When it comes to finding the right industrial chiller for your processes, the question ‘Which chiller is best?’ often leads to a wide range of options to consider. From different brands to refrigerant type to cooling capacity, there’s a lot to digest, and the decision carries real weight for your operations.
We like to say that industrial chillers are the backbone of heat-producing machinery. Why are we so passionate about their impact? A high-quality, well-matched chiller gives machinery the opportunity to perform to its fullest potential, leaving you less subject to costly downtime, inconsistent performance, and avoidable maintenance headaches.
As in any procurement scenario, “best” depends heavily on your specific application and needs, however there are universal factors to consider, and we’ll be walking through them to help you make an informed decision for your industrial chiller purchase.
The first overarching decision to make is what type of industrial chiller best suits your needs. Not all chillers are created equal, and understanding the main categories will help you narrow your options.
Air-cooled chillers use a fan and condenser coil to reject heat directly to the ambient air. They typically have a lower upfront system cost as they don’t require a central facility cooling water system supplied by a cooling tower or facility chiller. Air-cooled chillers are often installed close to the equipment they are cooling, which minimizes the cost and time of installing extensive coolant plumbing lines between the chiller and the equipment. The primary disadvantage of air-cooled chillers is that they reject all the heat into the building if they are installed indoors, which can lead to challenges with excessive shop temperatures during the warmer months. If the shop is climate controlled, indoor air-cooled chillers can quickly overwhelm the air conditioning system. For this reason, large air-cooled chillers are often installed outdoors and the coolant is routed overhead through the building to the equipment.
Water-cooled chillers reject heat from the process they are cooling to a central facility cooling system through a refrigerant-to-water condenser. These chillers are often more compact than air-cooled chillers because heat exchange from refrigerant to water is much more efficient than refrigerant to air. Consequently, the water-cooled condensers are typically an order of magnitude smaller in size than air-cooled condensers of the same capacity. An additional benefit of water-cooled chillers is that the heat is rejected to the central facility cooling system where it is eventually dissipated to the outside air through a cooling tower or central chiller. Therefore, very little of the process heat is released in the shop. The drawback of water-cooled chillers is that they require a central facility cooling system, which can be a very substantial capital investment if there is not one already in place.
Both air-cooled and water-cooled chillers are available in Pressurized and Open-To-Atmosphere (OTA) coolant circuit configurations. In pressurized chillers the entire coolant circuit is sealed and maintained at a positive static pressure (typically 8-10psi at the highest point in the system to prevent air pockets and cavitation). Pressurized chillers use an expansion or bladder tank to maintain the required static pressure and to accommodate thermal expansion in the system. OTA chillers typically have an internal fluid tank in the coolant system that is vented to the atmosphere.
The primary benefit of Pressurized chillers is that the coolant circuit is sealed, so there is no coolant evaporation to consider and the potential for contamination of the coolant is significantly reduced. The downside of pressurized chillers is that they are much more difficult to service. If a component in the coolant system requires service, the system must be vented. Once the component is repaired, a special transfer pump is required to refill the coolant system under pressure. OTA chillers are typically simpler to service but often require periodic preventative maintenance to top off coolant that has evaporated. Because they are open to the atmosphere, they also often require some type of biocide additive in the coolant to prevent microbial growth.
The best chiller for your application should be sized to match your process heat load. Although this sounds simple, there are many factors to consider. It is common for system engineers to adopt the “Bigger is Better” mindset when sizing chillers. Typically, they determine the required chiller cooling capacity by considering the worst-case operating conditions, starting with the equipment’s maximum heat generation and then adding a safety factor. Next, they will consider the worst case environmental condition for the chiller (hottest geographic location and hottest time of the day). This often leads to the required chiller coolant capacity being 2-3X higher than the typical operating conditions. Depending on the chiller design, oversizing can lead to significant inefficiency and reduced reliability.
