
Mueller Falling Film Chiller Effective February 12, 2003
Installation and Operation Manual, Part No. 9843514 Revised April 17, 2023
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2.13 SETTING CHILLER WATER FLOWS (CONTINUED)
In order to set the correct distribution pan water depth, follow these instructions:
1. First, gather the following sizing information for the chiller:
• Size (3 x 5 or 4 x 8) and number of evaporator plates.
• Style of distribution pan (high flow, low flow, or extra low flow).
• Recirculation water flow required.
• Total water depth required in the distribution pan.
2. Allow the bottom reservoir to fill up to near the top level probe. Once it is close to that point, shut off the
makeup water with the isolation valve. The only water going into the distribution pan should be from the
recirculation circuit.
3. Using the sizing information in step 1, divide the required recirculation flow by the number of plates in the
chiller to calculate the water flow rate (gpm) per plate. Then, refer to the appropriate line in Table 4 for the
chiller size and selected distribution pan to determine the proper water depth.
Example: Falling film chiller, extra low-flow distribution pan; (4) 3 x 5 plates, 27 gpm recirculation flow.
27 gpm ÷ 4 plates = 6.75 gpm per plate. Referring to Table 4, this shows 2" of water depth.
4. Using the water depth determined from step 3, adjust the recirculation water flow to obtain this water depth.
The water level will require a few minutes to stabilize with each adjustment.
5. Reopen the makeup water supply and begin draining water from the reservoir so the makeup water solenoid
will open. Continue draining water to adjust the makeup water flow.
6. Using the sizing information gathered for this chiller, obtain the total water depth required in the distribution
pan. Adjust the makeup water valve to obtain this final level including the recirculation water depth calculated
from above. The water level will require a few minutes to stabilize with each adjustment.
Contact Paul Mueller Company’s Service Department at 1-800-756-5991 or DFETechService@paulmueller.com
for assistance with obtaining sizing data for the chiller.
TABLE 4: DISTRIBUTION PAN WATER FLOW RATES
Distribution Pan
Distribution
Plate
Size
Water Flow Rate (GPM) Per Plate vs. Height of Water in Pan
1" 1.25" 1.5" 1.75" 2" 2.25" 2.5" 2.75" 3" 3.25" 3.5" 3.75" 4" 4.25" 4.5" 4.75"
High Flow 3' x 5' 14.7 17.8 19.8 21.1 22.3 23.5 24.6 25.5 26.3 27.4 28.2 29
Low Flow 3' x 5' 9.1 9.9 10.7 11.3 11.9 12.5 12.9 13.5 13.9 14.3
Extra Low Flow 3' x 5' 5.8 6.4 6.75 7.2 7.45 7.8 8.15 8.4 8.65 8.95
High Flow 4' x 8' 31 33.3 35.8 37.6 39.3 40.5 42.4 43.5 44.8 46.5 47.8 48.8 50.2
Low Flow 4' x 8' 17.9 19.3 20.5 21.8 22.6 23.6 24.5 25.3 26.3 27.2 27.8 28.7
Extra Low Flow 4' x 8' 8.3 9.2 10 10.6 11.3 11.9 12.5 13 13.4 13.9 14.3 14.6 15.2 15.5