Air Cooled Chillers
Air cooled chillers are liquid chillers that absorb heat from process water
and can be transferred to the air around the water chiller. Air cooled chillers,
the most common type of liquid chillers, require less maintenance than water-cooled
units and eliminate the need for a cooling tower or water pump. Because of
their need for high condensing temperatures (120° F to 140° F), however, air
cooled chillers require more power to operate, typically consuming approximately
10% more power than a water cooled unit. This is due to the fact that wet surfaces
transfer heat better than dry surfaces.
Air cooled chillers chill liquids, such as water, oil, brine, alcohol, glycol,
chemicals, acids, and custom fluids for industrial applications. They are generally
used in applications in which the additional heat they discharge is not a factor,
such as heating a factory during the winter. Air cooled chillers can be used
for applications including troughs, tanks, nozzles, mixers, rolls, air coils
and radiators, lasers, molds, dies, and heat exchangers, among others.
Air cooled chillers serve many purposes, including use in HVAC, plastics,
lasers, welding, wineries, micro-breweries, processing, and plant chillers.
Air cooled chillers may also be used for heat recovery. Models come in a wide
range of sizes, with portable models also available.