How does a water-cooled chiller work?
A Water-Cooled chiller removes heat from a process in the same way as an air-cooled recirculating chiller, but uses a facility chilled water supply rather than ambient air to reject that heat from the refrigeration system.
This can make a Water-Cooled configuration particularly useful where reducing heat rejection into the surrounding environment is important, where ambient temperatures are challenging, or where lower operating noise is beneficial.
How does a water-cooled chiller remove heat?
A recirculating chiller continuously circulates process fluid between the chiller and the equipment being cooled.
As the process fluid passes through the customer’s equipment, it absorbs heat. The warmed fluid then returns to the chiller, where that heat is transferred into the refrigeration circuit.
The refrigeration circuit uses a vapour-compression cycle to move the heat away from the process.
The key difference between air-cooled and water-cooled chillers is how the refrigeration system then rejects this heat.
What is the difference between air-cooled and water-cooled chillers?
In an air-cooled chiller, the condenser rejects heat into the surrounding air. Fans move air across the condenser to enable this heat transfer.
In a water-cooled chiller, condenser heat is instead transferred into a separate facility chilled water circuit.
The facility water carries the heat away from the chiller, rather than the heat being discharged directly into the surrounding room.
Importantly, the facility chilled water is separate from the process fluid being circulated between the chiller and the customer’s application.
What does a water-cooled chiller need to operate?
A Water-Cooled configuration requires access to a suitable facility chilled water system.
The facility water supply must be appropriate for the requirements of the particular chiller. The required water temperature, flow, pressure, and connections are model-specific and should be confirmed using the relevant technical documentation.
If you are considering a Water-Cooled configuration, provide ATC with details of the facility water available so that we can confirm whether it is suitable for the proposed chiller.
What are the benefits of a water-cooled chiller?
Where a suitable facility water supply is available, a Water-Cooled configuration can offer several advantages.
Because condenser heat is transferred into the facility water rather than directly into the surrounding air, it can reduce heat rejection into the room. This can be particularly useful in laboratories, production areas, equipment rooms, and other spaces where managing environmental temperature is important.
Water-cooled operation can also provide more stable condenser conditions, making it better suiter to some high-ambient applications.
Removing the air-cooled condenser fan can also contribute to lower operating noise.
Is a water-cooled chiller more efficient?
Water-cooled configurations provide efficient and stable condenser cooling where an appropriate facility chilled water supply is available.
However, whether a water-cooled configuration is the best solution depends on the complete installation.
The availability and condition of the facility water supply, operating temperatures, process cooling requirements, and wider facility infrastructure should all be considered when selecting the configuration.
ATC recirculating chillers are designed for indoor installation unless a specific non-standard solution has been assessed and approved for another environment.
Always refer to the manual for your particular chiller before installation.
Is a Water-Cooled Configuration available on every ATC chiller?
Water-Cooled is a pre-defined configuration available on compatible ATC chiller models.
ATC configurations are model-specific and cannot necessarily be combined with other configurations. For example. a water-cooled configuration would not also require the high ambient configuration, as the two use different approaches to condenser cooling.
Check the specification for your chosen model or speak to ATC Sales to confirm which configurations are available.
When should I consider a water-cooled chiller?
A Water-Cooled configuration may be suitable where:
- A suitable facility chilled water system is already available
- Reducing heat rejection into the surrounding room is desirable
- Lower operating noise would be beneficial
- The installation is subject to challenging ambient temperatures
- Water-cooled operation is preferable for integration with the wider facility
If facility cooling water is not available, an air-cooled chiller will usually provide the more straightforward installation.
Which configuration is right for my application?
The best choice depends on both your process cooling requirements and the environment in which the chiller will operate.
When requesting a quotation, tell ATC about your application, required cooling capacity, process fluid temperature, flow requirements, coolant, ambient conditions, and available electrical supply.
If you are considering a Water-Cooled configuration, also provide details of the facility chilled water supply available at the installation site.
Our Sales and Engineering teams can then help to identify an appropriate chiller and configuration for your application.
