In the last blog post, we described two temperature applications in the bathroom (internal) and how the versatile LAUDA ECO thermostat can be precisely adapted to them. The first example was dedicated to testing glass according to DIN ISO 719, the second to the so-called fogging test according to DIN ISO 75201. Today we will focus on two external application examples. Firstly, the temperature control of external consumers in production and then the temperature control of a 4-channel test stand.
Reminder: Key features of the ECO
The ECO circulators offer a wide temperature range of -50 to 200 °C. Depending on the requirements, they are available with a heating capacity of 2 or 2.6 kW and with a cooling capacity of 300 to 700 W. The ECO series is highly variable and can be precisely adapted to different requirements, as it can be used for both external and internal applications. Bath volumes from 3.5 to 40 L, numerous accessories, and different variants and displays do the rest for flexibility.
- Temperature control of consumers – a booster pump in production
In industry, a booster pump is used in applications where a certain fluid pressure is required to ensure optimum production. This may be the case, for example, in the production of chemical products, food, or pharmaceuticals. In this specific example (Figure 1), cellulose acetate is produced. Starting with cellulose as the raw material, several production steps (preparation of the cellulose, addition of acetic anhydride, a catalyst and heat, hydrolysis to remove the excess acetic acid, final filtration and purification) yield cellulose acetate – a polymeric plastic that can be used in a wide variety of applications: Film and foils, coatings, varnishes, textile fibers, eyeglass frames, combs, and buttons, stationery such as ink pens, medical products such as bandages, or as a carrier material for pharmaceuticals.

In some production scenarios, it is necessary to temperature control the booster pump to achieve consistent performance. A temperature that is too high or too low can lead to problems such as poor product quality or lower pump efficiency.
Since the pump is located in a production line, the connected thermostat must run reliably day and night for years to prevent downtime of the entire line. The LAUDA ECO is installed once by plug-and-play, the temperature is set and then it can be used in continuous operation. In the case shown, a working temperature of 22 °C must be maintained, for which water is a suitable temperature control medium. Therefore, pump connection pieces made of plastic are the accessories of choice. The thermostat chosen is the ECO RE 1050 S, which perfectly covers the required temperature, durability, and performance.
- Tempering of test stands – e.g. 4-channel test stand
In this example, basic research is being conducted on electrolysis cells. More precisely, PEM electrolysis cells are tested to produce hydrogen. PEM stands for Proton Exchange Membrane, which describes the solid polymer electrolyte of the cell. While an 8-channel booth is currently being planned and even a 40-channel booth is envisaged in the long term, a 4-channel booth is shown here. This means that four cells are tested simultaneously to generate reliable process data on current density distribution, dynamic operating behavior, and gas purity, and to evaluate these later.
This application has the following requirements:
- Operating temperature: 80 °C
- Temperature consistency +/- 0.1 K
- Operating time: unattended continuous operation (days, weeks, …)
- Ethernet interface for data recording
- Programmer for starting the temperature
- Two temperature sensors to determine the temperature at the input and output of the electrolysis cell

Four LAUDA ECO E 4 S are used to meet these requirements, one thermostat per fuel cell. With its small volume, the E 4 S is optimally suited to tempering external consumers and at the same time powerful enough to quickly reach 80 °C and maintain it permanently. The thermostats are controlled via an Ethernet interface to allow external monitoring as well as data storage. The ECO Silver head fulfills the need for a programmer and the ability to precisely set the control parameters so that overshoot is avoided.
The vision for the future 40-channel test stand also includes a new connectivity and device concept, for which this customer is already in conversation with LAUDA. While the ECO is reliable for many applications and has been proven many times over, LAUDA is also always keen to drive further developments in exchange with users and according to their needs. When the time comes to present the innovations, there will of course be a detailed article about it here.