Year-round process cooling for Blow Moulding in Bottled Water production

How a TAE G process chiller and FC4ALL free-cooling module provide reliable cooling across changing seasonal conditions.

 

At the production site of a well-known Italian bottled water brand, reliable process cooling is essential to support the blow moulding lines throughout the year.

This is not MTA’s first project at this production site. It is the confirmation of a choice that, project after project, is gradually extending across the entire cooling installation.

The build quality, temperature control precision and proven reliability of the MTA units already operating on site have strengthened the confidence of a well-known Italian bottled water producer. That confidence is now driving the progressive replacement of existing cooling equipment with MTA solutions.

 

The latest project, managed by Marco Virla, represents another concrete step in this transition. The customer did not simply need an additional chiller but the full support to understand how the installation behaved under its most demanding conditions and to develop a solution capable of supporting the blow moulding process throughout the year.

 

The application

In the blow moulding process, plastic material is formed inside a mould using compressed air. Cooling is a decisive stage. Heat must be removed rapidly and uniformly so that the container can stabilise its shape, be released from the mould and allow the next production cycle to begin.

 

Process water temperature therefore has a direct influence on:

- cycle repeatability;

- dimensional stability of the bottles;

- quality and consistency of the finished container;

- production line speed;

- reject rates;

- continuity of production.

Insufficient or unstable cooling capacity can increase cooling time, restrict production output and affect the quality of the finished product.

 

In a facility producing bottles for drinking water, container quality is not simply a visual consideration. Consistency, integrity and repeatability of the packaging also contribute to protecting the product intended for consumption. Cooling is therefore not a utility operating separately from the production line. It is an integral part of the manufacturing process.

 

The challenge

A circuit failure in one of the previously installed units had reduced the total cooling capacity available to the process. The limitation became particularly evident during summer. As outdoor temperatures increased, the existing installation could no longer provide the cooling capacity required by production and began to struggle precisely during the most demanding operating period. In a blow moulding application, this reduces the available margin for maintaining a stable process water temperature, with potential consequences for cycle times, production speed and bottle quality.

 

The customer therefore needed to:

- restore sufficient cooling capacity under summer conditions;

- ensure consistent performance at high outdoor temperatures;

- maintain stable process water temperatures;

- improve system efficiency during colder seasons;

- rely on a robust solution designed for long-term industrial operation.

A simple unit-for-unit replacement would not have addressed the complete requirement.

 

The solution

In plastic industry, cooling demand cannot be determined only from the nominal capacity of the production machine. The material being processed, the amount of plastic per cycle, cycle time, required water temperature and any additional machine heat loads must also be considered. 

 

This analysis led MTA to propose a system consisting of:

- one TAE G 802 process chiller, delivering 181 kW at process water temperatures of 15/11 °C and an ambient temperature of 25 °C;

- one FC4ALL 450 free-cooling module, delivering 200 kW of free-cooling capacity at an ambient temperature of 6 °C.

 

The solution combines two cooling modes, coordinated according to the actual operating conditions. During warmer periods, the TAE G 802 provides the mechanical cooling capacity required to support the process when outdoor temperatures place the installation under the greatest pressure.When ambient conditions become favourable, the FC4ALL 450 uses outdoor air to cool the process water, reducing the need for compressor operation.

 

MTA designed a system capable of responding differently to summer demand and to the operating conditions encountered during colder seasons.

 

TAE in-tank evaporator technology is able to maintain a permanent reserve of chilled water, supporting a rapid response to load variations and stable water temperatures during peaks in demand. This is particularly valuable in a cyclical application such as blow moulding, where each moulding cycle introduces a new sequence of heating, forming and cooling. Stable process water temperature helps maintain consistent cycle times and reduces variation from one bottle to the next.

 

The robustness of the solution is also supported by the long history of the TAE platform, first introduced in 1990 and continuously developed to meet the real operating conditions of industrial applications. The value therefore goes beyond nominal performance. It includes proven reliability, the ability to respond to load peaks and continuous operation under demanding conditions.

 

A strategy that follows the seasons

The combination of the TAE G 802 and FC4ALL 450 allows the plant to use the most appropriate cooling technology throughout the year.

During summer, the chiller delivers the cooling capacity required under the most critical conditions. During autumn, winter and spring, when outdoor temperatures allow, the free-cooling module can maintain the required process water temperature while reducing, and under certain conditions avoiding, operation of the chiller compressors.

 

The decision to select MTA was not based on a single project. Additional MTA units had already been installed at the production site over the years. Their reliability, combined with the team’s ability to understand the application, encouraged the customer to continue replacing the existing cooling equipment with MTA solutions.

 

The new TAE G 802 and FC4ALL 450 therefore represent another phase in a broader collaboration. Marco Virla is already working with the customer on the next opportunities, with the objective of progressively completing the transition of the cooling installation towards MTA solutions.

 

This winning project is not based only on product quality. It comes from the combination of application expertise, customer listening, precise product selection and the ability to design the solution around the process.