Heat recovery chillers represent a key technical advancement in the race to achieve sustainability in heating and cooling. This advanced piece of equipment manages to not only cool buildings but also capture and repurpose the waste heat generated by the equipment itself.
As the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability grows, heat recovery chillers are unveiling a new era in understanding heating and cooling: one where circular models and heat recovery stand at the center of significant economical and sustainability benefits.
In order to guarantee these systems make the most of their potential, new innovations such as the multistack heat recovery chiller must come hand in hand with thermal engineering expertise.
What is a heat recovery chiller?
A heat recovery chiller is a specialized type of chiller designed to provide cooling by recovering the waste heat generated during the cooling process. That heat can then be reused for providing hot water, heat spaces, processes (including pre-heating in industrial processes), or support HVAC systems.
Conventional chillers are designed to provide cooling by removing heat from a system or space, and then rejecting that heat to the environment.
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Types of heat recovery chillers
Water-cooled heat recovery chillers
Water-cooled chillers typically use water sourced from a cooling tower or chilled water loop to absorb heat. In a standard configuration, heat is rejected via the condenser water to the cooling tower. However, in heat recovery chillers, some of this condenser heat is redirected for useful purposes, such as heating water or supporting HVAC systems. This integration makes them a highly efficient solution for facilities requiring both cooling and heating.
Air-cooled heat recovery chillers
Air-cooled chillers reject heat to the ambient air using fans that blow air across the condenser coil. In heat recovery configurations, an integrated heat exchanger captures this heat and transfers it to a separate water loop for reuse. This allows for efficient heating applications in buildings or processes alongside traditional cooling functions.
As such, among the best practices for chilled water systems is the possibility to incorporate waste heat recovery systems. An efficient addition for HVAC systems in buildings or processes where heating and cooling are needed.
Examples of heat recovery chiller applications
- Commercial buildings that require cooling and hot water capacities.
- Efficient, closed-loops systems for manufacturing facilities that require both cooling and heating or hot water (for instance, in processes like drying or sterilization).
- In healthcare settings, a heat recovery chiller can provide cooling for patient rooms and other spaces, while also offering heat for other spaces, hot water or the sterilization equipment.
Benefits of Heat Recovery Chillers
Energy efficiency, cost savings and sustainability
Thanks to the reuse of heat that would otherwise be wasted, energy consumption is reduced, which translates into a cut in energy bills.
At the same time, because heat recovery chillers provide both heating and cooling, they can remove the need for installing different systems, providing further cost savings.
Chilled water supply for HVAC systems
The addition of heat recovery chillers can be among the best practices for certain chilled water refrigeration systems within HVAC that also need heating or hot water.
While chilled water presents the unique benefit of offering individual temperature control for multiple spaces, the heat recovery chiller can handle both the cooling load and the heating load, and thus reduce the need for separate equipment.
A standard chiller would simply reject the heat into the air. However, the waste heat recovery approach helps the building achieve a higher coefficient of performance (COP) and thus generate important savings.
Heat Recovery Chillers vs. Traditional Cooling Systems
In conventional cooling systems, excess heat is typically rejected to the atmosphere. Cooling towers or air-cooled condensers are available technologies that allow systems to do so.
However, the difference between a heat recovery chiller and a conventional chiller lies in how they handle the heat generated during the cooling process. Through the heat recovery approach, waste heat generated during the cooling process is captured and repurposed.
As such, while conventional chillers only focus on cooling, the heat recovery chiller represents a dual-purpose system for both cooling and heating also called heat pumps.
This allows for significant efficiency achievements, lowering energy costs and sustainability. Hospitals, hotels and certain industrial processes can benefit from this dual purpose, all while guaranteeing the right design and implementation are applied in order to make the most of the equipment, including existing HVAC or process heating systems.
While heat recovery chillers may present a higher upfront cost, their potential for significant long-term savings and sustainability makes them an ally for certain initiatives.
Are you considering heat recovery chillers for your project?
At ARANER, we put our thermal engineering expertise to work in order to provide reliable chilled water systems that fulfill our clients’ needs and ensure long-term performance, cost-savings and efficiency.
With decades-long experience in chiller design and implementation, we focus on each component to ensure top efficiencies. From pumping systems to the integration of Thermal Energy technologies, we go one step beyond in applying innovative solutions to ensure each project is designed with cost savings and sustainability in mind.
From pipework, to chiller replacements, design for efficiency and waste heat projects, we’ve got you covered on how to improve your chilled water refrigeration system or devise one from scratch.
Want to learn more?
Discover our district cooling solutions or get in touch with us and speak to our team about how we can help you.
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