Prior to the 1950s, gas engine-driven cooling systems dominated the U.S. market.  As electric equipment efficiencies and electric utility reliability improved, and as the gas moratorium unfolded, electric chillers gained a foothold in the marketplace.  In the 1980s, the gas industry and manufacturers initiated programs to identify and resolve impediments to gas engine-driven chillers.  Today’s gas models are especially appropriate for:

• areas with high electric demand charges

• heat recovery applications

• partial load operations

• refrigeration

An important advantage of engine-driven chillers is heat recovery.  About a third of the energy input to the chiller is used for cooling, leaving a substantial amount of heat that is easily recovered from the engine cooling jacket and engine exhaust.  Effective recovery of this heat for additional refrigeration, space heating or process loads can boost efficiency to 75% or 80%.
Description of Engine-Driven Cooling TechnologyHow Engine-Driven Cooling Works

Advantages and Applications

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