Types of Chillers for Commercial and Industrial Use

There are three types of chillers, they are air-cooled chillers, water cooled chillers and evaporative condensed chillers. 

Water Cooled Chillers

The most common chillers use water from an external tower to cool the gaseous refrigerant in the condenser. After the heat is discharged, the refrigerant undergoes a phase change to become liquid, and then recirculates into the system.

Pros

Water-cooled chillers are generally more efficient than air-cooled chillers

They run quieter than air-cooled systems

They are suitable for small-scale and commercial-scale cooling

Portable solution is suitable for space-constrained facilities

Cons

The installation and maintenance costs of water-cooled chillers can be high due to additional cooling towers, water tanks and water pumps

Since they require a continuous supply of cooling water, they may not be suitable for places where water is scarce or restricted

The water-cooled system requires regular treatment of the condenser water to prevent the formation of mineral deposits in the system.

Air-Cooled Chillers

Air-cooled chillers use ambient air to remove heat from the refrigerant in the condenser before condensing and recirculating. In addition, the fan installed on the device helps speed up the cooling process. Air-cooled chillers are suitable for applications where heat emission is not a problem, because they tend to generate a lot of heat on site.

Pros

Portable solution is suitable for space-constrained facilities

Air-cooled chillers can be used for small-scale and commercial-scale cooling, depending on size and chiller capacity

Compared with water cooling systems, their installation and maintenance costs are lower

The heat discharged from the cooler can be used to heat the facility during cold periods, thereby providing additional cost and power savings.

Cons

Air-cooled chillers use cooling fans that generate a certain degree of noise

Air-cooled chillers have a shorter lifespan than water-cooled chillers

Evaporative Condensing Chillers

Evaporative condensing chillers are an effective substitute for air or water condensing chillers. This kind of cooling technology provides 15 to 200+ tons of evaporative condensing chillers, and can choose the most suitable system for a specific application. For a long time, evaporation has been used to transfer heat to the atmosphere.

What are chillers used?

Chillers are used to cooling air, water, gas, solid parts in many industries. In our daily life we can see chillers used used to cool high-heat specialized items such as MRI machines and lasers, and in hospitals, hotels and campuses. Chillers for industrial applications can be centralized, where a single chiller serves multiple cooling needs, or decentralized where each application or machine has its own chiller.