Independent absorption chiller specialists · UK & Europe

Keeping mission-critical absorption cooling running.

Q: What is an absorption chiller and how does it work?

An absorption chiller produces chilled water using heat as the driving energy instead of an electrically driven compressor. It uses a lithium bromide and water solution under deep vacuum: heat boils refrigerant water out of the solution in the generator, it condenses and then evaporates at low pressure to produce cooling, and the lithium bromide re-absorbs the vapour. Because the compression work is done thermally, an absorption chiller draws only a few kilowatts of electricity for its pumps.

Q: What is the difference between an absorption chiller and an absorption heat pump?

They use the same lithium bromide and water cycle but for different purposes. An absorption chiller's useful output is chilled water and the heat is rejected to a cooling tower. An absorption heat pump deliberately harvests that heat and delivers it to a heating circuit — recovering low-grade waste heat and upgrading it to useful temperatures for district heating or process use.

Q: How often should an absorption chiller be serviced?

An absorption chiller should receive at least an annual service including a vacuum decay test, purge system check, LiBr solution sampling and analysis, approach temperature survey and controls calibration. Mission-critical machines often use quarterly visits with remote monitoring. Well-maintained absorption chillers routinely operate for 25 to 30 years.

Q: Why choose absorption cooling for a data centre?

Data centres convert electricity into heat, then use more electricity to remove it. Where on-site generation or a heat network provides driving heat, absorption chillers produce cooling with only a fraction of the electrical demand of conventional chillers — freeing electrical capacity for IT load, improving PUE, and using water as the refrigerant with no F-gas compliance burden.

Independent, OEM-trained engineers for absorption chiller service, maintenance and commissioning — plus heat recovery engineering that turns wasted heat into reliable energy.

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13+ yrs OEM experience 24/7 emergency cover All major LiBr brands

Catch Energy lithium bromide absorption chiller — serviced across the UK and Europe

24 x7

Support Available

Heat in Chilled water out LiBr / H₂O

Trusted on mission-critical sites

Data CentresHospitalsDistrict EnergyPharmaManufacturingUniversities

What we do

Specialist service, not a general HVAC contractor.

Absorption machines run under deep vacuum and depend on precise LiBr chemistry. We work on them every day — so problems get found before they stop your plant.

Absorption Chiller Service & Maintenance

Planned maintenance contracts, LiBr analysis, vacuum and leak testing, tube cleaning, performance verification and controls care — tailored to your machine, duty and site. The core of what we do.

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24/7 Emergency Breakdown

Lost cooling can't wait. Rapid diagnosis, temporary measures and permanent repair by engineers who know these machines.

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Commissioning & Re-commissioning

New installs and major overhauls brought safely online, with performance verified against design data and full documentation.

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LiBr Analysis & Vacuum Integrity

Solution chemistry, inhibitor and alkalinity control, crystallisation risk, 24-hour decay testing and purge optimisation.

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Heat Recovery Engineering

Feasibility, temperature matching and integration — absorption chillers and heat pumps that turn waste heat into cooling or useful heat.

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13+

Years OEM absorption experience

24/7

Emergency breakdown response

25–30

Year life from well-kept machines

UK+EU

Site coverage & call-out

Catch Energy engineers servicing an absorption chiller on site

Why an independent specialist

The people who look after the machine, not sell you a new one.

General refrigeration engineers rarely carry the tools or the experience for vacuum-critical LiBr plant. We're independent and brand-agnostic — our only job is keeping your existing asset at design performance for as long as possible.

Single & double-effect machines — hot water, steam or exhaust driven
Independent advice — repair vs replace, honestly
Performance audits & life-extension planning

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How we work

A clear path from first call to reliable running.

STEP 01

Assess

Site visit or remote review of your machine, duty, history and symptoms.

STEP 02

Diagnose

Vacuum test, LiBr analysis and performance data pinpoint the real issue.

STEP 03

Restore

Repair, recover vacuum, correct chemistry and verify against design.

STEP 04

Protect

Planned maintenance and monitoring keep it running for decades.

Sectors we support

Where cooling and heat can never fail.

Mission-critical experience across the UK and mainland Europe.

