BuzzWord

Air-Cooled Chillers – Answering the What Question

Air-Cooled Chillers are basically a refrigeration system that work by transferring the heat energy from fluids.  Air-Cooled Chillers are used in a wide variety of settings and industries including medical, pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology, semiconductor, food, construction, plastic, and many others

Air-Cooled Chillers condense refrigerant.  This is accomplished by relying on a condenser, cooled by the ambient air, and fans to move the air over a finned coil to condense the refrigerant.  The heat removed by the air-cooled chillers is then transferred to the surrounding environment.  Often times this heat generates savings by heating or warming a space during the winter months.

Evaporation – In order to chill the fluid, a refrigeration process must first take place.   The refrigeration process and lowers the temperature.  A liquid refrigerant flows over the evaporator tube bundle where evaporation occurs, and vapor appears.

Compression – Once vapor appears, the compressor pulls the vapor from the evaporator and increases the pressure

Condensation –Leaving the compressor, the vapor reaches a condenser where the temperature is increased.  The refrigerant condenses in the condenser tubes and releases its internal heat to the air.

Expansion – The high-pressure liquid moves through the expansion valve and returns to the evaporator where the refrigerant pressure is reduced causing flash evaporation and auto-refrigeration of typically less than half of the liquid.

Advantages to Air-Cooled Chillers.

1 – There is less water consumption because a water source is not required.  Air-Cooled Chillers do not require a cooling tower.

2 – Easily set-up.  Air-Cooled Chillers are easy to set-up and start-up.

3 – Typically lower start-up costs.  No water treatment costs, lower maintenance costs.  Typically, Air-Cooled Chillers have fewer parts so there is less of a demand for maintenance.

4 – Less function space is required for Air-Cooled Chillers.  A mechanical room is not required, and the chiller may be placed in a parking lot or roof.

Budzar Industries has the capability and experience to design, engineer and manufacture both stationary and portable air-cooled chillers to your exact specifications.

Air-Cooled Chillers are typically located outdoors and can be on the roof, parking lot or at ground level, wherever there is access to a lot of fresh air to reject the heat generated by the process.  If the chiller is placed indoors, it is important that there be adequate ventilation.

If you still have questions as to whether an Air-Cooled Chiller is the best option for your facility, contact our team today.