Air Cooled vs Water cooled vs Evaporative Condensing (E-Pak)

Evaporative condensers have been used for more than fifty years primarily in large industrial ammonia applications and other central plant applications where energy costs are a large portion of the users product cost.

Installation of evaporative condensers in refrigeration systems does require the installer to be proficient in refrigeration piping systems and practices.  E-Pak equipment is fabricated as a package with all the refrigerant systems piping completed in the factory. This eliminates the need for a professional refrigeration installer in the field, the cost of which is generally greater then those incurred in the manufacturing facility which is designed for optimum production and quality control.

Air cooled packaged Chillers have enjoyed market appeal because of the simplicity of installation. The units are completely factory piped and wired so that the user has only to connect his plant chilled water piping and power wiring to have a performing chiller system. Much higher operating costs and sound levels accompany an air-cooled selection.

Conversely, water cool chillers are those that employ a cooling tower heat exchange medium which are usually the most expensive first cost equipment due to the separation of the chiller and the cooling tower which is usually located on the roof.  Water cooling is more energy efficient than air cooling, but not as efficient as E-Pak products.