We’ve been recently involved in a very peculiar and complicated project for a temperature regulation unit aimed to an automotive test bench for radiators and fans, which required quite a huge deployment of resources. It is enough to say that the whole development and commissioning took 18 months.

The unit works using water/anti-freeze solution in a temperature range between 20° C and 130° C. The power capacity of the system is 240 kW, with an adjustable flow rate between 10 and 200 lt/min, with cooling capacity of 120 kW.

 

The complexity of the plant is in the fact that it can work at 130° C, thus with pressurized water. And the customer need to avoid leakages of non-freezing solution inside the tunnel test during the substitution of parts. Therefore we’ve had to install a system with quick connections on the mounting/dismantling section of the tested parts. The substitution is made prior the complete draining of both the radiator and the related pipes, using actuated valves and logic managed through a PLC.

Each time a radiator has to be replaced, the plant gets cooled, de-pressurized and secured for the operators, in order to proceed with the draining of the pipes connected with the radiator.

When mounting a new part for the testing procedure, the plant has to be re-filled and pressurized, always through logic, automated valves and pressure transducers.

 

The overall plant is managed by a dedicated software developed in close collaboration by Tempco and the customer, leveraging both expertise in respective fields of activity. Code writing and the test procedures of the PLC alone took several days.