The Stout Energy Cooling Capacity Calculator is a tool designed to streamline the calculation of cooling requirements for chiller and cooling equipment designs. To utilize the calculator effectively, input the flow rate of water in liters per second (LPS) or US gallons per minute (GPM). Additionally, enter the inlet and outlet temperatures of the water in degrees Celsius. By clicking 'Calculate Q,' the calculator swiftly computes the necessary heat transfer (Q) using the formula Q = m * Cp * ΔT, where m represents the mass flow rate, and Cp signifies the specific heat capacity of water. This calculation aids engineers and designers in accurately sizing chillers and cooling systems, optimizing efficiency across HVAC applications, industrial processes, and sustainable building initiatives.

Things to note:

• All terms of the formula must be in SI units, i.e. mass flow rate in kg/s, Cp in kJ/kg.K, Temperatures in Kelvin, and Q(Heat Transfer) in kW.

• As the tool is intended to be used for cooling equipment sizing, we have made certain assumptions and approximations to make our calculations easier.

• Volume flow rate in Litres Per Second (lps) is directly used in the formula in place of mass flow rate. This is because mass flow rate is volume flow rate times density (m=V.ρ) and in case of water when volume flow rate in litres per second is converted to cubic metre per second (cu.m/s) and multiplied by density in kg/m3 (which is roughly 1000kg/m3 for water), the answer is roughly the same as the volume flow rate in LPS. In order to arrive at the most accurate result, the mass flow rate should be calculated by multiplying the volume flow rate by the density of the fluid at the temperature in consideration.
  eg:
  -28 lps= .028 m3/s
  -m=V.ρ
  -ρ (water)= 1000kg/m3
  ∴ m=.028*1000=28 kg/s

• The temperature differential is directly calculated from the input Celsius figures as converting them to Kelvin will yield the same difference as it is just a change in summation.
  eg:
  -In Celsius: T1= 25°C, T2= 35°C
  -ΔT=T2-T1=35-25=10
  -In Kelvin: T1= 25°C + 273.15=298.15K, T2= 35°C + 273.15 = 308.15K
  -ΔT=T2-T1=308.15-298.15=10
  ∴ ΔT is same in both cases.

• The cooling capacity or heat transfer calculator tool can be used to size a chiller in a real life scenario by utilising the inlet and outlet temperature values for the evaporator and the flow rate based on actual requirement of the user.