How Does a Chilled Water Air Conditioning System Work?
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Even though standard air conditioners are everywhere, they tend to use a lot of energy and generate quite a lot of heat. They can be hard to maintain, especially in large installations like commercial buildings and office spaces.
Chilled water air conditioning systems are particularly great for large spaces like schools and hospitals because they’re cost-effective and contribute to indoor air quality. These systems use chilled water as part of the cooling process and absorb heat from indoor spaces.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how chilled water air conditioning systems work.
How Does It Work?
A chilled water system is where the entire air conditioning unit is either installed behind the building or on the roof. Once the water is cooled, it’s connected to air handlers and piped throughout the space.
Chilled Water System Components
Evaporator Cylinder
The evaporator cylinder is where chilled water is produced that’s used for air conditioning. The water exits the evaporator cylinder when it’s around 45 degrees F and moves up into the riser so it can travel to the air handing units on different floors of the building.
Air Handling Unit
The chilled water moves through a coil as it enters the air handling unit. It absorbs the heat from the indoor air and releases cooler air that is circulated throughout the building. Once it flows out of the coil, it’s about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmer water then flows back to the evaporator to get cooled again.
Condenser Cylinder
A refrigerant cycle is what connects the evaporator to the condenser cylinder and ensures that the heat keeps flowing out of the evaporator and into the condenser. The two water lines don’t interact with each other. The condenser water which happens to be warm moves up into the riser from where it travels to the cooling tower that’s located on the roof of the building.
Cooling Tower
The cooling tower is where the warm water is cooled again using fans that pull in ambient air to absorb the heat from the water and release it into the atmosphere. Once the water has cooled off a bit, it flows back to the condenser cylinder.
Fan Coil Units
The chilled water is then piped into fan coil units that contain fans and fins. These fans absorb heat from the atmosphere via the air-heat exchange process. Each fan coil comes with its own thermostat that’s used to regulate the amount of cooling required for the application.
While cooling the space, the water temperature rises up by 10 degrees Fahrenheit and returns to the evaporator where it’s cooled off again before it’s pumped back into the fan coil units.
Chilled water systems are ideal for cooling medium and large spaces. Even though the upfront cost can be quite a bit, lower maintenance costs and higher energy efficiency make up for it. They’re available in various sizes and designs for different applications.
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Source by Mike Petty