ペルチェ式液体チラー

Features

• Air-Cooled Benchtop or Rack-Mounted Chillers
• Valved CPC^®† Quick-Disconnect Fittings for Easy Hose Attachment
• Includes In-Line Filter to Remove Debris in the Liquid Cooling Line (Item # LK220 Only)
• Replacement Fittings and Hose Lengths Sold Below
• Compatible with Coolflow DTX Refrigerant Antifreeze
• User-Friendly Front Panel Control
• Flexible Remote Control Options:
  • PC Connectivity, Software Included (See Software Tab for Details)
  • Analog Input for Target Temperature Control
  • Trigger Input for Running/Stopping the Device
  • Programmable Temperature Sequences (Item # LK220 Only)
• 2.5 mm Stereo Jack for External Thermistor Compatibility

Thorlabs’ Liquid Chiller Cooling Systems are air-cooled liquid chillers that provide up to 200 W of cooling for the LK220 benchtop unit or 500 W of cooling for the LK500 rack-mounted unit, for applications requiring greater cooling capacity. The LK220 chiller provides 1.2 bar (17.4 psi) of pumping capability and ±0.1 °C temperature stability, making it an ideal benchtop solution for heat dissipation. The LK500 chiller provides 0.8 bar (11.6 psi) of pumping capability and also has ±0.1 °C temperature stability. These chillers can operate at low noise levels while also achieving high temperature accuracies of 0.01 °C. For more information about the cooling capacity and flow performance, please see the Graphs tab.

A removable dust filter is installed in the LK220 chiller behind the chiller's front panel to support use in industrial environments. To reach the specified 200 W cooling power of that unit (see Table 1.1), the dust filter must be removed. This can be done by unscrewing the four M3 cap screws with a 2 mm (5/64") ball driver or hex key. Please note that we only recommend long-term use of the LK220 without the dust filter in standard photonics lab environments and cleanrooms. The LK500 chiller does not have a removable dust filter.

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Figure 1.2  CPC Thumb Latch Quick-Disconnect Fittings Allow for One-Handed Operation

Quick Connections and Tubing
For easy tube connection, these chillers feature two valved CPC^® thumb latch quick-disconnect to ferruleless compression fittings, which accept semi-rigid plastic tubing with a 0.17" (4.3 mm) inner diameter (ID) and a 1/4" (6.4 mm) outer diameter (OD). Figure 1.2 shows the connectors with tubing attached to the coolant in and out ports on the back panel of the LK220 chiller. For convenience, these connectors audibly click when properly connected and include a valve to reduce leaks. Each unit comes with 5 m of 0.17" (4.3 mm) ID polyurethane hose. We also offer replacement polyurethane hoses in 5 m lengths with either 11/64" (4.37 mm) ID or 1/4" (6.35 mm) ID as well as coupling inserts and bodies appropriate for the replacement hose sizes. The replacement inserts and bodies are compatible with the coolant in and out ports on the LK220 and LK500 chillers.

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Figure 1.3  The coolant reservoir of the LK220 is easily accessible by opening the hinged lid and removing the plastic cap.

Coolant Reservoir
The 400 mL coolant reservoir of the LK220 chiller can be easily accessed by opening the hinged lid at the top of the device and removing the plastic cap, as shown in Figure 1.3. The 0.6 L coolant reservoir of the LK500 chiller can be accessed by simply removing the cap on the front panel of the device, shown in the Front and Back Panels tab. For your convenience, both a funnel and siphon are included with each unit to simplify filling the reservoir, and a warning alarm will sound if the coolant level is too low.

Thorlabs’ liquid chiller cooling systems are compatible with most ethylene glycol-based coolants, but we recommend using our CDTX Coolflow DTX refrigerant antifreeze with corrosion inhibitors (not included) for best performance. Please note that water can be used as coolant, but will result in reduced performance, and alcohol-based coolants cannot be used with this chiller. For more information on how various coolants affect the LK220 chiller's cooling capabilities, see the Graphs tab.

In-Line Filter
Thorlabs' LKF40 In-Line Filter is included with our LK220 chiller to protect the instrument by removing debris in the liquid cooling line before it damages the chiller. The LKF40 filter includes a 40 mesh stainless steel filter element that can be removed, cleaned, and replaced. The filter housing is clear, which allows the amount of debris on the filter to be visually inspected without stopping the flow. The LKF40 filter is shipped with the LK220 chiller but is not pre-installed. The filter is also compatible with the LK500 chiller, but is not included. For installation instructions please consult the LK220 User Manual.

Operation
Both liquid chillers can be controlled locally through the front panel, with the LK220 chiller including a knob for making setting adjustments and the LK500 chiller including a touchscreen, knob, and side menu buttons. The units can also be controlled remotely, either through the included software GUI (see the Software tab for details) or the analog and trigger inputs. The analog input can be used to set the target temperature from -5 to 45 °C, with a 0 to 5 V input for the LK220 chiller or a 0 to 3.3 V input for the LK500 chiller. The trigger input can enable or disable the temperature control function, with the default 0 V input disabling the chiller and a 5 V input enabling temperature control. Performance can be easily monitored by the adjustable knob on the front panel, which features a ring-shaped LED indicator that appears blue, green, yellow, or red depending on the operation status. For additional safety, the chillers include a BNC interlock to disable connected equipment in the case of operational errors.