If your application has a highly variable heat load or variable ambient conditions it is best to consider a chiller design that employs either variable speed compressor technology or multiple compressors that can be staged on and off to provide efficient operation under part load conditions. These solutions will prolong the chiller life and provide significant energy savings.
Chillers consume a lot of energy, so efficiency should always be a priority. Looking for chillers with high-performance heat exchangers, variable speed components, and a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant will minimize your carbon footprint and maximize your bottom line.
Learn more about our systems that prioritize energy efficiency >>
Under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, the EPA has been authorized to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) addresses HFC phase down in 40 CFR Part 84. The regulations define that industrial process chillers manufactured or imported after January 1, 2026 must have refrigerants with a GWP < 700.
The most common low GWP refrigerants that have been adopted for the industrial chiller industry are R513A (630 GWP), R454B (466 GWP), and R32 (675 GWP). R513A is a convenient solution for manufacturers in that it is classified as an A1 - Non-flammable refrigerant whereas R454b and R32 are classified as A2L - Mildly-flammable refrigerants. Indoor chillers utilizing A2L refrigerants are required to have a refrigerant leak detection sensor and a safety circuit that turns the chiller compressors off and turns on the condenser fan to ventilate the chiller cabinet if a leak is detected. The drawback of R513A is that it is a low density refrigerant whereas R454B and R32 are high density refrigerants. This means that for the same cooling capacity, the compressors, heat exchangers, control valves, etc. in a R513A chiller need to be upwards of 30% larger than when using R454B or R32. These larger components typically lead to a larger, more expensive chiller.
When it comes to selecting the heat transfer media or coolant for your process cooling application, there are dozens of options to select from. The most common coolants used with process chillers are mixtures of water and ethylene or propylene glycol. Glycol mixtures are most often selected for their anti-freeze and corrosion inhibitor properties. Particularly for outdoor chillers, it is often necessary to utilize a glycol mixture to prevent the coolant from freezing in cold ambient climates. Typically, glycol mixtures can be used for ambient temperatures that go down to -40°F or slightly below. Most glycol manufacturers publish tables that define the freeze point for different concentrations of their fluid. Once again, higher concentrations are not necessarily better. Higher glycol concentrations have lower freeze points, but they also become much more viscous and they have poorer heat transfer properties than pure water. For an application that requires a 50°F coolant temperature, the viscosity of a 60% ethylene glycol/water mixture is six times that of pure water and a 60% propylene glycol/water mixture is 13 times that of pure water. Furthermore, at the same conditions, the specific heat of water is 40% higher than the 60% ethylene glycol/water mixture and 75% higher than the 60% propylene glycol/water mixture. This means that chiller systems utilizing glycol coolant mixtures will have greater pumping losses and will require larger heat exchangers than systems utilizing pure water or lower glycol concentrations.
When choosing between an ethylene glycol and a propylene glycol for a coolant solution, the primary differentiator is the application requirements. Ethylene glycol has better heat transfer and viscosity properties than propylene glycol. However, propylene glycol is non toxic. For this reason, ethylene glycol mixtures are commonly used in industrial applications whereas propylene glycol mixtures are more prevalent in the medical and food & beverage industries.
It generally is not recommended to use tap water in chiller systems as the tap water can support galvanic corrosion between any dissimilar materials in the fluid system. Furthermore, tap water can support the growth of bacteria, algae, and other biological organisms. It is common, however, to use de-ionized (DI) water for the coolant in indoor chiller systems where freezing is not a concern. When the conductivity of DI water is below 10 microSiemens/cm it generally will not support the growth of biological organisms. Additionally, ultra pure water (< 1 microSiemen/cm) is not conductive so it minimizes concerns about galvanic corrosion between dissimilar materials within the fluid system. The challenge with utilizing ultra pure water within a chiller system is that it requires an in-system DI filter to maintain. Furthermore, the more pure the water is, the better solvent it becomes, which means that it absorbs ions from any of the metallic components within the system. Particularly when used with copper brazed plate heat exchangers, this ion leaching process can cause heat exchanger failure over long periods of time. In some cases, this can be prevented by implementing an active DI control system wherein the conductivity of the DI water is maintained within a narrow window that slows down the ion leaching but still prevents biological growth.
