How does an ammonia chiller cool methanol?

Ammonia is used to cool methanol by evaporating in a heat exchanger, utilizing the latent heat of vaporization of ammonia to achieve cooling

Refrigeration refers to the use of mechanical methods to remove heat from a confined space, thereby reducing its temperature to the desired level; this process is accomplished through heat transfer. Compression refrigeration: It relies on the compressor to increase the pressure of the refrigerant in order to achieve cooling. The most widely used type of refrigeration machine is the vapor compression refrigeration machine. A vapor compression refrigeration system consists of four basic components: a compressor, a condenser, a throttle valve, and an evaporator (cooler coils). They are connected to each other in sequence through pipes, forming a closed system. The refrigerant ammonia circulates continuously within this system, undergoing state changes (phase transitions between gas and liquid states) while exchanging heat with the outside environment. The working process is as follows: Liquid ammonia absorbs heat from the substance to be cooled in the evaporator, then vaporizes into ammonia gas at low pressure and low temperature. This gas is drawn in by the compressor, where it is compressed into ammonia gas at high pressure and high temperature before being sent to the condenser. In the condenser, it cools down due to the cooling water, releasing heat and condensing back into high-pressure liquid ammonia. This liquid ammonia then passes through a throttle valve, becoming liquid ammonia at low temperature and low pressure, and enters the evaporator once again to absorb heat and vaporize, thus achieving the purpose of cyclic cooling. In this way, ammonia completes a refrigeration cycle in the system through four basic processes: evaporation, compression, condensation, and throttling. The principles of refrigeration are a process of energy conversion. That is, electrical energy (or thermal energy) is converted into mechanical energy, mechanical energy is converted into thermal energy, and thermal energy facilitates heat exchange through the action of ammonia, thereby completing the cooling process. In a refrigeration system, the compressor is the heart of the system; it continuously draws in and discharges the refrigerant, playing a leading and central role. Once the compressor fails and stops operating while in use, the entire refrigeration system will cease to function as well. In summary, gaseous ammonia undergoes compression, condensation, throttling, and evaporation (to provide cooling) through an ammonia compressor, forming a refrigeration cycle that supplies cooling for the acid gas removal process in methanol plants.

Thank you very much, I’ve learned it, thanks.

The methanol washing unit in our plant is equipped with 4 ammonia heat exchangers; a heat exchanger, in essence, is nothing more than a device for exchanging heat