Industrial refrigeration: adiabatic air coolers
Adiabatic air coolers are industrial refrigeration systems that make it possible to achieve a refrigerant temperature lower than the ambient outside temperature, with a focus on efficiency and safety.
TARGET:
Water temperature 30 ºC ⇒ Up to 15 ºC lower than the maximum outdoor temperature.
Adiabatic air coolers consist of the following:
Dry side: Here the target medium of the cooling system is cooled in a closed circuit by an air-water exchanger.
Wet side: The temperature of the outside air is reduced before it enters the coil, thus increasing the adiabatic cooling performance.
Operation of the adiabatic air cooler.
Adiabatic coolers:
Adiabatic process:
Dry mode: when outside temperature < wet design point temperature. The unit has 100% cooling capacity and operates in DRY mode only, i.e. without water consumption.
Wet mode:
When the outdoor temperature is higher than the wet design point temperature. The adiabatic panel section is started. The wet section is designed to reduce the temperature of the outside air entering the air-water exchanger. This provides the adiabatic cooling required in the dry exchanger.
Adiabatic air coolers have a pre-cooling system consisting of cellulose panels. During most of the year they function only as (dry) air coolers, but when the dry and wet temperatures rise, the adiabatic panel system is activated, minimising water consumption.
Before the fan blows the ambient air through the heat exchanger, the ambient air is pre-cooled adiabatically. In this system, the cellulose panels are “wetted” (not sprayed), the water evaporates and reduces the temperature, increasing the cooling capacity.
This is the same thermodynamic principle used in cooling towers, but with an important difference: adiabatic air coolers do not pose any risk of legionella, do not require costly water treatment and achieve record energy consumption thanks to EC technology for the fans and an optimised monitoring and control system.
Adiabatic air coolers:
Adiabatic air conditioning components:
Robust construction in galvanised sheet steel with INTEMPERIE treatment.
AC+CF or EC fans
Special ANTI-CORROSION blades
Impregnated cellulose corrugated sheet for maximum resistance and long life.
No water accumulation → No risk of legionella.
Advantages of adiabatic cooling:
Water savings of up to 80% per year compared to cooling towers.
Up to 40% higher performance compared to dry cooling, as it allows operation at higher ambient temperatures.
Lower energy consumption, partly due to high efficiency EC fans.
Low maintenance costs.
No water treatment is required in cooling towers.
For example, an adiabatic air cooler can produce 1,000 kW of cooling power, with a maximum energy consumption of about 20 kW in the worst case. This is at least ten times less energy consumption than the most efficient air-cooled chiller on the market, without the risks and rigorous maintenance required by cooling towers.
For all these reasons, adiabatic air coolers are an optimal choice to replace cooling towers as an alternative to cooling systems, with reduced consumption and maintenance, and without the risks associated with wet systems.
Adiabatic air coolers:
Limpiezas técnicas industriales (Lti) will assess your needs for a new project or the replacement of existing equipment. We offer you a clear alternative, with lower investment and great savings from the moment of installation.
