COMPARISON OF AIR

CONDITIONING SYSTEM

Air Conditioning
System

Chilled Water

Water-Cooled
Chiller

Air-Cooled
Chiller

Direct Expansion

Water-Cooled
Packaged

Air-Cooled
Packaged

When selecting a cooling system, the first

step is to analyze commercial aspects and
applications of the systems to the job site.
There are a few criteria to considered when
selecting a cooling system
capital cost
Operating cost
Users ability to operate
Service and maintenance

1) CAPITAL COST

1) CAPITAL COST
WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

WC
Packaged

AC
Packaged

System Price RM 7000 TO RM 5000 RM 3500 TO RM 3000 TO

/ RT
RM 8000 TO RM 6000 RM 4000
RM 3500

i) Centralized chilled water system capital cost is higher compare

to packaged system. However, capital cost is not the only criteria
to justify which system to use. Other criteria should also take into
consideration before any system is selected.
RT = Refrigerant Tonnage

4) OPERATION COST

4) OPERATION COST

Overall Efficiency
kw/tr

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

0.9

1.5

WC
Packaged

1.1

AC
Packaged
1.1

i) Centralized chilled water system has a better overall efficiency

due to precise control of chillers, pump and valves operations in
accordance to the varying load. The capacity regulation of chilled
water system is stepless (continuous). Optimization of chiller plant
efficiency can be done with chilled water system. Variable flow
systems and inverter driven chiller provide better energy efficiency
and optimization to the chiller plant operation.
ii) Packaged system has poor overall efficiency due to poor control
of capacity as the compressor can not load/unload precisely and
continuously. Compressor can only on/off, control of capacity are
based on steps.

4) OPERATION COST
The Air Conditioning and Refrigerant Institute (ARI) has established
a system in ARI standard 550/590 2003 for measuring the total
chiller performance over full and part load conditions. It defines as
integrated part load value (IPLV) as an excellent method of
comparing equipment on an equal basis.
1

IPLV =
0.01
A

A = kw/tr at 100% load

B = kw/tr at 75% load

0.42
B

0.45

0.12

C = kw/tr at 50% load

D = kw/tr at 25% load

4) OPERATION COST
WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

WC
Packaged

1) Electricity
Cost

Lowest

Low

High

Highest

2) Water Bill
Cost

Yes

No

Yes

No

AC
Packaged

i) Water cooled chiller and water cooled packaged require cooling

tower. The cooling tower evaporation loss has to be top up.
ii) Air cooled chiller and air cooled packaged does not require
cooling tower. Hence no water top up is required.

2) ADVANTAGES /
DISADVANTAGES

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

1) Diversity
Factor

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

WC
Packaged

AC
Packaged

Yes
(0.8-0.9)

Yes
(0.8-0.9)

No

No

i) Diversity factor can be applied to centralized chilled water

system. This is because the chilled water plant can be sized for the
instanteous cooling load. Since, all loads do not peak at the same
time, centralized chilled water system is 10% to 20% smaller than
the total of the individual units at its peak.
ii) Diversity factor cannot be applied to packaged unit due to the
fact that each unit serves individual rooms. As a result, there is a
redundancy in capacity as units are selected based individual peak
loads.

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

2) Capacity
Control

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

WC
Packaged

AC
Packaged

Good

Good

Poor

Poor

i) Centralized chilled water system has better capacity control and

excellent part load performance value (IPLV) as the compressor is
able to load and unload according to the building load. Hence a
more precise control on the temperature and relative humidity (RH)
of the room.
ii) Packaged system has poor capacity control as the compressor is
able to cut in/out. As a result, load fluctuation and inconsistency in
capacity control makes it difficult to achieve continuous comfort
level and precise temperature and humidity control.

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

Standby

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

WC
Packaged

AC
Packaged

Yes

Yes

No

No

i) Centralized chilled water system has standby chiller that will run
in case of chiller failure. Using multiple compressors will also
further increase the standby (or redundancy) of the system.
Multiple compressor chiller can be used to provide standby with
partial load in case space for chiller system not sufficient to fit in
standby chiller.
ii) Each package system has poor standby. In case of compressor
failure, the package system still can operate at part load. No
standby package system is installed. But to overall building,
because it consists of many package system, if one package
system fails, the other package system still operates normally and
not affected.

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

4) Life Span
(Years)

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

WC
Packaged

15-20

15-20

8-10

AC
Packaged
8-10

i) Centralized chilled water system using screw compressor is

designed for rugged and reliable operation with few moving parts,
low speed operation and high quality bearing. Life span of screw
compressor is up to 20 years.
ii) Packaged system using scroll compressor is not as rugged and
reliable as screw compressor. The life span is shorter due to
frequent start / stop of the compressor. Generally, scroll
compressors are expected to last 8 to 10 years only.

