What is the Difference Between Chilled Water and Condenser Water?

Contenuto Nascondere

1 What is the Difference Between Chilled Water and Condenser Water?

1.1 What is Chilled Water?

1.2 What is Condenser Water?

1.3 Chilled Water VS Condenser Water

1.4 Chilled Water and Condenser Water Cooperation

1.5 Conclusion

1.6 Related chillers

1.7 CONTATTO

In the cooling system, chilled water and condenser water are two easily confused but essentially different concepts. Although they both participate in the transfer of heat, they play completely different roles. This article introduces the difference between the two from the perspective of working position, function, temperature, flow direction, and system structure.

Before reading this article, you may want to know:
- What is a chiller
- How does a chiller work

What is Chilled Water?

Chilled water refers to the liquid cooled by the refrigerant in the evaporator of the chiller. Although it is called chilled water, it may be pure water, glycol-water mixture or oil. Its function is to transfer heat from the equipment or process system that needs to be cooled, and then transfer the heat to the chiller system. After being cooled again, it will return to the equipment or process to continue absorbing heat.

The temperature of chilled water is relatively low, generally between 5℃ and 15℃. The refrigerant in the chiller evaporator will continuously take away the heat from the chilled water, keeping it at a low temperature. The indirect cooling of the chiller can only be achieved with chilled water as the intermediate medium.

What is Condenser Water?

Condenser water refers to the water that takes away heat from the condenser of the chiller. It absorbs the heat of the refrigerant gas in the condenser and condenses it into liquid. It does not directly contact the equipment and processes that need to be cooled, and its function is to help the chiller achieve a complete refrigeration cycle. The temperature of the condenser water is relatively high, usually between 30℃ and 40℃.

After absorbing the heat, it will flow into the cooling tower, dissipate the heat into the air with the help of the cooling tower, and return to the condenser to absorb heat again. The air-cooled chiller uses a fan to cool the condenser and does not require condenser water. Therefore, once condenser water is involved in the system, it can be judged that the equipment is water-cooled.

Chilled Water VS Condenser Water

Based on the definitions of chilled water and condenser water, the differences between the two can be summarized as follows:

Item	Chilled Water	Condenser Water
Function	Transfers heat from process equipment to chiller	Transfers heat from chiller system to the air
Intervallo di temperatura	Approx. 5℃–15℃	Approx. 30℃–40℃
Heat Exchange Location	Evaporatore	Condensatore
Heat Transfer Direction	Absorbs heat / Cooled by the refrigerant	Releases heat / Removes heat from the chiller
Requires Cooling Tower	No	Sì
Directly Cools Process	Yes, via heat exchanger	No, only part of refrigeration cycle

Chilled Water and Condenser Water Cooperation

The complete chiller (water-cooled) workflow requires the cooperation of chilled water and condensing water. The chilled water system is responsible for absorbing the heat of the cooled object and transferring this heat to the refrigerant through the evaporator. The condensing water system is responsible for taking this heat out of the system from the condenser and finally discharging it into the air through the cooling tower. The close cooperation between the two enables the cooling system to operate continuously and stably.

Conclusion

Unless you are using a DX system, your cooling system is likely to include a chilled water circuit. Water-cooled chillers must have a condensing water system, while air-cooled chillers do not. I hope this article has explained the difference between chilled water and condensing water, so as to help you better understand the working principle of chillers.

If you still have questions about this, or don’t know which chiller is suitable for your application, LNEYA chiller experts are happy to answer you.

❯ Contact us to discuss your cooling needs