How To Convert GPM To Cooling Rate In Tons

Factories use heat exchangers or chillers to regulate an area's temperature. The machine absorbs heat from an area that produces it and carries it to a different location. The medium that carries the heat is a refrigeration fluid that absorbs and releases heat as it experiences differing pressures. A standard formula for finding a chiller's cooling capacity from its flow rate in gallons per minute determines the cooling rate in British Thermal Units (BTUs) per hour. One refrigeration ton is a cooling rate of 12,000 BTUs per hour.

Step 1

Multiply the exchanger's flow rate in gallons per minute by 500, a conversion constant. For example, if 350 gallons flow through the unit each minute: 350 × 500 = 175,000.

Step 2

Multiply this answer by the fluid's temperature change as it passes through the heat exchanger. For example, if the fluid rises 21 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature: 175,000 × 21 = 3,675,000. This is the chiller's cooling rate, measured in BTUs per hour.

Step 3

Divide this rate by 12,000, which is the number of BTUs per hour in a ton: 3,675,000 ÷ 12,000 = 306.25. This is the unit's cooling rate, measured in tons.