Large premises such as entertainment or shopping centers, hospitals, hotels, production workshops and warehouses require a special air conditioning system. It should be closely related to the operation of heating and ventilation systems, and it is desirable that it not only cools the air, but also humidifies or dehumidifies it, depending on the characteristics of the building. And today air conditioning systems built on the basis of chillers cope best with such tasks.

What does such a system provide?

Chiller- or special refrigeration station - considered one of the most effective types of climate control equipment, which allows you to create optimal temperature and humidity conditions in any room. Her main function- water cooling, after which the pumping units are transported cold water through pipelines into the building. At the same time, chillers can be very diverse, but a system built on their basis always has many advantages:

• she gives maximum efficient cooling(or heating if required)
• it is economical- chillers do not consume too much electricity compared to other types of climate control equipment,
• she it's not too expensive o - the user will spend the most only when he develops the air conditioning system - this is the most energy-intensive part of the entire project, but it will quickly pay off,
• she multivariate- depending on the needs of the building and its inhabitants, you can choose the most different types equipment equipped with a whole range of special elements.

What types of chillers are there?

Available for sale different options of these units, but only 6 varieties are considered the main ones.

1. Chiller equipped with air cooling capacitor.

As a rule, such equipment operates on water, which acts as a coolant. This option is considered very economical and at the same time easy from the point of view of design and subsequent installation, however, air-cooled chillers also have a number of disadvantages. Among them:

• the ability to work only at positive temperatures,
• lack of regulation of high sound pressure levels (its indicators often go off scale beyond 62 dBA),
• the ability to completely defrost the chiller if the water was not drained completely or at the wrong time.

2. Chiller equipped with an air-cooled condenser function in outdoor installation and operating with non-freezing liquids.

As a rule, glycol acts as a heat exchanger and coolant in this situation, but it can also be water. Such a refrigeration station operates in a schedule of 5/10 degrees, and the chilled water after the heat exchanger has parameters of 7/12 degrees.

The advantages of this system are:

• the user does not need to empty it every season hydraulic system, and then fill it out again,
• The chiller evaporator never defrosts,
• the system is able to operate even at negative temperatures outside,
• In winter, such a system can be integrated with a dry cooling tower for free air cooling.

On the other hand, such chillers also have disadvantages. Among them:

• quite high price (compared to the previous model they cost about 30% more),
• higher energy consumption (due to glycol),
• more low temperature coolant,
• presence of a second hydraulic circuit,
• the need to use additional automation to prevent defrosting of the heat exchanger when the system is first started in winter after a long period of inactivity.

3. Chiller equipped with an integrated cooling tower.

This equipment makes it possible to implement free cooling in cold seasons, and the automation independently selects the optimal operating mode - operation of only the cooling tower, operation of only the compressor or mixed mode. This allows for maximum energy savings, which makes such a system very economical and allows the user to quickly recoup the costs of it.

Another advantage of this option is that a refrigeration station with such equipment can be used without intermediate heat exchangers.

4. Chiller equipped with a remote condenser.

The system can serve effectively in certain conditions, but in most cases of operation it will only have disadvantages:

• such a chiller costs 30-40% more than the first type,
• the system cannot work all year round in regions with cold climates,
• free cooling can only be achieved if the system works exclusively for this function,
• there should be a small distance between the chiller and the condenser, not exceeding 30 m,
• the system contains too much freon,
• To install such a chiller, only professionals with the highest qualifications will be required.

5. Chiller equipped with a liquid cooling function for the condenser, as well as a dry cooling tower.

The equipment is considered expensive, but it has many advantages:

• such a chiller has a high energy efficiency,
• there is absolutely no threat of the station defrosting,
• the system can operate all year round, withstanding temperatures down to -40 degrees,
• The chiller operates almost silently,
• the system is reliably protected,
• the equipment can be installed on the roof, and the load on the roof will be minimal,
• With minimal costs can be installed additional function free cooling,
• the distance between the chiller and the cooling tower can be unlimited,
• The chiller does not require complex seasonal maintenance.

However, this technique will be approximately 60% more expensive than the first option.

6. Centrifugal chiller or water-cooled station with a centrifugal compressor.

The equipment is considered very efficient, and the lower the coolant temperature, the higher the efficiency of the chiller. In order to increase it further, you can use an evaporative cooling tower, which will maintain the water temperature at 30 degrees. This option is perfect for large buildings that need high-power systems.

