Popular types of industrial coolers

From foods to the minerals industry, a variety of companies use industrial coolers as the portable generator to add efficiency to material processing. When selecting industrial cooling equipment, there are two popular types your business can choose from such as a rotary cooler or a fluid bed cooler. This article will provide some basic understanding of these generator sets.

Rotary cooler
A rotary cooler is a robust and long-lasting industrial cooling solution. The main advantage they have to offer is their heavy-duty drum construction. The robustness of a rotary drum accepts a broad range of feedstock at a high capacity, making it the workhorse of the bulk solids processing industry for both drying and cooling procedures.

Rotary coolers use a counter-current air-flow design, along with ambient or chilled air, to efficiently cool material. Additionally, flights lift and cascade material as it tumbles through the drum, enhancing the cooling process. There are a variety of applications such as fertilizers, industrial waste, limestone, minerals, and ore (e.g. copper) and municipal waste.

Fluid bed cooler
A fluid bed cooler is a modular cooling solution. It suspends material in a flow of air or gas, causing the material to behave as a fluid. The resulting fluidization provides gentle material handling capabilities. Additionally, the entire surface area of the material is exposed while it is suspended in a fluidized state, increasing cooling efficiency in certain applications. There are a variety of applications such as chemicals, food processing (e.g. sugar), pharmaceuticals, minerals (e.g. sand).

Considerations when choosing an industrial cooler
Though cooling is not required in all material processing applications, when it is required, it is essential for cooling equipment to be the most effective and efficient cooling solution. When choosing between a rotary cooler and a fluid bed cooler, factors such as size, energy costs, and material characteristics will determine which cooler is appropriate and most efficient.

• Size: A typical rotary cooler is often larger than a standard fluid bed cooler. Some facilities are simply not big enough to accommodate the larger footprint of a rotary cooler, making a fluid bed cooler the obvious choice. The fluid bed cooler’s modularity also leaves open the opportunity to add on more units in the future if necessary.
• Energy costs: Because a typical rotary cooler is larger than a fluid bed cooler, it is assumed that a fluid bed cooler is more efficient. Surprisingly, this is not always true. An immense amount of energy is needed to suspend and lift heavy, high volume materials in a fluid bed cooler. Thus, specific materials may require less energy to cool when processed in a rotary cooler.
• Material characteristics: A material’s volume, weight, and variability can be the ultimate factor when selecting an industrial cooler. Rotary coolers and fluid bed coolers are each equipped to best handle different variables, as previously mentioned, with different industries favoring both units. However, most material processing issues are resolved prior to the cooling process, leaving rotary coolers and fluid bed coolers with limited material concerns to solve. 

Energy Power Systems Australia is here to provide your business with some expert advice when choosing industrial cooler. Call us today to receive the best deal for your company.