Frigel North America Inc. (Booth S718) offers the EcoDry system as a dry cooler replacement for cooling towers.
A Frigel EcoDry system operates as a closed system at 90°-95° F and uses air-heat exchange as the method of heat rejection. In contrast, a cooling tower operates as an open system at 85°-90° F and uses water evaporation as the method of heat rejection.
EcoDry provides varying water and energy savings at high and low climatic temperatures and generates an analysis of each customer's projected savings.
With EcoDry, ambient air passes through an adiabatic chamber before reaching the finned coils. Wetted air drops the temperature to a value required to keep the process water's temperature below the maximum set point, and a microprocessor controls the variable-speed fan motors and the amount of water sprayed to keep the value constant.
Excess moisture is accumulated in the EcoDry system's evaporative filters, and the finned coils remain completely dry and clean. The system is self-draining and can operate with or without the use of glycol.
Recently, Frigel Firenze SpA established Frigel North America in Lake Zurich, Ill. The Florence, Italy-based designer and manufacturer of process cooling equipment was formed in 1960 and placed its first equipment in North America at an Illinois closure manufacturer in 1998.
Frigel North America began cooling-system sales, parts and service operations in January under operations director Larry Bowman. The subsidiary employs six and works with an installation and service network.
The company is represented in the Midwest by Fisher Sales Corp., based in St. Charles, Ill., and is recruiting additional representatives for other geographic areas.
Globally, Frigel has about 5,000 EcoDry installations in more than 20 countries. So far, it has fewer than two dozen in the United States and Canada.
Frigel said it has installed about 130 systems in Mexico during three years through distributor Avance Industrial SA in Mexico City.
With the EcoDry system's economical approach, Frigel targets large-volume injection molders and blow molders seeking to use less water and energy.