Things You Should Know Before Renting or Buying a Chiller

22, Jul. 2024

 

Things You Should Know Before Renting or Buying a Chiller

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Whether you're considering renting or buying a chiller, there are several factors you should consider before taking the first step to ensure you receive the right cooling level the first time around. In this article, we'll be answering the 4 most frequently asked questions regarding renting or buying chiller units.

Table of Contents

What is the difference between HVAC and chiller?

What are the different types of chillers?

Which type of chiller is best?

How much do chillers cost?

What is the difference between HVAC and chiller?

HVAC is an acronym for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. It is an encompassing set of technologies and solutions geared toward delivering optimal levels of heat, ventilation, and cooling needed by residents, businesses, and organizations. Chillers are a subset of HVAC; more specifically, chillers are one of the technologies falling under the AC part of HVAC.

When you hear the term 'AC, the first thing that might come to mind is window-type and split-type A/C units that are typically used to cool rooms. In a way, chillers are similar to these units since both solutions are designed to cool a particular area. However, there are some key differences in the purpose, size, and capacity of chiller units from their standard household counterparts.

Chillers are typically used for high-volume applications and industrial settings like hospitals, refineries, and power stations where a constant level of cooling is required over a large area. Considering their purpose, they're much bigger in size compared to typical A/C units and can bring more than 1,000 tons of cooling power, depending on the configuration. Household A/C units are usually limited in their ability to cool below 16°C, but chillers are designed to cool an area to levels below 16°C when needed. Simply put, chillers are one of many HVAC technologies which are specially designed for high-volume applications and industrial settings.

What are the different types of chillers?

There are 2 main types of chillers you should know about: Air-cooled chillers and water-cooled chillers.

Both chillers share the same method and mechanics of cooling, which involves the use of vapor compression. The key difference is that the water-cooled chillers use a cooling tower to remove unwanted heat, while air-cooled chillers use fans for heat dissipation

Air-Cooled Chiller

Air-cooled chillers use air to remove the unwanted heat through the process of fanning the heat moving along the open tubes of the condenser.

Air-cooled chillers are the best option when the area to be cooled has limited space or doesn't have access to continuous clean water. These chillers have lower cooling efficiency than their water-cooled counterparts, but they are quick and easy to install and cheaper than water-cooled units.

Water-Cooled Chiller

Water-Cooled chillers use water to remove unwanted heat through the process of forcing water through the condenser's tubes and dissipating the heat through a cooling tower.

Because water-cooled chillers use a cooling tower, this type of chiller offers a higher efficiency rating compared to its air-cooled counterpart. However, these units require additional components like condenser water pumps and make-up water pumps on top of the existing cooling tower, which increases the overall cost of these chillers.

Which type of chiller is best?

The best type of chiller is one that gets you the cooling level you need without exceeding your ideal installation and operating costs.

Both air-cooled and water-cooled chillers are better suited to some situations than others, which is why they both exist and are both widely used today. Which solution is best for your situation will depend on a number of factors. For example, if you're in an area with no continuous clean water supply or if the area's water supply costs significantly more than electricity, an air-cooled chiller will likely be a better fit and help you better control costs.

While your decision-making process for the best chiller type for your unique situation may seem complex, knowing some key differentiating factors can help simplify your decision. To help, we've listed the pros and cons of each type of chiller below.

Air-Cooled Chiller

Pros

  • Great for small and medium-sized businesses with limited space
  • Lower installation and maintenance cost
  • Quick and easy to install
  • Good with outdoor installation and in areas where access to the water supply may be limited
  • Heat ejected from the unit can be repurposed to provide heating for the industrial area during cooler periods

Cons

  • Sensitive to the environment, making it more vulnerable to blockages and recirculation problems
  • Shorter unit lifespan than water-cooled chillers
  • Require more processing energy
  • The fanning process makes it noisier than water-cooled chillers

Water-Cooled Chiller

Pros

  • Works well for large spaces, even with extreme environmental temperature fluctuations
  • More efficient and uses less energy than air-cooled chillers
  • For long-term use or purchases, these units last longer than air-cooled chillers
  • Quieter cooling operation

Cons

  • More expensive to install and maintain due to the number of components required like pumps, towers, and tanks
  • Not suitable for areas with clean water sourcing problems
  • Required to undergo routine condenser water treatment to avoid the formation of sediments

How much do Chillers Cost?

Many reputable chiller manufacturers, including Trane, Carrier, and York Chillers, do not disclose chiller pricing on their websites. However, detailed research can reveal an approximate price range, depending on the type and size of your chiller unit.

