• HVAC & INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION

One of the World's Broadest Portfolios for HVAC & Industrial Refrigeration

From shell and tube and plate heat exchangers to multiple air-cooled solutions, API Heat Transfer handles the most stringent requirements for evaporators, condensers, subcoolers, free-cooling, and more — supporting synthetic and natural refrigerants, including transcritical CO₂ and low-charge ammonia, across HVAC, data center cooling, food service, and industrial refrigeration markets.

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Portfolio

One of the Broadest Globally

Refrigerants

Synthetic, Natural, CO₂ & Low-Charge Ammonia

Capacity Range

2 Tons to Several Hundred Tons

Solutions

Standard Catalog & Fully Custom

THE HVAC & INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION CHALLENGE

HVAC and industrial refrigeration systems operate across demanding environments — from data centers and food processing facilities to commercial buildings and industrial plants — where precise temperature control, refrigerant compatibility, and energy efficiency are non-negotiable requirements.

Stringent Performance Requirements.
Evolving Refrigerant Regulations.
Every Application Demands the Right Solution.
refrigerant molecule
Refrigerant Compatibility & Regulation
The shift toward natural refrigerants — including transcritical CO₂ and low-charge ammonia — and evolving environmental regulations requires heat exchangers specifically engineered for these demanding media. Equipment must perform reliably while minimizing refrigerant charge and meeting the latest compliance standards.
CO₂, ammonia & synthetic refrigerant capable
efficiency-icon
Performance, Footprint & Energy Efficiency
Operators must maximize thermal performance within constrained installation footprints while minimizing energy consumption. Plate heat exchangers optimize approach temperatures and reduce refrigerant charge; air-cooled solutions enable free-cooling opportunities that reduce compressor runtime and operating cost.
Optimized approach temp — minimized refrigerant charge
system integration
Application Breadth & System Integration
From evaporators and condensers to subcoolers, thermosiphon oil coolers, intercoolers, and free-cooling systems, HVAC and refrigeration plants require multiple heat exchanger types working together. Each must be correctly specified for fluid compatibility, pressure rating, and thermal duty.
Full system coverage — evaporators to free-cooling

One of the Broadest Portfolios in the Industry.

API offers standard and custom product solutions across shell and tube, plate, and air-cooled technologies — providing the optimum combination of performance, price, and availability for every HVAC and industrial refrigeration application. Both synthetic and natural refrigerant services are supported, including transcritical CO₂ and low-charge ammonia.

cylindrical vessel-icon Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers

Shell and tube evaporators available from 2 to several hundred tons — featuring enhanced copper or copper-nickel tubes for traditional applications, and carbon steel or stainless steel for ammonia and special service. Also includes marine and traditional condensers, subcoolers, thermosiphon oil coolers, transcritical gas coolers, intercoolers, and custom pressure tanks.

stacked plates Plate Heat Exchangers

Semi-welded plate heat exchangers with port sizes up to 14" for flooded evaporators, condensers, and thermosiphon oil coolers — optimizing footprint, minimizing refrigerant charge, and delivering superior approach temperatures with both synthetic and natural refrigerants. Traditional gasketed designs available for close-approach free-cooling in data centers, airports, commercial, educational, and sports venue applications.

fin-coil-icon Air-Cooled Solutions

A complete air-cooled portfolio including brazed, all-aluminum, and microchannel condensers, plus rugged all-aluminum T-Bar products for V-bank and free-cooling applications. Custom designs available for refrigerated air dryers, liquid-to-liquid CDU applications for data centers, and other critical cooling requirements.

custom build Standard & Custom Solutions

Both standard catalog and fully custom-engineered products are available — allowing engineers to find the optimum balance of thermal performance, refrigerant compatibility, footprint, price, and lead time for every application and project schedule.

copper-nickel construction, industrial refrigeration

PROVEN ACROSS HVAC & REFRIGERATION MARKETS

Applications and markets we support.

HVAC & Commercial Buildings

Shell and tube and plate heat exchangers for chiller plants, cooling towers, and building HVAC systems — supporting close-approach free-cooling in offices, airports, educational facilities, and sports venues.

Close-Approach Free-Cooling, Commercial & institutional
HVAC systems

Data Center Cooling

Gasketed plate heat exchangers for free-cooling loops and liquid-to-liquid CDU applications — optimizing PUE and reducing compressor runtime in hyperscale, colocation, and enterprise data center environments.

PUE Optimization, Free-cooling & CDU capable
Data center cooling

Food Service & Cold Storage

Industrial refrigeration heat exchangers for food processing, cold storage, and food service applications — supporting low-charge ammonia and CO₂ transcritical systems with the material specifications and capacity ranges these environments require.

Low-Charge Ammonia & CO₂ Capable, Food-safe refrigerant systems
Food & cold storage

Industrial Refrigeration

Heavy-duty evaporators, condensers, thermosiphon oil coolers, and intercoolers for large-scale industrial refrigeration plants — engineered for continuous operation with ammonia, CO₂, and synthetic refrigerants in demanding process environments.

Several Hundred Ton Capacity, Large-scale industrial duty
Industrial refrigeration

Refrigerated Air Dryers

Custom-designed heat exchangers for refrigerated air dryer applications — delivering precise thermal performance in compact configurations that integrate cleanly into compressed air system packages.

Custom Air Dryer Designs, Compressed air system ready
Air dryers

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HVAC and Industrial Refrigeration heat transfer applications and API Heat Transfer solutions.

What heat exchanger products does API Heat Transfer offer for HVAC applications?+
API Heat Transfer supplies plate, shell and tube, and brazed heat exchangers for HVAC applications including chilled water distribution, free cooling heat exchangers, district energy systems, heat pump evaporators and condensers, and hydronic system isolation exchangers. Products are available pre-engineered for standard duties or custom-engineered for complex system requirements.
Does API Heat Transfer supply free cooling heat exchangers for HVAC systems?+
Yes. API Heat Transfer’s gasketed plate heat exchangers are widely used for free cooling (economizer) duty in HVAC systems, enabling chilled water systems to reject heat to outdoor air or cooling towers without mechanical refrigeration. These units are designed for high thermal efficiency, low pressure drop, and easy maintenance via plate removal and cleaning.
Are API Heat Transfer products suitable for ammonia refrigeration systems?+
Yes. API Heat Transfer supplies heat exchangers specifically designed for industrial ammonia refrigeration systems including plate-and-shell heat exchangers, shell and tube condensers and evaporators, and compact plate configurations. Materials and design standards comply with IIAR (International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration) guidelines and ASME pressure vessel code.
What is a plate heat exchanger used for in district energy systems?+
In district heating and cooling systems, plate heat exchangers serve as the interface (or building heat exchanger) between the central district loop and individual building HVAC systems. They thermally isolate the two systems while enabling efficient heat transfer. API Heat Transfer’s SIGMA® gasketed plate heat exchangers are engineered for the continuous-duty, long-life requirements of district energy applications.
Does API Heat Transfer offer heat exchangers for data center HVAC cooling applications?+
Yes. API Heat Transfer serves both the HVAC mechanical plant and the IT cooling plant within data center facilities. For the mechanical plant, products include chilled water distribution plate heat exchangers, cooling tower isolation exchangers, and condenser water heat recovery. For the IT plant, API’s SIGMA M186 gasketed plate heat exchanger supports primary and secondary cooling loops at capacities up to 15MW per unit.