Learn more about EVRCOOL™’s product line technology >>
Although glycol mixtures and DI water are the most prevalent coolants used in process cooling systems, there are many other chemicals that are used for special applications. Silicone based fluids are common for extremely low temperature applications (<-100°F). Fluorinated heat transfer fluids are also common in the semiconductor industry where a coolant leak could catastrophically damage their precision plating at etching process.
What type of space are you working within? Does your chiller need to maximize cooling capacity within a small footprint? For most, factory and production space is a premium and making the most of every square inch is a must. Features like innovative condenser coil layouts and swing-open doors can reduce footprint while still prioritizing effectiveness.
The best chillers aren’t limited to one environment or a narrow operating range. Variable speed fans, pumps, and electronic expansion valves allow a single chiller to adapt to a wide variety of heat loads, ambient temperatures, and process demands. This flexibility can also make it easier to standardize equipment across multiple lines or locations, so you don’t have to deal with different processes. Selecting a chiller from a line that offers multiple cooling capacities provides a secondary opportunity to streamline maintenance and operational processes across different machinery.
Downtime is expensive - there’s no way around it. Regardless of your specific needs, finding a chiller that’s designed to minimize downtime and to be easily serviceable will absolutely benefit you in the long run. Features like remote diagnostic capability, strategically placed service points, swing-open doors, and clear component layouts can make routine upkeep faster and safer, helping your team keep the chiller, and the machinery that depends on it, running at peak performance.
While there are plenty of options on the market, the specific needs of your facility or machinery will end up dictating your decision based on the factors listed above. We built our industrial water-cooled process chillers to deliver high performance, efficiency, and flexibility without compromise after being frustrated by the traditional market options. If you’re exploring options and are curious if an EVRCOOL chiller would meet your needs, we’re ready to have a straightforward conversation about what’s possible - reach out!
When it comes to finding the right industrial chiller for your processes, the question ‘Which chiller is best?’ often leads to a wide range of options to consider. From different brands to refrigerant type to cooling capacity, there’s a lot to digest, and the decision carries real weight for your operations.
We like to say that industrial chillers are the backbone of heat-producing machinery. Why are we so passionate about their impact? A high-quality, well-matched chiller gives machinery the opportunity to perform to its fullest potential, leaving you less subject to costly downtime, inconsistent performance, and avoidable maintenance headaches.
As in any procurement scenario, “best” depends heavily on your specific application and needs, however there are universal factors to consider, and we’ll be walking through them to help you make an informed decision for your industrial chiller purchase.
The first overarching decision to make is what type of industrial chiller best suits your needs. Not all chillers are created equal, and understanding the main categories will help you narrow your options.
Air-cooled chillers use a fan and condenser coil to reject heat directly to the ambient air. They typically have a lower upfront system cost as they don’t require a central facility cooling water system supplied by a cooling tower or facility chiller. Air-cooled chillers are often installed close to the equipment they are cooling, which minimizes the cost and time of installing extensive coolant plumbing lines between the chiller and the equipment. The primary disadvantage of air-cooled chillers is that they reject all the heat into the building if they are installed indoors, which can lead to challenges with excessive shop temperatures during the warmer months. If the shop is climate controlled, indoor air-cooled chillers can quickly overwhelm the air conditioning system. For this reason, large air-cooled chillers are often installed outdoors and the coolant is routed overhead through the building to the equipment.
Water-cooled chillers reject heat from the process they are cooling to a central facility cooling system through a refrigerant-to-water condenser. These chillers are often more compact than air-cooled chillers because heat exchange from refrigerant to water is much more efficient than refrigerant to air. Consequently, the water-cooled condensers are typically an order of magnitude smaller in size than air-cooled condensers of the same capacity. An additional benefit of water-cooled chillers is that the heat is rejected to the central facility cooling system where it is eventually dissipated to the outside air through a cooling tower or central chiller. Therefore, very little of the process heat is released in the shop. The drawback of water-cooled chillers is that they require a central facility cooling system, which can be a very substantial capital investment if there is not one already in place.
