Process and comfort chillers · Adiabatic pre-cooling · Fes Chill
Industrial Chiller Systems for Process and Comfort Cooling
A chiller produces chilled water or glycol for process equipment and building air conditioning. Erdinç Klima calculates the load, selects air-cooled or water-cooled machines, designs the hydraulic circuit, installs and commissions the plant and services it; on chillers that lose capacity in summer we fit FORM Fes Chill adiabatic pre-cooling.
An industrial chiller removes heat from water or a water-glycol mixture and rejects it outside, through an air-cooled condenser or a cooling tower. Capacities typically run from 20 kW to 5,000 kW with coefficients of performance between about 3.5 and 6.5 depending on machine type, condensing method and operating conditions. It is the standard answer wherever cooling must be delivered to several points at a controlled temperature. The two decisions that determine capital and running cost are air-cooled versus water-cooled condensing, and whether hot, dry ambient conditions justify adiabatic pre-cooling. Erdinç Klima sizes the system from the process load, supplies and commissions the plant from Istanbul and services it, in Türkiye and for export projects.
What an industrial chiller actually does
A chiller removes heat from water or a water-glycol mixture and rejects it to the outside, through an air-cooled condenser or through a cooling tower in a water-cooled system. The chilled fluid is pumped to whatever needs cooling: injection moulding tools, extruders, laser cutters, reactors, or air handling units serving the building.
SCROLL THE DRAWING →
- 1Compressor — compresses low-pressure vapour; the component that decides efficiency and failure risk
- 2Condenser — rejects heat to outside air by fan (air-cooled) or to tower water (water-cooled); a fouled coil trips the high-pressure alarm
- 3Expansion valve — drops the pressure; the refrigerant enters the evaporator as a cold, low-pressure mixture
- 4Evaporator — removes heat from the process water; water returns at 12 °C and leaves at 7 °C (typical)
The reason process plants use chilled water rather than direct expansion cooling is distribution. Water carries far more heat per unit volume than air and can be piped hundreds of metres with modest losses. One machine in the plant room can serve twenty consumers at different points, each with its own control valve.
The performance figure that matters is COP, cooling output divided by electrical input. A COP of 4.0 means 4 kW of cooling per 1 kW of electricity. COP is not a fixed property of the machine; it falls as condensing temperature rises, which is exactly what happens on a 48 °C afternoon. This is why a chiller specified on catalogue figures at 35 °C ambient can disappoint badly in the Middle East.
Air-cooled or water-cooled?
Air-cooled chillers reject heat directly to ambient air and need no cooling tower, water treatment or tower maintenance. Water-cooled chillers reject heat through a cooling tower and achieve a higher COP, which makes them the usual choice above roughly 500 kW where running hours are long.
Water availability often settles the question before efficiency does. In arid inland locations the water a tower consumes may be more expensive or more restricted than the electricity an air-cooled machine uses.
| Criterion | Air-cooled | Water-cooled |
|---|---|---|
| COP | Lower | Higher |
| Cooling tower required | No | Yes |
| Water consumption | None | Significant — evaporation and blowdown |
| Water treatment | Not applicable | Required — scale, corrosion, biological control |
| Capital cost | Lower | Higher — tower, pumps, pipework |
| Typical scale | Up to ~500 kW | 500 kW and above |
| Hot dry climates | Capacity falls with ambient | Less sensitive to dry-bulb |
Adiabatic pre-cooling in hot climates
Adiabatic pre-cooling wets the air entering an air-cooled condenser, lowering its temperature before it reaches the coil. Because chiller capacity and COP both fall as condensing temperature rises, reducing condenser inlet air temperature recovers capacity exactly when it is most needed: on the hottest afternoons.
The equipment is simple: a FORM Fes Chill pad module with cellulose media, typically 70 – 95 % saturation efficiency, mounted in front of the condenser with a water feed and drain. It runs only when ambient exceeds a set threshold, so water consumption is limited to peak hours rather than the whole season.
This matters most in exactly the markets we supply. In Baghdad, Riyadh or inland Anatolia the summer air is hot but dry, which is the ideal condition for adiabatic pre-cooling. It is often the difference between an existing chiller that trips on high pressure every August and one that holds its set point.
Water quality decides whether this works long term. Adiabatic modules concentrate minerals as water evaporates, so hard feed water scales the pads and the condenser fins. In hard-water regions plan feed-water conditioning or a scale-control programme from the start. A retrofitted module that blocks a condenser with limescale makes the original problem worse, not better.
What we need to size a system
Chiller selection starts from the process load, not the building area. We need the heat to be removed in kW, the required chilled-water flow and supply temperature, whether glycol is needed for low temperatures or frost protection, and the site design ambient temperature.
- Cooling load — in kW, or the process data from which it can be calculated
- Chilled water temperature — supply and return; this sets evaporating temperature and therefore COP
- Glycol requirement — concentration affects capacity and pump sizing
- Design ambient — the nearest city is enough; we use recognised design weather data
- Load profile — constant or variable; variable loads usually justify inverter-driven compressors
- Redundancy — whether production can tolerate a stopped chiller, which decides N+1 arrangements
Commissioning, service and refrigerant compliance
The team that sizes the plant installs and commissions it, and stays responsible for maintenance: condenser cleaning, refrigerant circuit checks, water quality and control verification, typically twice a year on continuous duty. Chillers usually hold the largest refrigerant charges on a site, so periodic F-Gas leak checks and records are part of the same service.
For export projects we attend site for commissioning on larger installations; for smaller ones we provide selection, layout and commissioning guidance remotely, with spare parts shipped from stock in Istanbul. In Türkiye the technical team reaches Istanbul's Anatolian side within 30 minutes and works nationwide on a project basis.
Related pages
The other systems on this site, and the Turkish version of this page.
- 07-A
All industrial cooling systems
Evaporative cooling, panel air conditioners, chillers, smoke ventilation and F-Gas compliance from one supplier.
Go to the overview → - 07-B
F-Gas leak detection and compliance
Where most large refrigerant charges sit: CO₂-equivalent bands, leak-check intervals and fixed detection.
F-Gas compliance → - 07-C
Evaporative cooling
For halls where chilled water is not justified: fresh-air cooling with no compressor.
Evaporative cooling → - 07-D
Turkish version of this page
Chiller cooling page in Turkish, with pre-cooling module selection and service details.
Turkish version →
Frequently asked questions
COP, condensing method, adiabatic pre-cooling, glycol and service questions from plant and maintenance managers.
Send us the process load, not the room size
Cooling duty, water temperatures and your design ambient are enough for a first-pass machine selection with realistic derated capacity. Technical consultation by phone or WhatsApp is free; site visits are quoted.
20+ years · authorised Rittal service partner · Istanbul, Türkiye
- Phone
- +90 216 344 48 19
- +90 532 424 62 19
- info @erdincklima.com
- Address
- Esatpaşa Mah., Binikli Sk., Alibey Apt. No: 2/A-B-C, 34704 Ataşehir / İstanbul
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 · Sat by appointment
SON GÜNCELLEME: · İçerik Erdinç Klima teknik ekibince hazırlanır ve üretici dokümanlarıyla doğrulanır.