How air-cooled chiller works: a comparison between the three types of chillers

Chillers are crucial parts of commercial HVAC systems because they increase the cooling
capacity of HVAC systems. When selecting a chiller, it's essential to understand the many
varieties and their levels of efficiency. We compare the efficiency of various chillers in this blog
post to assist you in choosing the best chiller type for your HVAC system and your entire
commercial space.

Several types of chillers explained:

There are various kinds of screw chillers to consider, and they all function differently.
Compressors are used by some chillers and not by others. The different kinds of chillers consist
of:

● Centrifugal chillers:

By compressing kinetic energy, they convert it to static energy. Using its impeller blades, it
sucks refrigerant in, raises its pressure, and then rejects the heat it contains. One form of air-
cooled screw chiller that uses a mechanical compressor is the centrifugal chiller.

● Absorption Chillers:

These chillers circulate hot water or steam via tubes, where the refrigerant boils off and turns
into vapor that enters the condenser. Returned refrigerant goes back to the absorber, which is
absorbed into a lithium bromide solution and converted back into vaporized refrigerant. The
absorber replaces a mechanical compressor found in centrifugal chillers and other chillers.
Absorption chillers come in three varieties: direct-fired, double-effect, and single-effect.

● Modular Chillers:

There are three types of modular chillers: screw, scroll, and centrifugal. These various kinds
determine the way the chiller operates with its refrigerant. The ability to combine two or more
modular chillers to increase the cooling capacity of your HVAC system is the primary distinction
between modular scroll chillers and other types of chillers. In this configuration, one or more
modular air-cooled scroll chillers are subservient to the primary modular chiller, ensuring their
harmonic operation.

These are only a handful of the chillers that your industrial or commercial HVAC system can
utilize.

Water-cooled vs. air-cooled chillers:

The many types of chillers that were previously stated have different configurations and
techniques for boosting an HVAC system's cooling capacity. Air-cooled and water-cooled screw
chillers are two further ways to distinguish between various kinds of chillers.

For instance, an absorption chiller is a water-cooled scroll chiller. Condenser water is cycled
through a cooling tower by water-cooled chillers.

Water or air-cooled chillers:

Air-cooled or water-cooled cooling systems work well in medium- to large-scale corporate

HVAC installations since they don't react negatively to temperature variations. The surrounding
air cools air-cooled chiller condensers. They are found in limited areas of small- to medium-
sized commercial HVAC installations.

Air-cooled scroll compressor chillers are more environmentally sensitive than water-cooled
chillers, but their simpler designs make them less expensive to install and maintain. As you
choose a chiller for your commercial HVAC system, bear these two types of chillers in mind.

Final Thoughts

We've covered the main varieties of chillers. However, choosing the ideal one is difficult. Users
can choose them to depend on cost, location, space, maintenance costs, and other factors.

Summary:

This blog post compares centrifugal, absorption, and modular chillers and addresses air-cooled
and water-cooled chillers. It stresses the necessity of chiller efficiency and choosing the right
kind for commercial HVAC systems based on cost, location, space, and maintenance.

Resource Box:

Refcon Chillers manufactures high-quality scroll chillers for industrial cooling. High-tech scroll
chillers provide optimal temperature control and are a solid solution for organizations that
need effective cooling systems.