Dometic Showcases New Chiller Technology

 

Following the introduction of the VARC48 variable capacity chiller, Dometic has now expanded the product range with the introduction of the new larger VARC72 model to meet the cooling and heating requirements of a range of boats and yachts.

 

Innovative technology enables the chillers to continually adjust to meet load demands, operating smoothly, steadily and quietly, and maintaining a more constant load on the generator. Instead of turning on and off to maintain temperature, it speeds up or slows down as needed to produce more or fewer BTUs. Also, there is no in-rush of current when starting, reducing demand on the entire electrical system.

 

Steve Morris, Director of MAOE Sales, UK, Dometic, said, “Noise reduction and energy efficiency are two big concerns, which is why we feel our variable speed compressor chillers are a significant advancement. The design and engineering of the VARC48 and 72 offer our customers significant benefits in terms of efficiency and cost savings compared to other chillers. The VARC is smoother, quieter and more efficient, modulating its speed to meet thermal load demand and reducing electrical load fluctuations. Significantly, we are the only variable speed chiller manufacturer that has successfully managed to fully parallel two chillers successfully using our PLC software.”

 

“Boat owners will find that with the VARC chillers, they use less power, require a smaller generator and have reduced maintenance on their electrical systems due to fewer starts and stops,” Morris added.

 

The VARC48 and 72 have a compact footprint and feature an innovative plumbing design to improve ease and flexibility of installation and maintenance. An optional high-resolution color touchscreen provides users with a dynamic interface, system metrics and control.

 

VARC chillers feature dual frequency so the system will still work when travelling between Europe and the Caribbean, for example. The VARC also has three operating modes – Econo, Standard and Boost – which provides even more efficiencies for boat owners.

 

The Dometic VARC uses an Electronic Expansion Valve (EEV) for precise control of superheat and also supports Dometic’s optional Smart Touch Integrated Intelligence Control (STIIC) software which allows boat owners to monitor and troubleshoot their Dometic equipment on-board from anywhere in the world.

 

Dometic is also introducing its new Titan Chiller with condenser coils made of industrial-grade titanium, which makes the units virtually immune to erosion and corrosion, significantly extending the life of cooling systems.

 

Designed to meet the requirements for commercial, military and superyacht vessels, the durable Titan chiller is much easier to maintain as it can resist marine corrosion and also withstand the cleaning methods which are often used to keep invasive marine life out of the chiller’s plumbing. It is therefore particularly valuable for use in regions where extensive debris in the water requires frequent cleaning of the tubes using harsh chemicals or high water velocity which can rapidly erode the condensers. 

 

“The use of titanium is a groundbreaking development for chiller longevity in the marine industry, providing boaters, captains and boat builders with a vastly more corrosion-resistant material,” Morris said. “Titanium is a very strong material that does not erode easily and therefore makes robust and long-lasting condenser tubes for vessel chillers. Although cupronickel is currently still appropriate in smaller duty self-contained and split gas systems, our capability to use titanium represents a fundamental shift that will have a huge impact on the way future chillers are designed and manufactured. The Titan sets the standard for corrosion-resistant design and provides peace of mind for commercial operators making a significant investment in their chiller system.”

 

Dometic engineers have created the chiller with titanium tubes by developing an innovative patent-pending method which enables the difficult connection between the titanium inner tube and the exterior tube.

 

With debris from marine life increasing in recent years, chemicals such as muriatic acid are often used to clean a cupronickel condenser which can erode the walls of the tubes and cause the chiller to fail.

 

Dometic’s smooth-tube Titan chillers eliminate cupronickel, which means it is the ideal solution for vessels operating in areas affected by extensive debris or on which the crew is required to frequently clean the tubes with acid-based solutions, the manufacturer said. The titanium condenser can also cope with more than five times greater water velocity than cupronickel, allowing rapid water flow to keep the coils free of debris and ensure the chiller is running optimally.

 

Morris added, “We are aware that aggressive corrosion in certain regions of the world is adversely affecting the standard 90/10 cupronickel condensers that have been used for the past 50 years. To ensure our air conditioning systems feature the same longevity to last for the next half century, we have taken the opportunity to completely reengineer this aspect of our systems.

 

“It is also important to stress that, while chemical cleaning plays a key role in system performance, it is critical for the boat owner or maintenance company to ensure they are using the correct chemicals and concentration of chemicals with no ‘over-flushing’. We found in our own independent chemical report that over concentration or incorrect chemical agents significantly contributes to the corrosive effect on cupronickel pipework,” Morris said.