BITZER's WGC Gas Coolers: Designed for CO₂ Transcritical Applications

BITZER's WGC shell and tube gas cooler is designed for transcritical CO₂ applications, boasting a 120-bar design pressure and high resistance to pressure and thermal fatigue.

The new BITZER WGC family of liquid-cooled heat exchangers are available in several sizes and lengths, making them suitable for commercial and light industrial refrigeration. This heat exchanger can function as a gas cooler, a heat recovery exchanger or a condenser – all within transcritical CO₂ applications. A single WGC model can operate in different modes within the same system, depending on the working conditions.

WGC heat exchangers use a shell-and-tube design, highly resistant to both mechanical and thermal fatigue. Compared to other heat exchanger technologies, this design offers advantages for installations in water-cooled CO₂ refrigeration systems – particularly those with a medium or large capacity of more than 250 kW. One WGC can replace up to three brazed plate heat exchangers, simplifying installation. The units offer high thermal efficiency thanks to their counterflow design.

Every BITZER WGC can be customised in terms of shell diameter, tube length (up to 5.5 metres), number of tubes and baffle arrangement. Customisation follows the project’s needs, selections, quotations and technical data. In all cases, CO₂ flows on the pipe side, while the secondary liquid (water or brine) flows on the shell side. As a gas cooler, the WGC has a capacity range of between 30 and 1,000 kW. The WGC models have received CE approval for pressure vessels, according to the EU Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU. Read more here.

The WGC ensures high resistance to pressure and thermal fatigue. The WGC can be used as a gas cooler, a heat recovery exchanger and a condenser.