Item to heat/cool/maintain a body of water

[Mechbob1]

Hi, is there a COTS item to heat/cool/maintain the temperature a body of water?

The water volume is approx 3-400 litres, and temps held within approx 10-30 degrees C.

Can anyone think of something which might suit the need?

Thanks.

 

[MintJulep]

Sure, water heater-cooler units exist.

https://www.directindustry.com/industrial-manufacturer/water-cooler-heater-230717.html

Those might be excessive for your application. Hard to say, because you haven't said much about your application.

Generically, this is one way:

 

[LittleInch]

COTS?

What's the ambient temperature?
What is the range of water coming in or is this a static body of water?

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[MintJulep]

Commercial Off The Shelf..

 

[LittleInch]

You might be between two stools as 300-400l is more than domestic / laboratory sized, but pretty small for commercial applications.

Is that the acceptable range of temperature variation or the range of set points?
How accurate does it need to hold the temperature?
How much energy transfer does this mysterious body of water need to keep cool or heat up? Makes a huge difference.
What fuel is available?
Is there mixing going on in the body of water?
Is there flow in and out or static water volume?
what happens to change the temperature up or down?
Is there cold or hot water available to use already?

Anything you do find will need all this information so better to start thinking about it now.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[Mechbob1]

Thanks for the link and image, Mint. That’s the sort of thing I’m chasing.

Ambient temp is weather dependent, generally 10-25C. Static body of water. If it takes 12 hours to equalise the temp, that’s not a big issue.

Acceptable tolerance is quite large, likely to be +/- a degree (C). The quotes temps were approx max and min temps.

Good questions, Inch.

 

[MintJulep]

Acceptable tolerance is quite large, likely to be +/- a degree (C)

Measured where? At one point, selected for a reason? At any arbitrary point? "Everywhere". Is this an average, or a uniformity requirement?

If you are relying on natural convection currents for mixing, then the "body" shape and design of the heating and cooling elements becomes super important.

You've almost provided enough information to start calculating the power and energy requirements. With tank (if it is a tank) geometry and insulation you could have a ballpark calculation for both.

 

[LittleInch]

So if your acceptable range is 10 to 30 C and ambient temp is 10 to 25 C why do you need anything? The assumption is that there is something which either generated heat or uses heat in this water bath but you're not telling us what it is or how much energy is involved.

You haven't answered any of the questions which we can use to point to to a potential solution...

Or just pump the water around through a radiator and fan unit?

Oh and one C accuracy is quite difficult unless you are actively circulating the water quite a lot. That sort of water volume is quite small so could easily vary by more than one C when heated or cooled.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[MintJulep]

Perhaps at any ambient temperature between 10 and 25 MechBob1 might need to keep his water at any temperature between 10 and 30.

When there are no defined requirements I guess we're free to make up whatever we want; just like any equipment supplier might do.

 

[LittleInch]

Mint, I "think" that is the basic requirement, but it's all rather vague.

Heat gain/ loss might be 100W or 50kW. We have no idea.

No idea of insulation or other heat transfer movements.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.