• Air-cooled chillers combine a hydronic evaporator (water-side) with an air-over condenser coil, using ambient air to cool the condenser instead of water.
• 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, similar to package units or rooftop units (RTUs).
• 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 compressor chillers are particularly common in the air-cooled category, making them accessible for technicians familiar with conventional systems.
• Technicians can transfer knowledge from large RTUs 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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