Industrial Chiller Fault Diagnosis and Resolution: Tips for Rapid Production Recovery

In industrial production, a fault in an industrial chiller is likely to cause production line shutdowns and economic losses. Mastering efficient fault diagnosis and resolution techniques helps enterprises quickly restore equipment operation and minimize the impact of downtime. Below, we start from common fault phenomena, sort out the diagnosis process and corresponding solutions, to provide protection for production.

First, let’s look at the high-frequency fault of "insufficient cooling capacity". If you find that the chiller cannot meet the cooling requirements of production, first check whether the refrigerant is sufficient - this can be judged by observing the sight glass. If a large number of bubbles appear, it is likely that the refrigerant is leaking or insufficient. At this time, you need to first check for leak points, focusing on pipeline interfaces and valve seals. Apply soapy water to suspicious parts; if bubbles are generated, mark the leak points, repair them, and then refill with refrigerant of the appropriate type. If the refrigerant is sufficient, check whether the condenser is blocked: for air-cooled chillers, check if the condenser fins are dusty, and clean them with a high-pressure water gun (adjusted to low-pressure mode) or a special brush; for water-cooled chillers, check the quality of the cooling water. If excessive impurities in the water cause scaling in the condenser pipes, use a citric acid solution or professional descaling agent for cyclic cleaning to restore heat exchange efficiency.

Second is the problem of "compressor failure to start". When this happens, first check the power supply: check if the circuit breaker in the distribution box has tripped. If it has tripped, confirm whether it is caused by overload, and try to reset it after the equipment cools down; at the same time, use a multimeter to measure the power supply voltage to ensure that the voltage is stable within ±5% of the equipment's rated voltage. Unstable voltage may trigger the compressor's protection mechanism. If the power supply is normal, check the thermostat and pressure relay: whether the set temperature of the thermostat is too high, causing the equipment to not need to start (you can appropriately lower the set value); if the pressure relay triggers protection due to excessively high high pressure or excessively low low pressure, you need to check the heat dissipation of the condenser (such as fan failure, insufficient cooling water flow) or refrigerant leakage respectively. After eliminating the problem, reset the pressure relay to start the compressor.

Another fault is "excessive noise during equipment operation", which not only affects the working environment but may also hide the risk of component damage. First, check the compressor itself: if abnormal friction noise is heard during operation, the internal bearings of the compressor may be worn, and you need to shut down the equipment, disassemble it, and replace the bearings; if a "liquid hammer" sound occurs, it is mostly due to excessive refrigerant charging or improper opening of the expansion valve, causing liquid refrigerant to enter the compressor. In this case, you need to discharge part of the refrigerant or adjust the opening of the expansion valve. Then check the water pump and fan: excessive noise from the water pump may be caused by impurities getting stuck in the impeller, so you need to disassemble the pump body for cleaning; fan noise may be due to deformed or loose fan blades or worn motor bearings, which can be solved by replacing the fan blades or bearings.

Finally, it is important to emphasize the "safety principles" of fault diagnosis: cut off the main power supply of the equipment before all diagnosis operations to avoid electric shock; when handling refrigerant, wear protective gloves and goggles to prevent frostbite from refrigerant; if encountering complex faults (such as compressor burnout, main board failure), do not disassemble the equipment by yourself, but contact professional maintenance personnel to avoid secondary damage. Through the above targeted diagnosis and resolution techniques, you can quickly locate problems, restore equipment operation, and minimize the loss caused by shutdown.