Comparison Between

Air Conditioning
System
 Air Conditioning
System

Chilled Water Direct Expansion

Water-Cooled Air-Cooled Water-Cooled Air-Cooled

Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
 When selecting a cooling plant, the first step is
to analyze the advantages/ disadvantages,
capital cost, operating cost, and the user’s
ability to operate and maintain each considered
system.

 Using this criteria, we will now compare the

types of cooling plants using different types of
Air Conditioning Systems.
1) Capital Cost
1) CAPITAL COST

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged

Price RM 6000 RM 5000 RM 4000 RM 3500

/ RT

i) Centralized chilled water system seems to be higher as 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.
2) Advantages /
Disadvantages
2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
1) Diversity Yes Yes
(0.8-0.9) (0.8-0.9) No No
Factor

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

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
2) Capacity Good Good Poor Poor
Control

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

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged

3) Redundancy Yes Yes No No

i) Centralized chilled water system has redundancy where standby

chiller will normally back up the running chiller in case of chiller
failure. Using multiple compressors will also further increase the
redundancy of the system.

ii) Packaged system has no redundancy. In case of compressor

failure the unit affected will not be able to operate. There are no
standby capacity.
2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged

4) Life Span 15-20 15-20 8-10 8-10

(Years)

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
i) WC Chiller & Pumps - Plant Room
5) Space ii) Cooling Tower - Roof top
Requirement iii) Make Up Water Tank - Roof top
iv) AHU – AHU Room

AC Chiller

5) Space i) AC Chiller & Pumps – Roof top

Requirement ii) AHU – AHU Room
2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

WC Packaged

i) WC Packaged - AHU Room

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

AC Packaged

5) Space i) Outdoor Unit - Roof top / Building Wall

Requirement ii) Indoor Unit - AHU Room
2) ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
6) Distance No No No Yes
Limitation

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

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
7) Potential
Health Hazard Yes No Yes No
(Legionnaire disease)

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

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
7) Potential
Health Hazard No No Yes Yes
(Refrigerant Leakage)

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

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
8) Noise level Good Good Poor Poor
Treatment

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

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
1) Centralized Yes Yes No No
Maintenance

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 AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
1) Condenser
Yes No Yes No
Tube Cleaning
2) Chemical
Yes No Yes No
Treatment

i) WC Chiller and WC Packaged requires additional condenser

tube cleaning and chemical treatment which can add on
maintenance cost.
4) Operation Cost
4) OPERATION COST

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
1) Overall
Efficiency 1.038 0.974 1.214 1.289
kw/tr

i) Centralized chilled water system has a better overall efficiency

due to precise loading/unloading of the compressor in according to
the varying load.

ii) Packaged system has poor overall efficiency due to poor control
of capacity as the compressor can not load/unload precisely.
Compressor can only cut in/out.
 Lower Entering AIR and WATER Temperatures

1) AIR COOLED CHILLER Chiller CHWP CT CWP Total

kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton

950F @ 100% FL 1.100 0.12 0 0 1.160

850F @ 75% FL 0.900 0.12 0 0 1.020
750F @ 50% FL 0.820 0.12 0 0 0.940
750F @ 25% FL 0.820 0.12 0 0 0.940
Integrated System kW per ton 0.974

2) WATER COOLED CHILLER Chiller CHWP CT CWP Total

kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton

870F @ 100% FL 0.671 0.12 0.05 0.08 0.912

83.50F @ 75% FL 0.690 0.12 0.05 0.08 0.940
800F @ 50% FL 0.812 0.12 0.05 0.08 1.062
800F @ 25% FL 1.224 0.12 0.05 0.08 1.474
Integrated System kW per ton 1.038
 Lower Entering AIR and WATER Temperatures

1) AIR COOLED PACKAGED AC Packaged CHWP CT CWP Total

kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton

950F @ 100% FL 1.210 0 0 0 1.210

850F @ 75% FL 1.330 0 0 0 1.330
750F @ 50% FL 1.250 0 0 0 1.250
750F @ 25% FL 1.310 0 0 0 1.310
Integrated System kW per ton 1.289

2) WATER COOLED PACKAGED WC Packaged CHWP CT CWP Total

kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton kW/ton

870F @ 100% FL 0.780 0 0.05 0.08 0.910

83.50F @ 75% FL 0.960 0 0.05 0.08 1.090
800F @ 50% FL 0.980 0 0.05 0.08 1.110
800F @ 25% FL 1.250 0 0.05 0.08 1.380
Integrated System kW per ton 1.125
4) OPERATION COST

WC AC WC AC
Chiller Chiller Packaged Packaged
1) Electricity
Low Lowest High Highest
Cost
2) Water Bill
Yes No Yes No
Cost

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.
 Types Of Air Conditioning System
Installed/Applied In Our M&E Projects:-
i) Air Cooled Split Unit System
- Projects: Rumah Bot & Makmal Marin (ATMA), UIA
Kolej Phase 1A & Kolej 2, MAINS, Worldwide, Guthrie

2) Air Cooled Package Unit System

- Projects: Perpustakaan & IT Building (ATMA)

3) Water Cooled Package Unit System

- Projects : JPNJ, Bangunan Perkeso S. Jaya,

4) Air Cooled Chiller System

- UiTM Corporate Building

5) Water Cooled Chiller System

- Pusrawi Hospital, Slim River Hospital, UIA Phase 1B,
UM Chancellery, YTR Building, ELTC