It should be noted that another important advantage of such a system is that its capital costs are low. But, on the other hand, there are also disadvantages - the cooling water circuit in such a chiller must be constantly recharged, and the minimum equipment performance will actually be 30% of the nominal value.

7. Absorption gas chiller equipped with water cooling function.

This equipment can use liquefied gas as fuel - imported or obtained from a gas pipeline (to install such a chiller, a reliable connection must be made to the gas pipeline). Also, this type of refrigeration system should be equipped with an evaporative cooling tower.

If the equipment is connected correctly, it will demonstrate excellent benefits:

• minimum relative energy consumption,
• high payback,
• the ability to generate heat in winter for space heating and hot water supply.

At the same time, capital costs for this type of equipment will be quite high, and the minimum chiller performance will be about 25% of the nominal value. Also, such equipment needs to recharge the cooling water circuits.

What to choose?

Considering all these options, it is enough to simply weigh the pros and cons, and you can roughly imagine which chiller option would suit you. However, the final choice should be made taking into account the specifics of the entire object and your personal wishes and requirements. In particular, you will need to take into account:

• cost and basic expenses of electricity,
• the price of connecting additional electrical capacities,
• price for network natural gas,
• characteristics of the climate in which you live,
• desired payback period for equipment,
• possibility of using an evaporative cooling tower,
• the ability to install a refrigeration station and its elements both inside and outside the building,
• features of the operational characteristics of the station at partial loads throughout the year,
• parameters of the cooled liquid and your requirements for them,
• Chiller maintenance cost throughout the year(price for materials and specialist work throughout the year),
• equipment service life.

For example, if you need to cool a server room, be sure to take into account that the cooling capacity of the equipment must be at least 1 thousand kW, the cost of connecting additional energy will be 1.5 thousand. USD/kW, and the minimum outside temperature will be up to - 40. At the same time, the equipment will work all year round and around the clock, and gas will not be used.

Considering these data, the optimal chiller option for the server room will be a free-cooling system (chiller No. 5) or a chiller with a built-in cooling tower (No. 3). The latter will be 20% cheaper upon purchase, and the former will be more economical later. However, in any situation, all capital investments in such a system (with equal maintenance costs and the same depreciation) will be 5-7 years, after which they will provide excellent savings. But if you need to connect additional electrical power (at a level of approximately 100 kW), the first option will definitely be more preferable from an economic point of view.

Chillers should be selected similarly for any other premises. And only after making all the exact calculations and comparing the technical specifications with different types stations that you could choose, you will be able to select the optimal climate control equipment.

with a remote condenser from a chiller with a built-in condenser (monoblock) is the absence of a final heat exchanger - a condenser - in its body. For this reason, it is also called a “condenserless” chiller. The condenser itself is present in the design, but is made in the form of a unit mounted separately from the refrigeration machine.

Fundamentally, the operation of condenserless chillers does not differ from that of monoblock designs, but schematically it looks different (see figure): The intermediate coolant (usually water) moves along a looped circuit, passing through the heat exchanger (evaporator) of the refrigeration unit. There, heat transfer occurs from the coolant to the refrigerant (freon). Freon evaporation is ensured by a system of valves, temperature and pressure sensors, and its circulation is ensured by a compressor. This part of the circuit is common to all types of chillers.

In condenserless chillers, the internal (freon) circuit is only partially located in the housing of the refrigeration unit and has leads for connecting its external part, in which the condenser is located.

The principle of locating the final heat exchanger separately from the main refrigeration equipment helps to significantly increase the cooling capacity of the entire system, without significantly increasing energy costs. A similar effect is achieved by installing capacitors in places where they interact freely with outside atmospheric air - on the roofs of buildings or in open areas near them. Air-cooled condensers are mounted in this way. Liquid-cooled condensers can (and are preferable) be installed indoors, taking the heat exchanger of the additional water circuit outside.

Advantages and disadvantages of a chiller with a remote condenser

Compared to a chiller with a built-in condenser, a “condenserless” chiller has a lot positive qualities, namely:

• — more favorable ratio of cooling performance and energy consumption;
• — no need for additional heat removal from the room in which the chiller is located;
• - the possibility of initially configuring the chiller with condensers of various designs, dimensions and power, or altering it in a similar way already installed system. IN the latter case there is no need to replace the refrigeration machine;
• — low noise level due to the placement of cooling fans outside the room. This feature also allows you to use the most economical option of equipping the condenser with axial fans;
• — effective cooling through “free cooling” (free cooling without the use of forced air) during the cold season;
• — all-season use with liquid-cooled condensers (with ethylene glycol as a coolant in an additional circuit). In the case of cooling with running water, it is possible to constantly obtain hot water(if there is a consumer).

