Free Cooling Chiller

Free cooling is the principle of using ambient air temperatures to cool return water whenever possible, rather than using mechanical refrigeration.  The chiller has an in-built free cooling coil which enables it to intelligently sense the temperature of both the return fluid and the ambient air.    

When the ambient temperature is lower than that of the return water temperature, a 3-way valve controller diverts the process return water to the free cooling coil.  The coil exchanges the heat in the water to the cooler ambient air, cooling the fluid.  The only mechanical action needed to achieve this is that of the fans which pull the air across the coil.  In using just fans – rather than energy-hungry components such as a compressor – energy usage is drastically reduced. Plus, if you decrease the amount of time mechanical components are being used, you’ll extend their life span and keep maintenance costs to a minimum.  

The ambient air temperature determines whether partial or full free cooling is achievable.  When you consider the temperatures of a typical UK winter, you soon see how the energy and associated savings add up.