Data Centres

Absorption cooling that lowers PUE and frees electrical capacity for IT load.

Hospitals

Reliable, quiet cooling for theatres, imaging and wards — planned around clinical operations.

District Heating

Absorption heat pumps for flue-gas recovery and network temperature lift.

Trigeneration & CHP

Turn summer engine heat into chilled water and keep CHP fully utilised.

Pharmaceutical

Validated environments with the documentation and traceability they demand.

Manufacturing

Process cooling where downtime is measured in lost output.

Interactive tool

Not sure what your waste heat can produce?

Tell us the heat source you have and our Solutions Explorer shows what you can make — chilled water, heating, steam or power — and the technology that fits.

Data centre heatFlue gasHot water 40–90°CCHP exhaustSteam >150°C

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Knowledge Hub

Engineering knowledge, explained properly.

Field-tested guidance on absorption chillers, heat pumps and heat recovery — written by the people who service them.

Fundamentals

How absorption chillers work — the complete guide

The single and double-effect LiBr cycle, why the vacuum matters, and how these machines last decades.

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Strategy

Heat recovery in industries — the complete guide

Where 20–50% of industrial energy is wasted, the recovery toolbox, and how to build the business case.

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Data Centres

Absorption cooling in data centres

Turning server and generation heat into cooling — lowering PUE and grid demand.

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Fundamentals

Absorption heat pumps explained

Type I amplifiers and Type II transformers — how they upgrade waste heat into useful energy.

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District Heating

Absorption heat pumps in district heating

Flue-gas condensing recovery, lower return temperatures and the efficiency multiplier.

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Trigeneration and CHP absorption cooling

Energy Centres

Trigeneration: CHP with absorption cooling

Turn summer engine heat into chilled water and keep CHP fully utilised all year.

Read article

Maintenance

Absorption chiller maintenance: vacuum, LiBr & crystallisation

The three disciplines that decide whether a machine lasts 12 years or 30.

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Strategy

Absorption chiller vs heat pump vs electric

A practical framework for choosing the right machine for your site and heat source.

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Common questions

Absorption chillers & heat recovery — answered.

What is an absorption chiller and how does it work?

An absorption chiller produces chilled water using heat as the driving energy instead of an electric compressor. It uses a lithium bromide (LiBr) and water solution under deep vacuum: heat boils refrigerant water out of the solution in the generator, it condenses, then evaporates at very low pressure to create the cooling effect, and the lithium bromide re-absorbs the vapour. Because the "compression" is done thermally, the machine draws only a few kilowatts of electricity for its pumps.

Who services absorption chillers in the UK?

Catch Energy is an independent, OEM-trained absorption chiller service provider covering the UK and Europe. We handle planned maintenance, LiBr solution analysis, vacuum and leak testing, commissioning and 24/7 emergency breakdown support for single and double-effect machines driven by hot water, steam or exhaust gas.

What's the difference between an absorption chiller and an absorption heat pump?

They share the same LiBr/water cycle but are used differently. An absorption chiller's useful output is chilled water, with heat rejected to a cooling tower. An absorption heat pump deliberately harvests that heat and delivers it to a heating circuit — recovering low-grade waste heat and upgrading it to useful temperatures for district heating or process use.

How often should an absorption chiller be serviced?

At least annually — including a vacuum decay test, purge system check, LiBr sampling and analysis, approach-temperature survey and controls calibration. Mission-critical machines often use quarterly visits with remote monitoring. Well-maintained absorption chillers routinely run 25–30 years.

Why choose absorption cooling for a data centre?

Data centres turn electricity into heat, then spend more electricity removing it. Where on-site generation or a heat network provides driving heat, absorption chillers produce cooling with a fraction of the electrical demand — freeing capacity for IT load, improving PUE, and using water as the refrigerant with no F-gas compliance burden.

Have an absorption chiller? Let's keep it running.

Planned maintenance, an urgent breakdown, or a heat recovery idea — tell us your site and we'll respond with a clear, engineer-written answer, usually within one working day.

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Contact

Talk to an engineer, not a call centre.

Emailservice@catchenergy.co.uk
CoverageUnited Kingdom & mainland Europe
RegisteredEngland & Wales · Milton Keynes