The LK220 chiller includes a monitor out port (BNC) is to indicate the actual temperature measured by the chiller, and it outputs a 0 to 5 V range that corresponds to -5 to 45 °C. The LK500 chiller includes an error monitor port (BNC), which can be used to indicate whether there are any errors or warnings. To measure the outlet coolant temperature, the chillers are equipped with an internal thermistor sensor inside the return coolant hose. An external thermistor, such as the Thorlabs TSP-TH temperature probe, can be connected to the chillers using the 2.5 mm stereo jack and used to provide temperature readings for the control feedback loop. Alternatively, a third party thermistor with 10 kΩ resistance at 25 °C can be used if the beta constant is set using the software.

†CPC^® is a registered trademark of Colder Products Company.

Performance Graphs

This data reflects the typical performance of Thorlabs' LK220 and LK500 chillers, and is presented for reference only. The guaranteed specifications are shown in the Specs tab, however, performance may vary from unit to unit.

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Figure 3.1  Cooling capacity indicates the maximum heat load that the chillers can dissipate. Please note that ΔT is the temperature difference between the coolant and the ambient temperature, which was 25 °C for the dust filter off and 20 °C for the dust filter on for the LK220, and 24 °C for the LK500. Measurements were taken at 60% pumping power with CDTX Coolflow DTX refrigerant antifreeze.

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Figure 3.2  Flow performance demonstrates the pumping capability of the LK220 chiller running at 50%, 80% and 100% pump power, and process flow is measured in Liters per Minute (LPM). Measurements are taken at 25 °C ambient temperature with water used as coolant. Note that the kinematic viscosity of CDTX Coolflow DTX is approximately twice that of water and will result in less than half the flow performance.

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Figure 3.3  Flow performance demonstrates the pumping capability of the LK500 chiller running at 100% pump power, and process flow is measured in Liters per Minute (LPM). Measurements are taken at 25 °C ambient temperature with water used as coolant. Note that the kinematic viscosity of CDTX Coolflow DTX is approximately twice that of water and will result in less than half the flow performance.

Thorlabs' LK220 thermoelectric liquid chiller can be used with most ethylene glycol-based antifreezes or coolants. Figures 3.4 and 3.5 show the LK220 cooling capacity when used with select coolants. Please note that using water for coolant will result in reduced performance and that alcohol-based coolants cannot be used with this chiller.

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Figure 3.4  Cooling capacity of the LK220 liquid chiller with the dust filter installed for various coolants and the pump running at 60%. Please note that ΔT is the temperature difference between the coolant and the ambient temperature. The ambient temperature is 20 °C for each measurement.

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Figure 3.5  Cooling capacity of the LK220 liquid chiller with the dust filter removed for various coolants and the pump running at 60%. Please note that ΔT is the temperature difference between the coolant and the ambient temperature. The ambient temperature is 25 °C for the CDTX Coolflow DTX measurement and 20 °C for the other coolants.

LK220 Thermoelectric Liquid Chiller Front and Back Panels

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Figure 4.1  LK220 Front Panel

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Figure 4.2  LK220 Back Panel

LK500 Rack-Mounted Chiller Front and Back Panels

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Figure 4.3  LK500 Front Panel

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Figure 4.4  LK500 Back Panel

LK220 Thermoelectric Liquid Chiller Shipping List

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 Figure 5.1  Shipping Contents of the LK220 Chiller

LK500 Rack-Mounted Chiller Shipping List

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 Figure 5.2  Shipping Contents of the LK500 Chiller

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Figure 6.1  ペルチェ式液体チラーLK220用ソフトウェアGUI

ペルチェ式液体チラーソフトウェアパッケージ

GUIインターフェイス
ソフトウェアパッケージによりペルチェ式液体チラーLK220のリモート制御が可能です。このユーザーフレンドリのインターフェイスでは、フローレート、ペルチェ電流、デバイスのステータスならびに温度の読み出しができます。周囲温度、入力部温度、クーラントの実際温度、コールドプレートならびにヒートシンクの温度を読み取ります。チラーが運転中の冷却性能をモニタするため、これらの温度は時系列でグラフ表示もされています。温度偏差は、実際の温度と周囲温度の差で、時系列グラフに含まれています。この情報は時間を設定し、記録・保存することが可能です。

GUIにはUser Controlの画面があり、ユーザによるターゲット温度、温度範囲、PID設定、ポンプ駆動パワーの入力をすることができます。制御モードやセンサの設定もデバイスの前面パネルを使用せずにこちらの画面から切り替えが可能です。GUIで温度シーケンスの設定も可能です。

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Figure 6.2  Software GUI for the LK500 Rack-Mounted Chiller

Rack-Mounted Chiller Software Package

GUI Interface
The software package allows for remote control of the LK500 Rack-Mounted Liquid Chiller. The user-friendly GUI duplicates all front panel functions, including target temperature, actual temperature readouts, pump speed, fan speed, and PID settings. Both the front panel controls and software GUI can be enabled at the same time and will constantly read the unit status and update their displayed information accordingly. The software can also be used to manage files, capture logs, and export data.