Both air-cooled and water-cooled chillers are available in Pressurized and Open-To-Atmosphere (OTA) coolant circuit configurations. In pressurized chillers the entire coolant circuit is sealed and maintained at a positive static pressure (typically 8-10psi at the highest point in the system to prevent air pockets and cavitation). Pressurized chillers use an expansion or bladder tank to maintain the required static pressure and to accommodate thermal expansion in the system. OTA chillers typically have an internal fluid tank in the coolant system that is vented to the atmosphere.
The primary benefit of Pressurized chillers is that the coolant circuit is sealed, so there is no coolant evaporation to consider and the potential for contamination of the coolant is significantly reduced. The downside of pressurized chillers is that they are much more difficult to service. If a component in the coolant system requires service, the system must be vented. Once the component is repaired, a special transfer pump is required to refill the coolant system under pressure. OTA chillers are typically simpler to service but often require periodic preventative maintenance to top off coolant that has evaporated. Because they are open to the atmosphere, they also often require some type of biocide additive in the coolant to prevent microbial growth.
The best chiller for your application should be sized to match your process heat load. Although this sounds simple, there are many factors to consider. It is common for system engineers to adopt the “Bigger is Better” mindset when sizing chillers. Typically, they determine the required chiller cooling capacity by considering the worst-case operating conditions, starting with the equipment’s maximum heat generation and then adding a safety factor. Next, they will consider the worst case environmental condition for the chiller (hottest geographic location and hottest time of the day). This often leads to the required chiller coolant capacity being 2-3X higher than the typical operating conditions. Depending on the chiller design, oversizing can lead to significant inefficiency and reduced reliability.
If your application has a highly variable heat load or variable ambient conditions it is best to consider a chiller design that employs either variable speed compressor technology or multiple compressors that can be staged on and off to provide efficient operation under part load conditions. These solutions will prolong the chiller life and provide significant energy savings.
Chillers consume a lot of energy, so efficiency should always be a priority. Looking for chillers with high-performance heat exchangers, variable speed components, and a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant will minimize your carbon footprint and maximize your bottom line.
Learn more about our systems that prioritize energy efficiency >>
Under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, the EPA has been authorized to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) addresses HFC phase down in 40 CFR Part 84. The regulations define that industrial process chillers manufactured or imported after January 1, 2026 must have refrigerants with a GWP < 700.
The most common low GWP refrigerants that have been adopted for the industrial chiller industry are R513A (630 GWP), R454B (466 GWP), and R32 (675 GWP). R513A is a convenient solution for manufacturers in that it is classified as an A1 - Non-flammable refrigerant whereas R454b and R32 are classified as A2L - Mildly-flammable refrigerants. Indoor chillers utilizing A2L refrigerants are required to have a refrigerant leak detection sensor and a safety circuit that turns the chiller compressors off and turns on the condenser fan to ventilate the chiller cabinet if a leak is detected. The drawback of R513A is that it is a low density refrigerant whereas R454B and R32 are high density refrigerants. This means that for the same cooling capacity, the compressors, heat exchangers, control valves, etc. in a R513A chiller need to be upwards of 30% larger than when using R454B or R32. These larger components typically lead to a larger, more expensive chiller.
