An active coolant cooling system for applications in surface grinding

In many precision machining processes such as surface grinding, coolant is typically used to provide functions such as lubrication and cooling. In order to reduce surface grinding temperatures effectively, an active coolant cooling system is proposed. The system is based on the use of forced convection of the heat generated during the machining process. The coolant cooling system utilizes a commonly used air conditioner for ease of use and to reduce costs. In the proposed design, the evaporator of the heat pump is connected to the coolant tank of a surface grinding machine to reduce grinding temperatures for improved stability of accuracy and surface quality. This can be done without compromising production efficiency. System structure is explained and a coolant temperature model presented. Experimental testing on a prototype active cooling system is presented. The coolant temperature can be reduced to approximately −2 °C under no load condition, and to approximately 3 °C under loaded condition. The time constants of the cooling system were estimated. The results of the experimental tests demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed system for applications in surface grinding for active coolant cooling in comparison with passive cooling.