Chillers & Heaters

What Are Lab Chillers and Heaters?

Laboratory chillers and heaters are liquid-temperature control instruments that cool or heat circulating fluid and deliver it to connected equipment: reactors, condensers, rotary evaporators, spectrometers, chromatography columns, and viscometers. Recirculating chillers use compressor-based refrigeration to remove heat in a closed loop; heating circulators use resistive or induction elements to raise bath temperature. Heater-chiller combos integrate both functions in a single unit, enabling thermal cycling without a separate instrument. Temperature ranges across the category span approximately -120 degrees C to +400 degrees C, depending on the model family and manufacturer. Choose a chiller for equipment cooling or solvent recovery; choose a heater for reagent warming or enzyme assays; choose a combo unit when your workflow requires both heating and cooling cycles.

What You Will Find:

• Laboratory Recirculating Chillers utilize high-efficiency cooling loops to remove heat from external equipment, ensuring rapid and consistent temperature reduction for high-throughput systems.

• Immersion and Circulation Heaters deliver rapid thermal increases to circulating fluids, featuring digital control interfaces for precise management of complex heating cycles.

How to Choose Lab Chillers and Heaters

Cooling vs. heating vs. combo

Single-function recirculating chillers are the lowest-cost option when only cooling is needed, for example, jacketed reactor temperature control or rotary evaporator condenser cooling. Closed-system heater-chiller combos cost more but eliminate the need for two separate instruments and are preferred for workflows requiring thermal cycling, such as chemical synthesis with temperature ramps.

Temperature range

Confirm the achievable temperature at your actual heat load, not just the advertised minimum. A chiller rated to -80 degrees C may only reach that temperature with small glassware at low thermal load. Larger jacketed reactors (10 L and above) typically require higher-capacity units with flow rates of 20 L/min or more.

Air-cooled vs. water-cooled

Air-cooled chillers require no plumbing and fit most lab benches, but generate heat into the room and lose efficiency above 25 degrees C ambient. Water-cooled chillers are more efficient under high thermal loads and in warm rooms, but require drain and supply connections planned into the facility.

Flow rate and reservoir volume

Match the reservoir volume to the volume of fluid in the connected system. Flow rates from 10 L/min to 42 L/min are typical across benchtop and floor-standing models. External applications (jacketed vessels, instrument cooling lines) generally require higher flow rates than open bath immersion setups.

Control interface

PID controllers with digital setpoint display are standard. Higher-end models include programmable temperature ramps, RS-232/RS-485 or USB/Ethernet connectivity for data logging, and external Pt100 probe inputs for cascade control.

Specifications Context

Key specs to review before purchase: heating/cooling capacity in kW at the target setpoint temperature (not nominal max); reservoir volume in liters; pump flow rate (L/min) for external applications; and temperature stability, typically stated as plus or minus 0.1 degrees C for standard units. For closed systems handling flammable solvents, confirm the unit's DIN 12876-1 classification (Class III FL-rated units are compatible with flammable bath liquids). Units intended for North American labs should be specified for 120V/60Hz unless the facility has 208V or 240V service. 

Protect your equipment from thermal stress. Browse our chillers and heaters collection and contact the MBP team for a complete quote today.