When it comes to selecting the heat transfer media or coolant for your process cooling application, there are dozens of options to select from. The most common coolants used with process chillers are mixtures of water and ethylene or propylene glycol. Glycol mixtures are most often selected for their anti-freeze and corrosion inhibitor properties. Particularly for outdoor chillers, it is often necessary to utilize a glycol mixture to prevent the coolant from freezing in cold ambient climates. Typically, glycol mixtures can be used for ambient temperatures that go down to -40°F or slightly below. Most glycol manufacturers publish tables that define the freeze point for different concentrations of their fluid. Once again, higher concentrations are not necessarily better. Higher glycol concentrations have lower freeze points, but they also become much more viscous and they have poorer heat transfer properties than pure water. For an application that requires a 50°F coolant temperature, the viscosity of a 60% ethylene glycol/water mixture is six times that of pure water and a 60% propylene glycol/water mixture is 13 times that of pure water. Furthermore, at the same conditions, the specific heat of water is 40% higher than the 60% ethylene glycol/water mixture and 75% higher than the 60% propylene glycol/water mixture. This means that chiller systems utilizing glycol coolant mixtures will have greater pumping losses and will require larger heat exchangers than systems utilizing pure water or lower glycol concentrations.
When choosing between an ethylene glycol and a propylene glycol for a coolant solution, the primary differentiator is the application requirements. Ethylene glycol has better heat transfer and viscosity properties than propylene glycol. However, propylene glycol is non toxic. For this reason, ethylene glycol mixtures are commonly used in industrial applications whereas propylene glycol mixtures are more prevalent in the medical and food & beverage industries.
It generally is not recommended to use tap water in chiller systems as the tap water can support galvanic corrosion between any dissimilar materials in the fluid system. Furthermore, tap water can support the growth of bacteria, algae, and other biological organisms. It is common, however, to use de-ionized (DI) water for the coolant in indoor chiller systems where freezing is not a concern. When the conductivity of DI water is below 10 microSiemens/cm it generally will not support the growth of biological organisms. Additionally, ultra pure water (< 1 microSiemen/cm) is not conductive so it minimizes concerns about galvanic corrosion between dissimilar materials within the fluid system. The challenge with utilizing ultra pure water within a chiller system is that it requires an in-system DI filter to maintain. Furthermore, the more pure the water is, the better solvent it becomes, which means that it absorbs ions from any of the metallic components within the system. Particularly when used with copper brazed plate heat exchangers, this ion leaching process can cause heat exchanger failure over long periods of time. In some cases, this can be prevented by implementing an active DI control system wherein the conductivity of the DI water is maintained within a narrow window that slows down the ion leaching but still prevents biological growth.
Learn more about EVRCOOL™’s product line technology >>
Although glycol mixtures and DI water are the most prevalent coolants used in process cooling systems, there are many other chemicals that are used for special applications. Silicone based fluids are common for extremely low temperature applications (<-100°F). Fluorinated heat transfer fluids are also common in the semiconductor industry where a coolant leak could catastrophically damage their precision plating at etching process.
What type of space are you working within? Does your chiller need to maximize cooling capacity within a small footprint? For most, factory and production space is a premium and making the most of every square inch is a must. Features like innovative condenser coil layouts and swing-open doors can reduce footprint while still prioritizing effectiveness.
The best chillers aren’t limited to one environment or a narrow operating range. Variable speed fans, pumps, and electronic expansion valves allow a single chiller to adapt to a wide variety of heat loads, ambient temperatures, and process demands. This flexibility can also make it easier to standardize equipment across multiple lines or locations, so you don’t have to deal with different processes. Selecting a chiller from a line that offers multiple cooling capacities provides a secondary opportunity to streamline maintenance and operational processes across different machinery.
Downtime is expensive - there’s no way around it. Regardless of your specific needs, finding a chiller that’s designed to minimize downtime and to be easily serviceable will absolutely benefit you in the long run. Features like remote diagnostic capability, strategically placed service points, swing-open doors, and clear component layouts can make routine upkeep faster and safer, helping your team keep the chiller, and the machinery that depends on it, running at peak performance.
While there are plenty of options on the market, the specific needs of your facility or machinery will end up dictating your decision based on the factors listed above. We built our industrial water-cooled process chillers to deliver high performance, efficiency, and flexibility without compromise after being frustrated by the traditional market options. If you’re exploring options and are curious if an EVRCOOL chiller would meet your needs, we’re ready to have a straightforward conversation about what’s possible - reach out!