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES
WC Chiller
5) Space
Requirement

i) WC Chiller & Pumps - Plant Room

ii) Cooling Tower - Roof top
iii) Make Up Water Tank - Roof top
iv) AHU AHU Room

AC Chiller
5) Space
Requirement

i) AC Chiller & Pumps Roof top

ii) AHU AHU Room

AHU Air Handling Unit

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES
WC Packaged
5) Space
Requirement

i) WC Packaged - AHU Room

ii) Cooling Tower & Pumps- Roof top
iii) Make Up Water Tank - Roof top

AC Packaged
5) Space
Requirement

i) Outdoor Unit - Roof top / Building Wall

ii) Indoor Unit - AHU Room

AHU Air Handling Unit

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

6) Distance
Limitation

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

WC
Packaged

AC
Packaged

No

No

No

Yes

i) Centralized chilled water system has no distance limitation.

Chilled water and condenser water pumps are able to circulate
chilled water and condenser water over a long distance.

ii) WC Packaged also has no distance limitation. The condenser

water pumps are able to circulate the condenser water over a long
distance.
iii) AC Packaged has distance limitation. The distance between
indoor and outdoor unit is limited by the length of refrigerant piping.
To properly allocating the outdoor unit can be troublesome.

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

7) Potential
Health Hazard
(Legionnaire disease)

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

Yes

No

WC
AC
Packaged Packaged
Yes

No

i) WC Chiller and WC Packaged can has potential health hazard

as cooling tower are open to contamination. Warm water is a
potential breeding ground for bacteria and microorganisms
especially legionnaires' disease.
ii) AC Chiller and AC Packaged does not use cooling tower. Hence
there are no potential health hazard on legionnaires' disease.

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

7) Potential
Health Hazard
(Refrigerant Leakage)

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

No

No

WC
AC
Packaged Packaged
Yes

Yes

i) Centralized chilled water system are does not have any potential
refrigerant exposure to the occupants. Refrigerant is confined
within chillers only. Leaking in water piping can be easily detected.
ii) Packaged system has potential refrigerant exposure to occupants.
Refrigerant leakage is difficult to detect.

2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

8) Noise level
Treatment

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

Good

Good

WC
Packaged
Poor

AC
Packaged
Poor

i) Centralized chilled water system noise level can be properly

treated within the chiller plant room.
ii) WC Packaged noise level is difficult to be treated as the
compressor is inside the indoor unit. To properly treated the noise
level can be costly.
iii) AC Packaged noise level is also difficult to be treated as the
compressor is inside the outdoor unit. Since the outdoor unit is
normally scattered around the building to properly treated the noise
level is very costly.

3) MAINTENANCE

3) MAINTENANCE

1) Centralized
Maintenance

WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

Yes

Yes

WC
Packaged
No

AC
Packaged
No

i) Centralized chilled water system are usually located in a single

area restricted for operating personnel. The Maintenance staff can
work in one location to service chillers compressor, pumps and
control.
ii) Packaged system are usually located in different locations will be
more difficult to service than equipment in a centralized plant. More
operating equipment leads to more equipment failure for one reason
or another.

3) MAINTENANCE
WC
Chiller

AC
Chiller

WC
Packaged

1) Condenser
Tube Cleaning

Yes

No

Yes

No

2) Chemical
Treatment

Yes

No

Yes

No

AC
Packaged

i) WC Chiller and WC Packaged requires additional condenser

tube cleaning and chemical treatment which can add on
maintenance cost.

Lower Entering AIR and WATER Temperatures

1) AIR COOLED CHILLER

Chiller
kW/ton

CHWP
kW/ton

CT
kW/ton

CWP
kW/ton

Total
kW/ton

950F @ 100% FL

1.10

0.12

1.160

850F @ 75% FL

0.90

0.12

1.020

750F @ 50% FL

0.82

0.12

0.940

750F @ 25% FL

0.82

0.12

0.940

Integrated System kW per ton

2) WATER COOLED CHILLER

0.974

Chiller
kW/ton

CHWP
kW/ton

CT
kW/ton

CWP
kW/ton

Total
kW/ton

870F @ 100% FL

0.62

0.12

0.05

0.08

0.870

83.50F @ 75% FL

0.71

0.12

0.05

0.08

0.960

800F @ 50% FL

0.85

0.12

0.05

0.08

1.100

800F @ 25% FL

1.25

0.12

0.05

0.08

1.500

Integrated System kW per ton

0.811

Lower Entering AIR and WATER Temperatures

1) AIR COOLED PACKAGED

AC Packaged
kW/ton

CHWP
kW/ton

CT
kW/ton

CWP
kW/ton

950F @ 100% FL

1.210

1.210

850F @ 75% FL

1.330

1.330

750F @ 50% FL

1.250

1.250

750F @ 25% FL

1.310

1.310

Integrated System kW per ton

2) WATER COOLED PACKAGED

Total
kW/ton

1.289

WC Packaged
kW/ton

CHWP
kW/ton

CT
kW/ton

CWP
kW/ton

870F @ 100% FL

0.780

0.05

0.08

0.910

83.50F @ 75% FL

0.960

0.05

0.08

1.090

800F @ 50% FL

0.980

0.05

0.08

1.110

800F @ 25% FL

1.250

0.05

0.08

1.380

Integrated System kW per ton

Total
kW/ton

1.125

THANK YOU..!