Water coolers have air condensers or liquid coolers to give off the heat from. The water cooler is highly efficient and suitable for applications requiring high cooling, such as industrial applications and larger air-conditioning processes. Because of the efficiency of water coolers, they are used to cool products, a variety of processes and air in many demanding industries. Industry and process cooling uses water and other liquids by pumping it through components. Chilled water is commonly used to cool and humidify air inside large commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. Water-cooled radiators are typically intended for indoor installation and indoor use and are cooled by a separate condenser water loop that is connected to an external cooling tower to transfer heat to the outdoor air. Air-cooled and evaporative coolers are designed for outdoor use.

Industrial coolers can be centralized, with one unit covers multiple spots or a decentralized design, where each unit is installed with its own cooler. Industrial type coolers are typically a tailored closed system including a chiller unit, a condenser and a pump station with a recirculation pump, an expansion and other valves and also, an internal temperature control. All coolers have temperature sensors and are controlled by a single control system that does not require the continuous presence of the operator.

As a reference, Coldex Oy has been involved in a project to produce an ATEX certified water cooler for demanding industrial needs in northern Russia. The project was carried out in cooperation with the Tehnomir company in St. Petersburg. The project included design delivery of fully operational outdoor explosion-proof water cooler.
 

The water cooler fully complied with ATEX certification requirements to ensure a high level of safety. ATEX or its older name Ex-Exhibit means legislation and standardization for equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres. ATEX certified equipment is used in highly hazardous industries, such as oil refineries, factories for the production and refining of flammable and explosive materials, chemical companies, and naval shipbuilding, where the safety of machinery systems is of the utmost importance.