What Is A Condenser Unit And How It Works In A District Cooling System

Hasna Zamee
2 min readApr 13, 2022

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District cooling system mainly depends on three types of condensing units. They are air-cooled, evaporative and water-cooled condensers. Through a network of pipework fitted underground, different buildings get cold water from a central plant. Distribution network and the buildings have heat exchangers in between. It helps in rejecting the heat obtained from a cooled water, vapor compressor or chiller.

Let’s see in detail how condensers work in a district cooling system:

Air cooled condenser in district cooling

If there is a shortage of fresh water in any region, usage of water cooled condensers will be difficult. In such situations, air cooled condensers are used. Water to be used in condensers is unimaginable for countries with fewer volumes of water. Air cooled condensers have a general design, with movement of ambient air over the outside of finned tubes. This creates a cooling fluid that circulates. Maintenance required is very less, which is one of the attractive features of an air-cooled condenser.

Cooling tower in water cooled condenser

If a building is using a district cooling system, it is for sure that the heat will be dealt with by heat recovery or heat rejection. A cooling tower or water cooled condenser works together with the heat circulation outside. If you need better efficiency in the cooling system, cooling condensers in the UAE is an ideal choice. This particular system consumes very less power, which leads to a cost saving process. Another exciting feature of a condenser unit is its high efficiency and minimal weather exposed elements, durability and less maintenance. Cooling towers operate efficiently in manufacturing industries or the areas where temperature is high.

Condenser near sea areas

For district cooling systems working near the sea areas, large amounts of water for heat rejection is a cost-effective option. Besides energy savings, this is one of the best choices of eco-friendly systems. But there is an inevitable requirement of condenser design for such sea surroundings. The initial cost will be high due to the materials like titanium in the highly corrosive area.

It is true that each condensing unit in the district cooling energy system has advantages and disadvantages. Hence, it would be difficult to identify the best condensing units out of three. It is best to choose the ideal one based on the cost, efficiency, operation mode and refrigeration plant size. Choose the right district cooling system agency as they will be aware of the every know how on which condenser needs to be installed in your surroundings.

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