Air-cooled chillers combine a hydronic evaporator with an air-over condenser coil, using ambient air to cool the condenser.
Unlike traditional package units that use air on the evaporator side, chillers utilize water in the evaporator to transport cooling to distant spaces or processes.
The complete chiller system contains all essential components within a single frame: compressors, refrigerant circuit, condenser coils, evaporator, and control panel.
Air-cooled chillers are typically mounted on rooftops or ground-level concrete pads.
These systems represent excellent entry points for technicians because their fundamentals resemble standard HVAC equipment.
The design allows chilled water to be circulated to terminal units throughout a facility to remove heat from various spaces or processes.
Scroll chillers are particularly common in the air-cooled category, making them accessible for technicians familiar with conventional systems.
Technicians can transfer knowledge from large RTU's to air-cooled chillers by applying similar operating principles and diagnostic approaches.
More advanced air-cooled chillers may utilize screw or centrifugal compressors, representing higher complexity equipment within this category.
Understanding air-cooled chillers creates a pathway for technicians to progressively develop skills applicable to more sophisticated refrigeration equipment.
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