Cooling capacity calculation
Enter your facility data and instantly see the estimated chiller capacity, recommended system type and water flow rate. Turn the result into a quote request with one click.
Application & Input Data
The load comes from heat removed in the mould: kg/h × material enthalpy + hydraulic oil cooling.
Process / mould data
Engineering Capacity Result
Required cooling capacity
24.8 kW
BTU/h
84,496
Tons (TR)
7
kcal/h
21,296
Load breakdown
- Mould / melt cooling15.2 kW · %71
- Hydraulic oil cooling6.3 kW · %29
Calculated load
21.5 kW
Safety margin
+3.2 kW (%15)
Sensible load
21.5 kW
Latent (moisture) load
0 kW · SHR (sensible heat ratio) 1
- Recommended system
- Air-cooled compact chiller (scroll compressor)
- Water/glycol flow (ΔT 5 K)
- 4.3 m³/h
- Water regime (supply/return): 15 / 20 °C · Recommended main pipe size: DN32 · Minimum buffer tank: 198 L
The calculation follows an ASHRAE-style item-by-item method and is for preliminary assessment. Final selection requires process data, a site survey and an engineering calculation.
1 kW = 3,412 BTU/h
The base coefficient used when converting between capacity units.
1 TR = 3.517 kW
Ton of Refrigeration is a unit commonly used in chiller selection.
ΔT 5 K flow rate
Water flow is calculated as Q / (1.163 × ΔT); the hydronic line is sized accordingly.
Which engineering formulas drive the calculation?
The tool follows the ASHRAE approach and splits the total cooling load into sensible and latent components. Changing the application type changes which load items apply.
Sensible load
Q = m × cp × ΔT. Envelope conduction, fresh air, lighting, occupancy and machine loads are summed here.
Latent load
Dehumidification demand: Q = m × hfg × Δw. Occupancy density, fresh air rate and product moisture dominate.
Process load
For injection moulding and process duties the load comes from hourly throughput, polymer specific heat and heat of fusion.
Water flow
V = Q / (1.163 × ΔT). At ΔT 5 K roughly 0.172 m³/h is needed per kW; pipework and pumps are sized from this.
Safety margin
A 10–20% margin is typical to cover fouling, part-load operation and future capacity growth.
kW – BTU/h – ton of refrigeration conversion table
Chiller nameplates use kW, BTU/h or tons depending on the market. Always convert to one unit before comparing options.
| kW | BTU/h | Tons (TR) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 17,060 | 1.42 |
| 10 | 34,120 | 2.84 |
| 25 | 85,300 | 7.11 |
| 50 | 170,600 | 14.22 |
| 100 | 341,200 | 28.43 |
| 250 | 853,000 | 71.08 |
| 500 | 1,706,000 | 142.17 |
Typical specific cooling load by application
These ranges are for first sizing only; the final figure must come from envelope, fresh air and machine load calculations.
| Application | Typical load |
|---|---|
| Office / administration | 60–90 W/m² |
| Production hall (light machine load) | 120–200 W/m² |
| Food production / packaging | 150–250 W/m² |
| Cold room (0…+4 °C) | 40–70 W/m³ of volume |
| Blast / frozen storage (−18 °C) | 70–120 W/m³ of volume |
| Data centre | 1.1–1.3 × installed IT power |
| Plastic injection | 0.8–1.2 kW per kg/h of resin |
Most common capacity sizing mistakes
- Multiplying floor area by a rule-of-thumb factor and ignoring ceiling height and volume load.
- Leaving out the fresh-air load, which can reach 30% of the total in food and coating plants.
- Choosing an unrealistic summer design temperature; condenser capacity drops sharply above 35 °C.
- Ignoring glycol content; 30% glycol changes both heat transfer and required flow.
- Not considering part load; staged capacity usually beats one oversized chiller.
- Applying the safety margin twice, once on the load and again on selection.
Frequently asked questions
- How many kW is one ton of refrigeration?
- One ton (TR) equals 3.517 kW or 12,000 BTU/h. A 100 kW chiller is roughly 28.4 tons.
- Is the result a final project figure?
- No. It is intended for first sizing and budgeting. Final selection requires site measurements, envelope detail and production data.
- Air-cooled or water-cooled chiller?
- Below roughly 500 kW, or where water supply is limited, air-cooled is usually the better fit. At high capacity with continuous full load, water-cooled plus a tower performs better.
- Is oversizing harmful?
- Yes. Oversized plant short-cycles, wears compressors and runs at poor part-load efficiency. Staged capacity is healthier.
Get a clear roadmap for your cooling system
Breakdown, periodic maintenance, capacity upgrade or a new installation — share your facility data and we respond with a measurement-based assessment.