Overview of Cooling Technologies

Free cooling uses outside air to cool the process fluid without relying on the refrigeration compressor.

Evaporative and adiabatic cooling both take advantage of air to lower the temperature of a process fluid (water, water and glycol, gas).

Both systems use water, but in different amounts, in different ways, and with different levels of efficiency. The direct evaporative

The structure and components of the two systems are, of course, a consequence of the two different operating principles.

Modern evaporative coolers use automatic blowdown systems controlled by conductivity sensors, partial recovery of discharge water, and optimized make-up strategies. Adiabatic systems, on the other hand—with the proper use of sensors and PLC-based parameter settings—use water only during periods of maximum thermal load, reducing overall consumption compared to traditional cooling towers (though with some loss of efficiency). The adoption of recovery circuits also allows part of the water to be reused in any cooling system that relies on this resource.

In an evaporative system, approximately 2% of the mass to be cooled evaporates and is released back into the environment.

Choosing the system best suited to your needs depends on several factors, mainly related to the specifics of the individual plant project to be developed: an exchange of information with a cooling consultant is often helpful.

Subcooling is the reduction of the temperature of the refrigerant leaving the condenser.

Subcooling results in an increase in the cooling capacity of the system, hence electrical savings and a higher COP (coefficient of performance).