Air Cooled Packaged Chiller

What is an Air Cooled Packaged Chiller?

Air cooled packaged chillers typically consist of multiple chillers together, they are also a type of cooling system. Instead of using water that has a higher specific heat capacity, they use ambient air as the heat dissipation medium. One key advantage of an air cooled packaged chiller is the elimination of cooling towers and cooling water systems, this reduces the water requirements and enables operation in arid regions like deserts. These units can cool a wide range of equipment.

If you’re seeking a reliable air cooled packaged chiller for your project, consider Top Chiller. With ten years of producing experience, we deliver high quality industrial cooling solutions.

How Does an Air Cooled Packaged Chiller Work?

The operational process of an Air Cooled Packaged Chiller is not complicated. You only need to remember some essential components, including the evaporator, compressor, and condenser, to gain a solid understanding of the process.

The water pipes of an air cooled packaged chiller typically connect to the equipment requiring cooling. The high temperature water discharged from the equipment flows through these pipes, where its heat is absorbed by the refrigeration unit within the evaporator. This process vaporizes the refrigerant into a gas.

Then, the compressor will compress the gas to high temperature and pressure, then a fan will release the absorbed heat from the water into the surrounding air. Finally, the refrigerant gas liquefies again within the condenser and enters the evaporator again to initiate a new refrigeration cycle.

The Components of an Air Cooled Packaged Chiller

Evaporator

Typically, the water we cool has a relatively high temperature. The evaporator serves as the location for heat exchange. It commonly uses copper or stainless steel tubes to transfer heat to the coolant, thereby cooling the water while transferring its heat to the coolant, causing it to vaporize. This requires the evaporator to have sufficient insulation to prevent cold loss and maintain performance.

Evaporators are generally divided into two types, one of them includes shell or tube evaporators, they are typically suited for large industrial equipment and often paired with additional water buffer tanks for enhanced performance. While another type are coil evaporators, they have built-in water storage tanks that can eliminate the need for separate buffers, offering greater convenience.

Compressor

The function of the compressor is to compress the vaporized refrigerant into a high temperature, high pressure gas, so that the gas can enter the condenser to dissipate the heat and achieve the liquefaction.

Condenser

The condenser dissipates the heat from the high temperature, high pressure refrigerant gas delivered by the compressor into the surrounding air, causing the gas to condense. This process is always facilitated by a fan.

Top Chiller’s condenser features high efficiency cross slotted fins and internally threaded copper tubes, delivering superior heat exchange efficiency and exceptional stability.

Water Pump/Water Tank

The water pump is the role that drives the water circulation system, it functions by sucking in and discharging the water that requires cooling. At the same time water tank stores water to increase the circulating volume, stabilizing the system pressure and ensuring continuous flow.

Controller

An air cooled packaged chiller also employs a controller to regulate and monitor temperature and pressure, enabling real-time insight into the unit’s operational status.

To this end, Top Chiller has developed a highly intelligent PLC, allowing remote monitoring of your equipment for timely issue detection and safety assurance. Contact us immediately for a quote.

Enclosure

The enclosure protects the entire system and is typically machined using CNC lathes to ensure precise shape and dimensions. Top Chiller’s fully enclosed chillers feature enclosure panels precision processed with CNC punching presses and finished with electrostatic powder coating, delivering an aesthetically pleasing appearance and excellent sound insulation.

What are the Benefits of Using an Air Cooled Packaged Chiller?

Easy Installation

Unlike water cooled chillers, an air cooled packaged chiller typically does not require a cooling tower for operation. This results in a simpler structure and easier installation for you, allowing it to be rapidly deployed.

Simple Maintenance

This straightforward design facilitates easier following maintenance. You won’t need frequent inspections of the cooling water system or replacements, this also helps save you maintenance costs.

Wide Application

In fact, air cooled packaged chillers do not operate entirely without water, they require only a minimal amount. Consequently, even in arid or water scarce regions, air cooled packaged chillers deliver outstanding cooling performance. Their footprint is smaller than that of water cooled models and offers greater flexibility in selecting installation locations.

How to install an Air Cooled Packaged Chiller?

First, you need to find a suitable location for installing an air cooled packaged chiller. This location must not only have sufficient space but also allow for proper ventilation and heat dissipation around the unit.

If the unit is placed directly against walls on all sides, it may cause poor heat dissipation, leading to overheating and potential malfunctions. Next, you can connect the necessary pipes, such as securing the power supply location and connecting water lines. To ensure optimal equipment performance, you can also fill the system with an appropriate amount of circulating water to guarantee smoother water flow during operation.  

Applications of Air Cooled Packaged Chillers

Air cooled packaged chillers can be used in a wide range of aspects of modern society. I will introduce it to you below.

Commercial Air Conditioning

As highly efficient heat dissipation equipment, air cooled packaged chillers can be employed to cool the entire buildings and ensure a comfortable indoor temperature environment.

Medical Temperature Control Environments

The medical field often has specific temperature control requirements, particularly for medical laboratories or precision equipment used in healthcare. These chillers can cool precision equipment during operation and provide a constant temperature environment to maintain stable performance.

Industrial Cooling

In industrial settings, air cooled packaged chillers also play a vital role. They cool circulating water for equipment in processes like electroplating and injection molding, preventing overheating that could reduce the production efficiency.

Food Industry Temperature Control

Air cooled packaged chillers also assist with temperature regulation in food applications. Beyond cooling equipment’s circulating water, they precisely control fermentation temperatures and provide low temperature environments for beverages and dairy products to ensure the production quality.

With the food sector’s specific requirements, it’s significant for you to select food grade materials. For example, evaporator coils made from stainless steel grades 304 or 316 can effectively prevent the contamination of liquids.

Factors to Consider When Purchasing an Air Cooled Packaged Chiller

When selecting an air cooled packaged chiller, several parameters must be considered, such as the power rating, which is the most critical factor when purchasing electrical equipment. In the meantime, the size of connecting pipes, refrigerant type are the factors you also need to take into account.

Power Rating

Power rating is a crucial factor. Different countries often have varying standards for industrial power supply. After confirming your local power requirements, you can make your selection. We offer common power specifications including 208-230V, 380-420V, 440-480V, 50Hz or 60Hz, three-phase, etc. Feel free to contact Top Chill anytime for consultation.

Size of Connecting Pipe

This value is typically determined by your equipment’s water flow rate. For higher flow rates, we recommend you select a connection pipe with a larger diameter. Of course, the specific dimensions may still need to be determined based on your equipment’s actual size. Top Chill also offers customization options. Please feel free to contact us.

Refrigerants

Top Chill offers several refrigerants including R22, R410A, R407C, R404A, and R134A.

Comparatively, R22 provides superior cooling performance. However, as it is a greenhouse gas, you should verify whether its use is restricted in your region before selecting it. While R407C serves as an alternative to R22, it also delivers effective cooling performance.

R410A is a more environmentally friendly option that has replaced R22 as the preferred refrigerant for residential and commercial air conditioning systems in Japan, Europe, and the United States.

R404A achieves cooling performance below -30°C. If you require lower temperatures, this type is recommended.

For high temperature applications, we recommend R134A. As a non flammable gas, it ensures enhanced operational safety and is particularly suitable for air cooled packaged chillers operating in elevated ambient temperatures.

If you have further questions, please consult our online customer service or refer to our product manual.