Options become standard features for new portable chiller line

. The EP1 Series portable chillers are designed for 1 to 3 ton applications, while the EP2 Series includes chillers from 4 to 43 tons. Conair notes that both ranges include air-cooled, water-cooled and remote-condenser models, adding that both lines' water circuits utilize non-ferrous materials for the evaporator, pump, reservoir, and piping.

Other standard features that are oftentimes offered up as options, include:

Conair says the EP1 and EP2 lines are designed and built for use with non-ozone-depleting refrigerants. EP1 Series chillers are customized to lower-tonnage applications, featuring scroll compressors on 2- and 3-ton chillers and rotary compressors on the 1-ton models. The EP1 units are protected by a 2.5 minute anti-cycle timer to prevent excessive compressor cycling. A freezestat safety switch, with solid-state sensor, prevents evaporator freeze-up. Water- and air-cooled EP1 units ship with a full refrigerant charge, and units with remote air-cooled condenser ship with a nitrogen charge.

The EP2 chillers can be supplied optionally with a programmable-logic controller (PLC). The system has two LED displays for 'Setpoint' and 'Actual' temperatures and LED diagnostic lights for multiple fault conditions. 3-phase power monitoring protects the unit from damage due to electrical phase reversal or loss of phase. The PID control algorithm provides ±1°F/°C accuracy.

Optional PLC controls offer a touch-sensitive operator interface with system information and alarms presented in text instead of lights and codes. The PLC control can be further upgraded with refrigeration-pressure transducers with sensor fault alarms, a process flow meter, and setpoint ambient tracking or optional remote control. The unit is networkable through a ModBus RTU communications port.

Packaged air-cooled EP2 chillers are available in sizes from 4 to 30 tons. Water-cooled and remote-condenser units can be sized from 5 to 43 tons, with scroll compressors used on all models. Units that are 20 tons and larger feature dual compressors, which can be staged to increase temperature accuracy in low-load situations, reduce wear and tear on the compressor, and conserve energy. A stepper-motor-driven hot-gas bypass system is also used under low-load conditions. 

Condensers on air-cooled chillers feature aluminum micro channels that require less refrigerant while exposing it to a larger surface area for greater energy efficiency. Water-condensed chillers have a cleanable shell-and-tube construction and are equipped with a condenser-water regulating valve to provide constant head pressure. Remote condenser units are designed with copper-tube/aluminum-fin coils and direct-drive multi-blade propeller fans with venture orifices to optimize efficiency. Fan sections are divided to prevent 'wind-milling' du