The disadvantages of a chiller with a remote condenser are most often manifested in the following:

• - more complex, and therefore more expensive, installation compared to monoblock units;
• — the use of liquid cooling capacitors significantly increases the cost of the entire system;
• — limited length of connecting routes between the chiller and the remote condenser.

However, the last of the shortcomings is very doubtful, since experienced service technicians know many ways to eliminate it.

Chillers have long been used to equip air conditioning systems. The scope of their use is quite wide: from offices and private homes, to medical institutions and large industrial workshops. The installations gained such popularity due to their high efficiency, ease of use, and variety of design options.

Depending on the installation location of the heat exchanger, chillers can be monoblock (the chiller itself and the condenser are located in the same housing) or with a remote condenser unit. More often, preference is given to a one-piece design, which also includes a pumping station. The most common option is systems with an air-cooled condenser. This design is mounted outdoors to ensure full air flow to the heat exchanger.

When is a remote capacitor used?

There are situations when it is necessary to separate the chiller and heat exchanger. If the installation is used in the warm season, it operates successfully in its usual modification. But if the air temperature drops and reaches negative values, the possibility of equipment failure due to water freezing increases. To avoid this, water is removed from the system and the chiller is preserved.

When it is necessary to ensure continuous operation of cooling equipment, water is replaced with a more expensive one. antifreeze liquid. The above procedures are quite labor-intensive and financially expensive, since they should only be performed by professional workers with relevant experience.

The task is greatly simplified if you use not a monoblock chiller, but one equipped with a remote condenser. In this case, you can do without draining or replacing the water with another liquid. Chiller and pumping station are placed in a separate room, which is heated, and the heat exchanger is taken outside, since it still requires an influx large quantity air.

The operating principle of the installation and its equipment does not change. The main elements of the chiller will be:

• Compressor block.
• Evaporator.
• Heat exchanger.
• Throttling device.

The only drawback is the need to create a route connecting the cooling unit and the condenser. It is also necessary to take into account the height difference between the blocks. Therefore, when selecting equipment, you should pay attention to these two parameters and determine in advance a convenient installation location.

Selecting a chiller in the Smart Trading catalog is not difficult; you can always count on the help of qualified managers who will not only recommend quality equipment By favorable price, but also organize delivery and professional installation.

> Manufacture of refrigeration equipment > Liquid cooling units > Options and configurations of Vactekh chillers >

Chillers with remote condenser

Equipment "with remote condenser" used when it is impossible to place equipment with significant heat generation inside a workshop or engine room (for a rough estimate, the heat release in the condenser (in kW) is 30% higher than the cooling capacity of the chiller (in kW)). The chiller itself is installed in the heated room, and the air-cooled condenser is mounted on the roof, next to the building or on the wall of the building. For some eastern regions of Russia, where winter temperatures remain at -30...-35C for a long period of time, this is the only option for equipping water-cooling units with a cooling capacity of more than 50-100 kW. When ordering a chiller with a remote condenser, the customer is supplied with two modules: a refrigeration unit (the chiller itself) and an air-cooled condenser. Depending on the performance, the installations are equipped with remote capacitors of our own production, manufactured by the company Searle(England) or HTS(Czech Republic).

If a chiller with a remote condenser is operated in winter period time (at ambient temperatures below 0 C), then it is equipped with a winter start-up system, which is a system of bypass valves in the freon circuit, which allows the chiller to turn on after a long stay at low temperatures environment. All valves for the winter start-up system are built into the refrigeration unit during its manufacture.

Manufactured in Russia by the company TsentrProm-Kholod, various capacities are manufactured from 1 to 1000 kW. The assembly of water chillers with a remote condenser takes from 7 to 15 days to order, depending on the capacity and configuration of the chiller, upon prepayment. You can buy a chiller with a remote condenser through an online application.

Price of chillers with remote condenser

Electronic protection - time relay, provides delayed operation low pressure when the pressure in the condenser decreases, which is caused by the low outside temperature, and not by a lack of freon. In this case, the automation system does not identify a temporary decrease in pressure as an accident. After the time has elapsed, the emergency will disappear, the compressor, by means of injection, will raise the pressure in the chiller system using a remote condenser, and if the relay is triggered due to a lack of freon in the system, the alarm will be recorded and the chiller will automatically stop operating.