The common point is that both emphasize precise control of temperature to meet the requirements of temperature stability in their respective application fields. They are usually equipped with temperature controllers, such as PID controllers, to achieve automatic regulation and control of the temperature of the cooling medium. Both transfer heat through heat exchangers (such as plate heat exchangers, shell and tube heat exchangers, etc.), transfer the heat generated by the equipment or system to the cooling medium, and then discharge it through the refrigeration cycle to achieve the cooling effect. Both rely on circulating pumps to drive the cooling medium (such as water or special coolant) to circulate in the system to ensure continuous heat transfer and uniform cooling.

The difference is that hydraulic chillers are mainly designed for hydraulic systems, used to cool hydraulic oil or other hydraulic media, to ensure that the hydraulic system can be kept within a suitable temperature range during operation, and to prevent problems such as efficiency loss, equipment damage or oil deterioration caused by overheating. Hydraulic chillers usually need to withstand higher pressures, and their design focuses more on system stability, pressure resistance, and cooling efficiency to meet the strict requirements of hydraulic systems for temperature control.

Laboratory chillers are equipment that is specifically used to cool laboratory equipment such as rotary evaporators, lasers, nuclear magnetic resonance instruments, mass spectrometers, and other precision instruments. This type of chiller usually emphasizes the accuracy and stability of temperature control, is relatively small in size, easy to operate, and has low noise, making it suitable for placement in a laboratory environment. Laboratory chillers may also have features such as intelligent control and low energy consumption to meet the special needs of scientific research and analytical experiments. According to the cooling method, they are divided into air-cooled and water-cooled types, which are widely used in plastic molding, laser processing, food processing, chemical industry, medicine, and other fields. Their design and configuration are based on the temperature range and cooling capacity requirements of specific industrial applications.