You may be wondering how chillers and cooling towers work. And you may be asking yourself: “which is best for my business?”. That’s why we’ve created this mini, easy to digest guide on what both pieces of equipment are, how they work (and how they work together) and why they may be beneficial to your business. Interested? Find out everything you need below.
Firstly, it’s important that you understand the product before you make any decisions. So, what is a cooling tower? Generally speaking, a cooling tower is a specialist piece of equipment used to control temperatures and cool down vital machinery. It uses a process called ‘evaporative cooling’, where cooling water and air are in direct contact with each other, to lower the temperature of the hot water. This then allows small amounts of water to evaporate, and therefore continue to lower the temperature of the water circulating throughout the tower.
A chiller is also an industrial unit used to control temperature, by transferring heat from one place to another. Where cooling towers make use of the internal basin and pumps, chillers use compressors and two different types of heat exchangers – evaporator heat exchangers and condenser heat exchangers. Chillers are an essential component when it comes to regulating temperature, particularly in the food and beverage industry, oilfield production and during metal plating processes.
So, we’ve covered what both pieces of equipment are. But how does a cooling tower and chiller work together to create the perfect environment for your industrial processes? Depending on whether you opt for a water-cooled or air-cooled chiller, it will be located either on the roof of the building or in the basement. Whereas a cooling tower is used as the final location for any unwanted heat within the building, meaning it’s usually placed on the roof. When used in conjunction with each other, both units work on a vapor absorption cycle which primarily uses a refrigerating fluid to remove heat from the building.
In the condenser system, a refrigerant cycle works in tandem with the evaporator cylinder and eventually the condenser cylinder. The heat is constantly moving out of the evaporator before reaching the condenser, without the two water lines ever meeting. The warm water then rises and makes its way to the cooling tower on the roof.
Wondering how cooling tower and chiller hire can benefit you and your business? Find out more below:
Interested in using them on your site? Now you know how chillers and cooling towers work, contact us today for more information or find out more about our cooling equipment hire online.