In recent years, the compressors of screw-type water chillers have quickly occupied the market of large-capacity reciprocating compressors due to their high reliability, convenient operation and maintenance, good dynamic balance, strong adaptability, and excellent gas volume regulation. Moreover, they are continuously extending to the medium-capacity market and are widely used in refrigeration equipment such as freezing, refrigeration, air conditioning, and chemical processes. In the field of HVAC alone, there are various types of heating and cooling equipment such as air heat source type, water heat pump type, heat recovery type, and ice storage type that require screw compressors. In the industrial sector, to save energy, screw heat pumps are also adopted for heat recovery.
Compared with other types of refrigeration compressors on the market, the compressors of screw-type water chillers have a cooling capacity range that is hundreds or even nearly a thousand times higher than that of hermetic piston compressors and scroll compressors. Compared with the centrifugal refrigeration compressors mainly used in air conditioning water chillers and the open-piston refrigeration compressors mostly used in cold storage, the compressors of screw water chillers can be applied in both refrigeration and air conditioning conditions. From this perspective, the greater competitor of screw compressors in the market is the semi-hermetic piston refrigeration compressor, which is also widely used. However, the single-unit cooling capacity of semi-hermetic piston refrigeration compressors is within the range of 3KW to 100KW. In a wide range of refrigeration or air conditioning conditions, multiple machines must be connected to achieve the desired effect. The cooling capacity of a single screw compressor ranging from 30KW to 1500KW is sufficient to handle various cooling ranges and is easy to adjust. In other words, compared with similar products in the industry, the application level and market competitiveness of screw compressors can be said to be more advantageous.
The proportion of the screw chiller industry in China's entire refrigeration industry is approximately 24%, although it is lower than the about 40% in mature international markets, it still indicates that the market potential of the refrigeration and freezing industry is very high, especially for screw compressors. Due to the characteristic of screw compressors being suitable for 24-hour long-term operation and the continuous advancement of technology applied in low-temperature systems, their performance and efficiency have significantly improved. It is believed that in the near future, for the domestic market, screw chillers have long become the standard compressors for low-temperature refrigeration and freezing systems in developed regions such as Europe and America.
