Cooled water compression chiller

What is a water-cooled compression chiller?

One of the types of compression chillers is water cooled compression chillers or water chillers.

The main components of a water chiller include compressor, condenser, evaporator, cooling tower, pump, electric expansion valve, refrigerant and piping.

In this type of chillers, electrical energy is used to create cold. Refrigerant displacement is done by the compressor and it works based on the compression refrigeration cycle.

How does a water-cooled compression chiller work?

The cooling water of the in chiler is related to its condenser, which is a shell & tube heat exchanger, and in some applications, a compact plate is used.

In this type of condensers, water is used to cool the refrigerant gas and turn it into a liquid.

The condenser is connected to the cooling tower, and the water leaving the condenser also needs the cooling tower to be cooled. Finally, the water is cooled in the evaporator and transferred to cooling equipment such as fan coils and air conditioners or industrial applications through piping.

Generally there are 3 cycles in a small tera water chiller.

1. Refrigerant cycle: Refrigerant leaves the compressor with high pressure and enters the condenser and is converted into a liquid by the cooled water, then passes through the expansion valve and enters the operator, which is at a lower pressure. This pressure drop causes the liquid to evaporate and absorbs the heat of the operator’s water and cools the water around the evaporator and returns to the compressor after leaving the evaporator.
2. Cooling tower water cycle: The water cooled in the cooling tower enters the condenser. It cools the refrigerant and returns to the cooling tower. Then, when the air passes over the water, the heat from the water is transferred to the air and after cooling, it returns to the condenser.
3. Building cooling water cycle: heat enters the operator from the building and is transferred to the refrigerant in the evaporator and returns to the building after cooling. The water is cooled by the refrigerant in the evaporator, then enters the fan coil and air conditioner, and finally returns to the evaporator to cool down.

A few tips about water-cooled compression chillers:

• The dimensions of these chillers range from 20 tons to several thousand tons and use the water recirculation system used in the condenser by the cooling tower to condense the refrigerant.
• A cooling tower is needed in these chillers, but it is not needed in an air-cooled chiller.
• These types of chillers are usually used for medium and large installations where there is sufficient water storage.
• The condensing temperature of the refrigerant in the water-cooled chiller is significantly lower than that of the air-cooled chiller.
• These chillers have better efficiency than air-cooled chillers. One of the reasons for this is the pressure temperature of the refrigerant, which in a water-cooled chiller can often be significantly lower than in an air-cooled chiller.
• These chillers have a longer lifespan than air-cooled chillers. The reason for this is that they are located in protected environments inside the building.
• They have higher installation and maintenance costs than air-cooled chillers. One of the reasons for this is because of additional equipment such as cooling towers compared to air-cooled chillers.