The lithium bromide chiller does not provide good cooling performance; seeking help
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Recently, the two Shuangliang steam-type lithium bromide units in our company have been operating poorly; the self-priming pressure of these units has been increasing continuously. After shutting down the units to check for leaks, nitrogen was used to maintain a pressure of 0.08 MPa, and the pressure remained almost unchanged over a period of 10 hours or more. It was later suspected that there was a problem with the solution in the units; below are the analysis data sheets for the solutions in the two units. After adding some hydrobromic acid and lithium chromate, the unit generated a large amount of gas; the maintenance staff said it was H2 (which ignites easily with a lighter). Currently, the self-priming pressure of the unit keeps rising, the vacuum pump cannot stop working, and the temperature at the cold water outlet remains high. The temperature difference between the cold water inlet and outlet of Unit 2 is only 1°C, and the evaporation temperature is also high. I seek advice from those who are more experienced
Since the manufacturer’s maintenance staff are here, why not ask them? After all, it’s their product, and they should have more say than you do. The lithium bromide unit we have here has been in use for almost 4 years now, and it’s had hardly any problems.
Let an outsider chime in as well: if the analysis results and all the indicators are off, it only indicates that there is a problem with the solution; presumably, the maintenance staff’s advice is to replace everything. One more reminder: never use fire to light hydrogen – be safe!
We’ve hired a third-party maintenance service; we’re adjusting the solution ourselves, but our technical skills don’t seem sufficient
There’s another leak in the engine unit! If the vacuum can’t be achieved, the cooling effect will definitely be poor!
The amount of gas produced is far greater than the amount you remove by vacuuming, preventing the system from achieving solvent circulation and resulting in poor cooling performance. And didn’t you understand the physicochemical properties of both the old and new solvents before replacing them?
I stopped and checked the high-pressure area twice; there were no issues. Keeping the pressure at a constant level using nitrogen for 12 hours also worked well, with hardly any change in pressure. The gas extracted could light a lighter instantly
The solvent wasn’t replaced; instead, based on the analysis data of the existing solvent components, hydrobromic acid and lithium chromate corrosion inhibitors were added. Could it be that the materials from different manufacturers are to blame?
This post was last edited by ykzl on 2020-7-22 at 08:38. To address this issue, several aspects need to be checked. Based on what you’ve described, it’s possible to rule out the possibility of air leakage in the units. Additionally, it’s necessary to check whether the vacuum pump is working properly. Another consideration is whether the lithium bromide solution is accelerating internal corrosion in the units. According to the parameters of the lithium bromide solution you provided, both units have a relatively high alkalinity level, while the lithium chromate level is low. As a corrosion inhibitor, it’s advisable to maintain a relatively high level of lithium chromate, as this helps to reduce corrosion.
One should not place blind trust in manufacturers; Chinese producers are good at imitation and manufacturing, and there are many technicians with only partial knowledge who have entered this field later on. A pressure of 0.08 Mpa for pressure testing and leak detection is too low; if possible, use a higher pressure