Water scarcity is one of the main problems in many regions of the world. The scale of the issue can be evidenced by various attempts to desalinate water. In recent years the nexus between water and energy is gaining attraction.
So, the question of whether to use water is important when doing a feasibility study on cooling plants for industries. Read below to understand the difference between air-cooled and water-cooled chiller systems and their benefits:
Water-cooled screw chiller
Water serves as the condensing medium in a water cooled screw chiller. In condensers, heated gas from the compressor is condensed using water from the cooling tower. There is no change to the remaining refrigerant cycle. The final gas cools down in temperature when it does a heat exchange with a warm medium in the evaporator coils.
A cooling tower uses chiller condensers to circulate water. So it is a place where unwelcome heat is dissipated. The device receives air from a large fan, which mixes with warm water coming from the condenser. Water cools because of the heat exchange that occurs between the air and water.
What is air cooled screw chiller?
An air cooled screw chiller uses air as the condensing medium. The hot gas that is expelled from the compressor is cooled using condensing fans. There is no change to the remaining refrigerant cycle. The final gas cools down in temperature when it does a heat exchange with a warm medium (air or water) in the evaporator coils.
To lower the temperature of the refrigerant gas leaving the compressor, ambient air from outside is used. The incoming air allows heat exchange by sucking air from outside. The outgoing fans additionally exhaust the warm air that results outside.
Differences between air cooled and water cooled screw chillers
The primary distinction between air-cooled and water-cooled screw chillers is that the water cooled ones use humid air, and air cooled ones use pure ambient air.
- As air-cooled models don't need cooling towers, they are easier to set up.
- Air-cooled chillers are simpler to operate and maintain in comparison to water-cooled chillers, where you will also need to maintain cooling towers.
- Size is the fundamental benefit of water-cooled chillers. In contrast to air-cooled chillers, which have a maximum capacity of 500 tonnes, the cooling capacity of water-cooled chillers is 10–4000 tonnes.
- Water-cooled chillers outlast air-cooled ones in terms of both lifespan and efficiency. They are also more effective than air-cooled ones.
- If you look at space usage, air-cooled chillers take up more room than water-cooled chillers because of the space taken up by condenser fans.
Benefits of air-cooled and water-cooled screw chillers
Any powered equipment has to take the cost of energy into account. Although the chiller directly affects energy usage, there are other elements to take into account. The air-cooled chiller competes with the water-cooled chiller in a variety of areas, including installation costs, maintenance costs, equipment counts, and energy efficiency.
Most notably, air-cooled ammonia chillers don't use water, making them the best alternatives in places with a limited supply of water. But the water-cooled last longer and can accommodate a larger area.
If you are looking for a chiller system, then Refcon chillers complete cooling system would be the right place for all your chiller system needs. They are one of the screw chiller manufacturers in India and offer higher quality systems at very affordable rates in the market.
