Selecting a Cooling System: Ambient Cooling System | Recirculating Chiller | Liquid-to-Liquid Cooling System | Recirculating Chiller or Liquid-to-Liquid Cooling System

An ambient cooling system is the simplest and most economical cooling system. It contains a heat exchanger,fan, pump and tank, in a compact package. The pump circulates the fluid to your system and back through the heat exchanger, and the fan blows ambient air across the heat exchanger to cool the liquid.

There is no temperature control circuit, so an ambient cooling system does not maintain a pre-set temperature. Since the ambient air provides the cooling, the ambient temperature is the lower limit for the fluid exit temperature.

Although they appear simple, ambient cooling systems are engineered for maximum capacity. The cooling system manufacturer's thorough understanding of heat exchanger performance allows the liquid flow rate and air flow rate to be performance-matched to extract the most cooling capacity from the system. The plumbing is designed for high reliability and components are carefully selected to avoid any galvanic corrosion issues. An off-the-shelf ambient cooling system is extremely easy to use - simply connect the fluid inlet / outlet fittings to your equipment, fill the tank and turn it on!

But what if you need to control the temperature or cool below room temperature? Recirculating chillers and liquid-to-liquid cooling systems are both good alternatives.

Figure 1 - Schematic of an Ambient Cooling System