• Home
  • Cooling Systems | Cooling Tower ※※ Expert Advice

Cooling Systems | Cooling Tower ※※ Expert Advice

Powerful pump control for your cooling tower ✓ Cooling system ✓ Cooling plant ✓ Return flow monitoring ✓ Temperature measurement✓ Control, pump Expert advice
 

 

Pump control for cooling industrial equipment and cooling towers

Pump control cooling systems

In industrial cooling systems such as cooling towers, the largest pumps in a plant are often running, often around the clock in continuous operation. An intelligent control strategy helps to optimally influence system efficiency and load profile in these cooling applications. Since these cooling systems rarely have a constant load, the use of control by means of a frequency converter is ideal. Typically, a temperature sensor measures the temperature where it matters most. The frequency converter controls the pump speed depending on the temperature. The pump maintains high efficiency regardless of load fluctuation and consumes less energy. Of course, the temperature data can be monitored and stored, ensuring continuous documentation.

The convenient SMC controllers regulate the entire cooling tower system including the supply and return monitoring, for example, by means of PT100. They are used in fan-assisted cooling towers. Not only the speed of the pumps, but also that of the fans is constantly adapted to the respective requirements. In many applications, this advantage leads to further savings and significantly reduced noise.
 

Electrical engineering for cooling systems – an overview of our servicesExpert advice pump control

The specific measures that make sense in your company depend on the individual conditions and requirements. In any case, you will receive a wide range of services geared to holistic solutions for the electrification of your industrial cooling systems. The service includes the following key areas:

 

    • Pump control as heart of the plant

The most important component in a modern cooling system is the pump control. It regulates the pump’s electric motor, which has a direct impact on operation and consumption: even halving the speed reduces the output to one-eighth. From an ecological and economic point of view, it therefore makes sense to adapt the motor power to the current demand. The investment costs for automating the cooling system pay for themselves quickly.

How is the technology installed on site? Sourcetronic offers direct integration into existing systems for this purpose. For this purpose, the entire control cabinet with SPC pump control is designed, planned and built. This is then installed in your company and immediately takes over its task in the cooling tower or cooling system.

 

    • Control for water pumps and fans

To take advantage of the benefits of intelligent control, it does not matter what cooling medium you use in your company. The SPC system can be used for water pumps as well as for fans and ventilators, which actively support the heat exchange in the cooling tower. In this context, Sourcetronic will be happy to create an overall concept for the electrification of the cooling system for you.

 

    • Integration of sensors into the cooling system

On what basis does the SPC pump control regulate the cooling technology? The most important measured variable for this is the temperature. A dedicated network of sensors continuously monitors this at all critical points in the plant. The data obtained is sent directly to the control unit (PLC) in the control cabinet via cabling.

Other important sensors can be a pressure sensor or a level probe. The former is responsible for monitoring the pressure in the pipe system – a sudden loss indicates a pipe break. Thus, the sensor network not only provides the basis for autonomous control, but also important information about the condition of the system. If required, the information on this can be transmitted to a central location. If desired, it is also possible to monitor the cooling system via a GSM network. As a user, you can then check the operating status of the system almost regardless of location.

 

    • PLC programming and individual software development for cooling systems

Another essential component for a highly autonomous cooling system is the programming of the PLC. Here it is important to determine the specific requirements of your company for the pump control. Based on the manufacturer’s software, Sourcetronic then carries out individual programming of the PLC. Only in this way is it possible to fully exploit the existing potential of the electrical engineering and achieve optimum energy efficiency.

 

    • Commissioning, maintenance and serviceExpert advice pump control

The final step in the electrification process is commissioning. This is accompanied by the ST team on site. As a customer, you thus receive all services from a single source, from the initial consultation, through planning and on-site installation, to commissioning. Even after successful installation, you benefit from professional support by qualified electrical engineers: Regular maintenance of the technology ensures smooth and safe operation.

 

Pump control in the cooling system – a technology with numerous applications

For whom does the electrification of cooling systems make sense? Basically, all operations that use electric motors benefit. Whether these drive the submersible motor pump in the water cooling system or a fan in the cooling tower is irrelevant for the use of the control system. Sourcetronic implements suitable solutions as required. The following overview shows how versatile the technology can be used.
 

Use in the cooling tower

From an energy point of view, the cooling tower system is a significant item in the overall balance of many companies. This is especially true when fan cooling towers are used in addition to natural draft cooling towers. The problem is that the amount of heat generated usually fluctuates during the course of the day. On the one hand, therefore, the fans and ventilators have to compensate for load peaks; on the other hand, a constantly high output ensures unnecessary operating costs. In addition, the efficiency of the heat exchanger depends on the ambient temperature. Consequently, there is great potential for intelligent control technology in this area of application.

The cooling tower is therefore one of Sourcetronic’s main areas of application. To make the cooling system more profitable, the technicians usually install a combination of temperature sensors and an SPC pump or fan control system here.
 

Frequency-controlled pumps and fans

Whether in the cooling tower or elsewhere in the cooling system, modern plants almost always use pumps and fans with electric motors. These can be controlled particularly well, because the speed has a direct influence on the performance. This is realized by the frequency converter. As a component of the pump control system, it is responsible for supplying the water pump or fan with power as required. In order to offer you all the possibilities of this technology, Sourcetronic has specialized in the frequency control of pumps. In this area, various customer-specific solutions are available.
 

GSM alarm and remote maintenance

It is particularly convenient if you can monitor your cooling system via GSM. For this purpose, the sensor data is transmitted via the mobile network. It is also possible to query the status of individual components, for example the current performance of the pump. This results in various advantages.

The GSM alarm is particularly noteworthy. For this purpose, the control technology continuously checks whether the measured values reach the target values. If variables such as the pressure in the pipeline or the water temperature in the cooling tower deviate significantly from the target value, this is an indication of a defect. In such a case, the system immediately alerts you via GSM. In practice, this relieves you of labor-intensive manual checks and at the same time gives you a high level of safety.

In addition, the technology opens up the possibility of remote maintenance. Thanks to the innovative networking of the pump control system via GSM, you can retrieve important operating data from almost any location – for example, from a technical control center in your own company. Likewise, you can view the process data from an external location if necessary.
 

Messages to higher-level DCSExpert advice pump control

It goes without saying that a pump control system from Sourcetronic gives you full control over your system. In addition, you even have access and control options that were not available before. For this purpose, the control technology is integrated into your higher-level DCS. This can then be expanded to include functions such as an alarm system that continuously monitors the status of the cooling tower and cooling system. You can also carry out diagnostics and electronically maintain the technology from a central station. In addition, it is possible to visualize the cooling process in a suitable way via screens and to set up control panels for manual access directly at the control cabinet or in the control center. This creates additional comfort for your employees.
 

Sourcetronic – Your partner for high-performance electrical engineering

In summary, there are numerous possible applications for fan or pump control in the field of cooling systems. Thereby the technology brings various advantages for your company. An important focus is always on the optimization of processes. Would you like to increase the efficiency of your cooling system, benefit from lower operating costs and increase the operational reliability of your systems? Then contact us now. We accompany the process from conception to commissioning and maintenance. In a personal consultation, we will be happy to discuss the individual options for optimizing your cooling system.