Water-cooled air-conditioning systems for energy and power saving

The paper presents the results of an experimental investigation to compare the performance of water-cooled and air-cooled air-conditioning systems. Two identical chilled water air-conditioning systems, incorporating air-cooled and water-cooled condensers, were used independently to supply the cooling demand of a space. All other components of the two chillers were identical and of the same make. The chillers were operated on alternate days and their cooling production, power and energy needs were measured for the 24 hour period on a day-to-day basis during the summer of 1988. The results show that the water-cooled system requires 40% less peak power and 25% lower electrical energy. The energy requirements can be reduced further if seawater is used for condenser cooling in place of desalinated seawater.