Conair Group announced that variable-speed compressors on the new 10-ton and 20-ton portable chillers give big power savings with the versatility to efficiently handle a range of low, partial and full chilling loads.
In other news, Conair announced several improvements to existing product lines.
Conair claims the EP2 Series Portable Chillers deliver energy savings of 20-50 percent, in head-to-head tests against the same size chillers equipped with conventional fixed-speed and digital scroll compressors, which the company said cannot adjust their cooling capacity by slowing down.
Instead, the conventional fixed-speed compressors adapt to low-load conditions using a hot-gas bypass that creates an artificial load to prevent over-cooling — which means at partial loads, the energy savings are minimal, according to Conair.
Newer, digital scroll compressors offer an improvement, since they can unload capacity to reduce power consumption for partial loads. Newer, variable-speed compressors are more efficient — but cannot match the efficiency of variable-speed compressors, Conair said.
Conair also said its DC-A dryer control, first launched late last year on smaller Conair Carousel Plus dryers and MDCW mobile drying/conveying systems, is now available on mid-sized dryers and has been further enhanced with remote access via virtual network computing (VNC). That new capability, which was not previously available on the DC-A control, means that users can interface with the control using any Internet-connected device from any location.
And Conair said the latest upgrades to its TrueBlend gravimetric blenders: The next-generation SmartBlend SB-3 control, plus mechanical design changes that are claimed to eliminate material losses, optimize critical blends and simply cleanout and maintenance.
The SmartBlend SB-3 control, for injection molding and extrusion operations, has an enlarged and more-vivid, seven-inch color touchscreen display, and more intuitive graphics, easier programming and more comprehensive monitoring and control features.
The SB-3 also has an expanded memory that now can store 3,000 recipes and 4,000 resin names.
Conair, based in Cranberry Township, Pa., said it has added improved, multi-mode controls that consumer energy and reduce water consumption on its latest EarthSmart adiabatic coolers, under the ESTW Series. The coolers isolate process water from contamination, cycling it through a closed-loop system using finned heat exchangers where ambient air absorbs process heat and cools it for recirculation. In “normal” mode, the system runs without using any water and the control regulates fan speed, air flow and process cooling — with no adiabatic cooling water being used.
When conditions require more cooling, it operates in a water-saving mod or an energy-saving mode.
Tel. 724-584-5500, www.conairgroup.com.