coils and is used to provide either chilled water or glycol to the cooling system. This flexibility, combined with a broad range of application experiences, allows BAC to provide a cost-effective product to meet your specific requirements.

1. New York State Electrical & Gas



2. Unisys Company California



3. Winery



4. Retrofit Applications – Zippy’s Restaurant Central Facility

At Zippy’s, food is cooked in a central kitchen where it is cooled and packaged for use in local Zippy’s restaurants. The FDA requires that the food in the cooking vessels be cooled to 45°F (7°C) in less than one hour to prevent contamination. The cooking vessels in the kitchen need varying amounts of cooling depending on the dish that is being prepared, and when it finishes its cooking cycle. Because of the varying cooling load from day to day and hour-to-hour and the need for a quick cool down period, standard chillers are not a good match for this application. Ice thermal storage with its variable capacity and low supply temperature is an excellent match for this process cooling application.

5. Power Generation – Wolverine Power

Wolverine Power, located in central Michigan, is a generation and transmission electric cooperative. For a new generating plant with (2) 22-megawatt Rolls Royce turbines, Wolverine Power elected to use ice storage for their turbine inlet air-cooling. They installed 7,610 ton-hours (26.9 MW) of BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Units to generate 40°F (4.4°C) chilled water, which provides 55°F (13°C) inlet air. The generating plant’s ice storage capacity can be used over a 16-hour period as partial storage or over a 4-hour period as full storage, depending on the value of power on the open market. During peak summertime, the increased power capacity is worth up to $3,500 per hour in electricity sales.

6. Emergency Cooling -Verizon

Verizon, the provider of telephone service to a large portion of the East Coast, uses a BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Unit to provide back-up cooling to one of their computer centers. If the chiller that provides cooling goes down for any reason, power outage or alarm, the system immediately switches over to the ice thermal storage system for cooling. The pump on the ice thermal storage system is on the continuous power back-up with the computers. There is enough ice to provide cooling for 30 minutes. This gives Verizon enough time to clear the alarm or get the back-up generator running and the chiller back on line.

7. Emergency Cooling – Sidmar Computer Centre

The headquarters of the Belgian steel giant, Sidmar, in Gent, house the main computer installation of the company. The precautions taken to assure the reliable operation of the computer are typified by the strict security around the machine room where the air-conditioning equipment is located. In the summer of 1986, Sidmar suffered a general electrical power failure. The available diesel generators can provide enough power for the computer and cooling water pumps, but not for the existing chiller installation. The temperatures in the computer room nearly reached critical level. A BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Unit was installed to provide one hour of emergency cooling.

8. Manufacturing – Interpolymer Corporation

Interpolymer is a producer of specialty polymer dispersions for industrial applications. They use BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Units to provide low temperature supply water for process loads and air-conditioning the office areas. According to the Plant Engineer, the system has “done its job and has operated reliably since its 1993 startup.” The operational requirements for the plant, coupled with a company imposed ceiling on operating costs, required creative thinking and an innovative solution. Ice thermal storage was the answer to their needs.

9. Manufacturing - Quest International

Quest International uses BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Units to cool batches of food additives and flavorings. The return temperature from the process of manufacturing the additives is too high for standard water chillers and the load varies as different products are manufactured. The use of ice thermal storage with its variable cooling capacity and low supply water temperatures allowed Quest to increase production. The required cool down period was significantly reduced with the ice storage.

10. Process Cooling -European Space Agency

A BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Unit was installed at the foot of the launch pad of the Ariane Space Rocket at the European Space Agency at Kourou, French Guiana. The ice thermal storage precools the Ergo fuel, using a special heat exchanger, before the fuel is loaded into the rocket. During the loading of fuel and the countdown to launch, the security zone is cleared of all personnel. The entire cooling system is remote controlled and any breakdown would cause the launch to be aborted. The BAC ICE CHILLER^® Thermal Storage Unit was chosen as a secure, reliable and efficient means to handle the significant peak cooling loads.

11. Suzhou Miji Milk
12. SNF Floerger
13. Yashili Dairy Zhengzhou
14. Tianjin Nestle
15. Shanxi Yashili Dairy
16. Hailaer Nestle，Inner Mongolia

17. Shuangchen Nestle，Heilongjiang Province
18. Yunnan ERUASIA Milk