Natural Gas Cooling Cooling with natural gas is environmentally smart. Natural gas chillers offer significant savings when compared with electricity. In some cases, savings are nearly 50 percent.

Benefits

Reduced energy costs Gas cooling reduces higher on-peak electric demand charges and on-peak electric energy charges through the summer when gas prices are typically lower. Flexible operating options Natural gas cooling systems can operate side-by-side with existing electric units. You can switch from natural gas to electricity when rates are most beneficial to you. Less-expensive retrofitting Natural gas systems can be a less costly alternative to retrofitting older electric chillers for use with new refrigerants. Natural gas allows you to heat and cool simultaneously from the same piece of equipment, reducing your initial investment and long-term maintenance costs. It also saves floor space. Reduced enviromental concerns Natural gas air conditioning uses the most environmentally-friendly refrigerant known – water. The main by-products of clean-burning natural gas are carbon dioxide and water vapor. These are the same elements we exhale when we breathe.

How it Works

Absorption chillers, used for natural gas cooling, have a capacity from 70 to 1,700 tons. There are two major classes of absorption equipment: direct-fired and indirect-fired. Direct-fired equipment has an integral burner as the heat source, while indirect-fired equipment uses hot water or steam as the heat source. The basic operation of an absorption chiller is the same as a conventional vapor compression chiller. Cooling in both methods is provided by evaporating a refrigerant. Click here for a detailed explanation of the process.

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