Chiller vs. Cooling Tower: Key Differences Explained

Like many, you may not have thought much about your HVAC system, especially industrial cooling solutions like cooling towers or chillers. These systems are integral in HVAC systems for all commercial and residential buildings and industrial plants.

Whether chillers or cooling towers, these systems handle every aspect of cooling, from complex chemical processes to hospitals, maintaining an optimal temperature. Although chillers and cooling towers serve the same purpose, you might have used these terms interchangeably, but they are not the same.

With insights from experts at Pinnacle CTS, this blog post will help you understand these two industrial cooling solutions, how they work, and what sets them apart.

Let’s get to it.

What is a Chiller

A chiller removes heat from a system coolant. It operates on a refrigeration cycle, which typically consists of four stages:

Evaporation
Compression
Condensation
Expansion

During the cycle, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the coolant, lowering its temperature. Once the refrigerant absorbs heat, it evaporates into a gas, which then gets compressed.

The high-pressure gas is cooled in a condenser, releasing heat to the surroundings. Finally, it passes through an expansion valve where it drops in pressure, cooling even further before restarting the cycle.

Chillers often use air or water as their means of heat transfer. While water-based chillers are highly efficient, they can produce excess heat or overcool the water, leading to maintenance issues. So, air-cooled chillers are recommended for factories that do not need to remove substantial quantities of heat. Though less efficient, they are more cost-effective.

Chillers are used in:

HVAC systems
plastic manufacturing
medical equipment
food processing

This industrial cooling solution is perfect for accurate temperature control and cooling without direct water exposure.

What is a Cooling Tower?

A cooling tower removes excess heat by evaporating water. The basic function of a cooling tower involves pumping hot water from the system into the tower, where it gets exposed to air. As the water flows over a series of fill media, part of it evaporates and removes heat in the process.

The tower then cools the remaining water and recirculates it into the system. The evaporative cooling process makes cooling towers highly efficient, particularly for large-scale applications. However, they require significant water use.

Cooling towers come in various types, including crossflow, counterflow, wet, dry, and hybrid designs. These systems are found in industries or applications producing large quantities of heat. In fact, there are more than 2 million cooling towers across the U.S.

A few examples include:

Data centers
Power plants
Oil refineries
HVAC systems
Chemical factories

Chillers vs. Cooling Towers: Key Differences

While both chillers and cooling towers serve the same purpose, they are not the same.

Here are a few key differences you should know about:

1. Function and Operation

Chillers and cooling towers work differently. While a chiller uses a refrigeration cycle to remove heat from a coolant, a cooling tower uses evaporation to dissipate heat from water that passes through it.

A chiller is highly efficient and perfect for precision cooling. On the other hand, a cooling tower is better suited for large-scale heat removal rather than precise temperature regulation.

2. Applications

Chillers provide precision cooling, making them suitable for commercial buildings, hospitals, data centers, and pharmaceutical and plastics manufacturing. However, cooling towers are suitable for power plants, chemical processing, refineries, and other industrial processes where you need to remove large volumes of heat quickly and effectively.

3. Energy Efficiency

Another critical factor you need to consider is energy efficiency. Although chillers offer precise cooling, they tend to be less energy-efficient because they rely on electrical compressors to maintain the desired temperature. Chillers can consume more than 50% of electrical energy during seasonal periods of building use.

However, cooling towers are more energy-efficient as they rely on evaporation to remove heat. Moreover, using the latest technologies like variable frequency drives and energy-efficient fans can help you save more energy. But they tend to consume more water than chillers.

4. Cost

Both industrial cooling solutions cost money. Chillers use complex refrigeration systems, and you will pay higher upfront costs. They also have higher operational and maintenance costs, which is worth considering if you don’t require precision cooling.

Cooling towers have lower setup costs, but they, too, require preventive maintenance and on-time field upgrades to maintain efficiency. Open-loop cooling towers are more vulnerable to fouling, scaling, and contamination. That means you will have to clean your tower regularly, which adds up to your maintenance costs.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Each System

Before getting into the cooling systems comparison, let’s review a few advantages and drawbacks of both chillers and cooling towers.

Chillers

Advantages

Chillers offer precision cooling, making them ideal for environments that require specific temperature controls.
These are closed-loop systems, which reduce the risk of contamination and scaling, as water doesn’t come into direct contact with the external environment.

Disadvantages

However, chillers tend to consume more energy.
They are also complex to set up and have higher installation and maintenance costs.

Cooling Towers

Advantages

Cooling towers are cost-effective, especially for large-scale cooling needs where the heat loads are high.
They also require less electricity than chillers, making it an efficient solution for large-scale operations.

Disadvantages

Cooling towers depend heavily on water, which can be problematic in areas with water scarcity.
Open-loop cooling towers increase the risk of fouling, contamination, and scaling.

Chiller vs. Cooling Tower: Which Is Better

Chillers Vs cooling towers – which is better?

Both industrial cooling solutions have their benefits and drawbacks. This means you will have to think about several factors, including your cooling needs, available space, and budget.

Here’s what we recommend:

If you need precision cooling with tight temperature controls, your choice is clear – chiller. Whether for your building’s HVAC system or an industrial process, a chiller can maintain the desired temperature more accurately than cooling towers.
In contrast, if you have a large-scale industrial process with high heat loads, a cooling tower would be more suitable. Unlike chillers, cooling towers can handle substantial amounts of heat efficiently and safely.
Chillers require less space than cooling towers and can be installed both indoors and outdoors. However, cooling towers require outdoor installation as they use air and water evaporation. That also means you will need a steady and reliable supply of water and take care of water chemistry to maintain efficiency.

Conclusion

Chillers and cooling towers both help you maintain the desired temperature, but they work differently and offer unique pros and cons. While chillers are perfect for precision cooling, cooling towers are ideal for handling large heat loads. Choosing the right industrial cooling solution depends on your cooling needs, budget, and available space.

At Pinnacle Cooling Tower Service, we provide expert advice, installation, and maintenance services for both chillers and cooling towers. Our experts can help you choose a system that best suits your needs and budget. We can also help you ensure it operates at peak efficiency.