Cool Innovations: Exploring Airblast Dry Coolers and Sustainable Energy Practices

?? Season's Greetings from Refcool! ??

As the chill of December sets in, what better time to connect with our valued community through our latest edition of "Chiller Chat"? In this festive issue, we dive deep into the cooling world, bringing you insights, innovations, and icy inspirations from Refcool Refrigeration Ltd.

We're thrilled to share with you the latest advancements in our chiller technology, spotlighting our commitment to green energy and sustainability. Whether you're a veteran in the field or just keen to learn more about our bespoke cooling solutions, this edition is packed with information to keep you engaged and informed.

Key Questions for Directors to Ask Their Teams

1. Efficiency Assessment: Are our current refrigeration systems operating at optimal efficiency, and could airblast dry coolers enhance their performance?
2. Environmental Impact: How can we reduce our carbon footprint and energy consumption in our cooling processes?
3. Cost-Benefit Analysis: Considering the potential energy savings, what is the payback period for investing in airblast dry coolers?
4. Climate Considerations: How effective will airblast dry coolers be in our specific geographic location and ambient temperature conditions?
5. Adiabatic Options: Should we consider the adiabatic version of airblast dry coolers for lower ambient temperature requirements?

Airblast dry coolers are most effective in environments with lower outside air temperatures.

They function less efficiently in higher temperatures, but this can be mitigated through adiabatic cooling, where water is circulated in the path of the forced air.

The main advantages of these coolers include reduced energy consumption, lower maintenance costs, and a smaller carbon footprint, making them a more environmentally friendly option compared to traditional refrigeration systems.

These coolers have several aliases, including ambient air pre-coolers and hybrid coolers.

Airblast dry coolers are used to reduce the load on refrigeration systems by cooling water and other process liquids before their transfer into the refrigeration system.

They can also provide cooling of water and other process liquids without a refrigeration system, where the required output temperature of the fluid is above the ambient air temperatures.

As a rule of thumb we would look to attain a fluid outlet temperature 5 degrees more than the ambient – so for example if the ambient is 20C, the maximum cool water temperature is 25C.

Airblast dry coolers are most effective when the outside air temperature is low. They are less effective when the outside air temperature is high, as the cooling capacity of the air is reduced.

Some airblast dry coolers circulate water in the path of the forced air when the outside air temperature is high, which is known as adiabatic cooling.

The advantages of airblast dry coolers include lower energy consumption, reduced maintenance costs, and a smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional refrigeration systems.

They are also more environmentally friendly, as they do not use refrigerants that can harm the environment.

As an example comparing EER’s a chiller may have an EER of 3 and an Airblast Drycooler may well have an EER of 6. So for the equivalent 90Kw machine, the chiller would use 30kw and the Airblast Dry Cooler would use 15kw.

Does it need to be a full-year solution?

If it is effective only when ambients are less than 15C (under the EU standard model on average ambients are less than 15C for 70% of the year.

So as Electric costs become more expensive investment in an airblast cooler can pay itself off within 24 months.

Where a slightly lower ambient is required it is possible to use an adiabatic version of the Airblast Drycooler.

The adiabatic version puts a water spray in the air stream adding a level of humidity to the air, this then moves the reference to wet bulb temperature rather than dry bulb.

To give an example from the Ashrae guide London Heathrow June average dry bulb is 27.5C with 1% humidity is 18.2C.

Hence the Air Blast Cooler can be effective to a lower exit temperature. The downside to the Adiabatic cooler is the water spray used.

This depends on the policy of the customer towards use of water and how the risks associated are controlled.

The diagram above demonstrates that only 28% of globally consumed energy is turned into useful energy.

Of this energy, 52% is given out in the form of exhausts/effluent. There is therefore a huge opportunity to use our energy more efficiently - great ways to look at doing this are:

• Waste heat to displace other heaters - for example, underfloor heating to warm plastic product in a warehouse before it is processed.
• Use of heat stores - large highly insulated water tanks to maintain the heat until it is needed, or to smooth off the difference between the heat that can be recovered from a system and the required usage.
• Use of heat pumps to upgrade low-grade heat to higher-grade hotter heat. Heat pumps can take water at input temperatures of say 5 degrees over ambient and use it to generate hot water up to 80C, for heating or other processes.
• Use of chillers with inbuilt heat recovery systems to allow simultaneous heating and cooling. This reduces the amount of heat dissipated by air through an air-cooled chiller and uses it to heat water or a similar medium.
• Use of Absorption chillers designed to provide cooling by using hot water.

More about in-depth in next months newsletter.

Have a MERRY Christmas, we working hard throughout December so if you need help and support please do not hesitate to get in touch.

?? Stay Cool, Stay Informed!

Don't let the conversation end here. Join us on this journey of cooling excellence and environmental responsibility. Your feedback and queries fuel our passion for innovation, so feel free to reach out, share your thoughts, or ask questions. Let's make the future of cooling technology brighter and greener together!

?? Connect with Us! ??

Drop us a message, visit our website, or follow us on LinkedIn for more exciting updates and information. Remember, when it comes to efficient and sustainable cooling solutions, Refcool Refrigeration Ltd is your go-to expert!

Stay cool, stay connected!

If you would like to know more about either of these types of cooling equipment we are here.