Mark Stehney, a writer for CSE Magazine, developed and published a price comparison between air-cooled and water-cooled chillers. His research showed that a 200-ton air-cooled chiller costs approximately $250,000, while a 200-ton water-cooled chiller can run approximately $340,000. These cost approximations were based on previous-year pricing and accounted for a 3% annual inflation rate.

The $90,000 difference between air-cooled and water-cooled chillers can be attributed to the difference in unit structure and needed accessories. As previously mentioned, air-cooled chillers don't require a cooling tower, condenser water pump, condenser pipe, or other controls and accessories.

However, this isn't the only cost consideration when comparing chiller prices; the same report also showed that 200-ton air-cooled chillers cost about twice ($122,400) the yearly energy costs of 200-ton water-cooled chillers ($69,360). To calculate the true cost of ownership, you should evaluate a number of factors, including installation costs, how long you plan to own and operate your chiller, and any ancillary costs your company may incur.

Considering the significant amount of money and considerations involved, it's best to test out your ideal solution first by renting a chiller. By using a chiller rentals, you can easily gauge which type of chiller is best for you at a fraction of the total cost. For short-term use, you may save tens of thousands of dollars vs. purchasing a unit directly. With a rental, you'll incur less risk and have a maximum cooling capacity for your business!

For more Water Chiller Machine Priceinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Get Best Chiller Rental For Your Business

You don't have to spend $250,000 or more just to get your own chiller. Instead, you can easily rent one with Chiller Rentals By CTCA and have it delivered and installed in 24 hours!

Trusted for 44 years, Chiller Rentals By CTCA offers nationwide portable chiller delivery, installation, and support 24/7, 365 days a year. Our chiller experts are always available to help you get the best chiller rental for your situation and your budget, saving you time and money.

Call us anytime at 1 (866) 880- or contact us so our chiller experts can assist with your cooling problems today

How to Select the Right Chiller for Your Application

Heat is a common by-product of today's manufacturing machines, which include the advanced automation technology required for high speed operation and high precision. Components such as spindle motors, variable frequency drives, lasers and X-ray sources all require cooling to operate properly and reliably - often in very harsh manufacturing environments.

 

As manufacturing space is at a premium and machine packages become smaller and smaller, liquid cooling has become the most efficient and cost-effective way to remove process heat. Particularly suited to hot, dirty environments, liquid cooling provides a way to remove heat from the machine without contributing additional heat back into the environment.

 

A quick guide to choosing the right chiller.

As every industrial environment is different, Brannenberg has designed a 6 step guide to help you choose the right chiller for your application.

Box Type Air-cooled Chiller    

 

Step 1: Determine the thermal load.

It is important to determine the thermal load of your application to ensure that the chosen chiller is large enough for the intended application.

 

There are several ways to determine the heat load (in kW), but understanding the process is essential to calculating an accurate heat load.

 

Step 2: Determine the coolant type, temperature and flow rate.

When the heat load is known, the next step is to determine the coolant, its target temperature and the flow rate that the cooler must provide for the process. This depends on the method by which heat is transferred from the process to the coolant and the type of coolant used. Water, for example, has different characteristics to oil.

 

Step 3: Determine the installation environment.

In what environment is the chiller to be installed? For example, indoor applications may encounter hot and dirty environments, while outdoor installations may encounter cold and hot environments. This can affect the size of the chiller and require accessories such as air filters, oil tank heaters etc.


Air-cooled Screw Chiller

 

Step 4: Use chiller performance curves.

Now using the available chiller performance curves, select a chiller model that meets or exceeds the required capacity based on the chilled water supply temperature and the maximum expected ambient air temperature. Application safety margins in relation to available frame sizes should be considered to maximise the value of chiller selection. Find all Brannenberg chiller performance curves on the relevant product pages.

 

Step 5: Check the pump performance curve.

Ask us for the pump performance curve and check it to ensure that the pump can deliver sufficient pressure for the application at the design flow rate. Some liquid cooling systems have smaller coolant flow paths or longer distances, so pressure losses may be higher than average.

 

Step 6: Final selection.

Finally, consider the remaining application requirements such as power characteristics, control options, footprint, list of mechanisms, colours, etc. that have been met by the selected standard Brannenberg chiller. Choosing a standard chiller will give you greater reliability, easier access to universal spare parts service and global support.


With our many available equipment options we can easily customise our standard chillers to meet specific application requirements. Contact us for more information!


If you want to learn more, please visit our website Water Chiller Plant.