Free cooling is where you utilise the low outside air temperature for chilling water in your process or air conditioning, rather than part or all of your air-cooled chiller plant.
ICS Customers are now installing free cooling units such as chillers with integral free cooling coils or dry air blast coolers in line with their existing cooling system.
When the ambient air drops to a set temperature - a modulating valve allows all or part of the chilled water to by-pass your existing chiller and run through the free cooling system, which uses less power and utilises the lower ambient air to cool the water in your system.
ICS can install and modify your system to your exact site requirements. Please contact us for further information.
How does it work?
To find out more about free cooling and how it works, please
click here for a presentation or see the video links below.
Operation in Summer
This video shows that in summer the chiller acts in the same way as a traditional electric chiller, meaning the compressors are running.
Operation in mid season
This video shows that in the mid season it is possible to reduce the operation of the compressor thanks to the water pre-cooling in the free-cooling coil.
Operation in winter
This video shows that in winter operation the water is completely chilled in the freecooling coil, thus keeping electric energy consumption to a minimum.
What are the benefits?
• You can utilise the cold air outside which is free.
• You would reduce the running use of your existing compressors.
• There would be less wear and tear due to the reduced hours of
operation.
• It would extend the life expectancy of your existing equipment.
• Your power costs would reduce.
• Your free cooling system could run automatically when required.
• Payback for a new system could be as little as 12 months.
Lower cost start up for Free Cooling
If you have an existing chiller, then ICS can provide a dry air blast cooler to run in-line with your system to give you all of the Free Cooling benefits.
ICS has a wide range of dry air blast coolers to suit your particular duty and site requirements. Each can be fitted with a control panel to regulate the free cooling system and to allow the maximum cost savings for you or your clients’ business.
Economic Considerations - Average temperatures in London throughout the year. Click here to enlarge
Economic Considerations - Absorbed power as a function of the air temperature. Click here to enlarge
Are you planning a chiller replacement?
ICS has a range of Free Cooling chillers, which have an integral Free Cooling coil so if you are planning a chiller replacement then these would be ideally suited for your project. The range of ICS chillers available are:
