WATER COOLED CHILLER

Water-cooled chiller systems have a cooling tower, thus they feature higher efficiency
than air-cooled chillers.

Water-cooled chillers are more efficient because they condense depending on the
ambient temperature bulb temperature, which is lower than the ambient dry bulb
temperature. The lower a chiller condenses, the more efficient it is.

This system has several essential components including:

 Cooling towers
 Condenser water pumps
 Make-up water pumps
 Chillers
 TES reservoirs
What are the benefits of a water-cooled chiller?

Some users may prefer these chillers because of the smaller size they occupy as
compared to air-cooled chillers. These chillers also feature higher efficiency and last
longer than the mentioned alternative. Those who would like the equipment to be
placed indoors may find the water-cooled machine desirable.

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IN THE EVAPORATOR
The role of the evaporator is to produce chilled water. The device releases the water
at about 6°C (42.8°F) and pushes it throughout the facility with the help of a pump.

A network of pipes passes the chilled water through every necessary section of the
building. After exchanging coldness with room air, which blows across the Air Handling
Units (AHU’s) and fan coil units (FCU’s), the water is now warmer at about 12°C (53.6°F).
It returns to the evaporator where the refrigerant absorbs the unwanted heat and
directs it to the condenser. The chilled water is cool once again and it can now continue
to cool the facility. Note how this is called “chilled water” throughout no matter the
temperature.

IN THE CONDENSER
A refrigerant brings unwanted heat from the evaporator and passes through the
condenser. There is another loop connected to the condenser- the condenser water
loop, which is between the cooling tower and the condenser.

After entering the condenser at about 27°C (80.6°F), the water leaves at 32°C (89.6°F)
and heads to the cooling tower. Note that at no time do the refrigerant and the
condenser contact directly. Heat exchange is only through a pipe wall. The condenser
water, with the unwanted heat, goes to the cooling tower for further heat rejection.

IN THE COOLING TOWERS

This is where the unwanted heat in a facility ends up. A large fan feeds the unit with
air. The air meets with the oncoming condenser water. From the direct contact, the
condenser water loses heat to the air. The condenser water goes back to the condenser
the cycle continues. These open-topped devices come in many designs depending on
many factors. Examples are cross flow, counter flow, natural draft and mechanical draft.
Stay with us for a coverage of these designs in upcoming posts.

This is a good way of settling the cooling tower vs. chiller confusion. However, if you still
need more details about the water-cooled chiller components and operation, reach
out to our team and you will get help.

Now, compare it to the air-cooled chiller discussed below.

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AIR COOLED CHILLER
Where aesthetics and environmental conditions or water access restrictions exist, air-
cooled chiller may be applied. Both air-cooled and water-cooled chillers depend on an
air stream as a means of heat transfer.

The difference is that the water-cooled chillers or rather the cooling towers use a humid
air stream (ambient air stream + water spray) while the air-cooled chillers use a current
of ambient air.

Normally water-cooled chillers are cheaper and more efficient, with the disadvantage
of high water consumption.

ARANER has found a way of combining modern manufacturing methods and advanced
technology to achieve highly effective and efficient air-cooled chillers.
Owing to that, the company’s chiller plants are very competitive to water chilled chillers
in different aspects. For example, these plants are very impressive in terms of
footprint, efficiency and noise.

Unfortunately, some people still believe that air cooled chillers cannot offer quite good
efficiencies. What such people only need to check is the performance of these chillers
two decades ago is the progressive increase in NPLV rating of air-cooled
chillers over the years.

Already, many chiller plants in the Middle East and elsewhere have adopted ARANER’s
air-cooled designs and have expressed satisfaction. When used in part load applications,
these chillers are very reliable.

In summary, here are the benefits of using air-cooled chillers:

 No cooling towers
 Better environmental stability-no water wastage
 Low maintenance costs
 Easier to operate and control-tower freezing and tower bypass absent
 Chemical costs avoided
 Water costs avoided, especially in cities
 No water problems to deal with in case of disaster

Fig 1: Air Cooled Chilled Alongside Water Cooled (Traditional) Chiller

HOW DO I CHOOSE BETWEEN THE TWO?
The cooling capacity is the main guideline for the choice of chiller. Equally crucial is
the balance between operating costs and capital costs.

Some clients will base their buying decision on initial cost. However, a value-based
option considers both operational cost and initial cost. To determine the initial cost
of each option, add the costs for both contractor and equipment. For the water-cooled
chiller, remember to add cooling tower.

When it comes to life cycle cost, you have to consider both purchase cost and
operating cost.

When you evaluate each of the two chillers this way, you are able to determine its total
cost. What you must note is that water-cooled chillers normally appear more valuable if
you ignore first cost and water cost. However, it is only after you look at the broader
costs that the true picture appears clearly.

CONCLUSION
Energy cost remains a major consideration in any powered equipment. Energy saving
measures are being implemented everywhere.

While the chiller has direct impact on energy usage, there are other factors to
consider. While the water-cooled chiller may be more energy efficient, it receives stiff
competition from air-cooled chiller in terms of installation cost, maintenance cost,
number of equipment and several other aspects.

Most importantly, air cooled chillers avoid water consumption so they are ideal
alternative in areas with water scarcity or areas with cheap energy but costly water fees.

Have you made your choice already?

Give us a call today for the most specialized and customized attention.

If you enjoyed this post, you may be want to know different heat rejection condensing
technologies.