What are the Types of Chillers?

There are three major types of chillers in use based on the condenser type, which are air-cooled chillers, water-cooled chillers and evaporative condensed chillers. As their name suggests, the air-cooled chillers use air to remove heat in the condenser by using fans to force air across the exposed tubes of the condenser. While the water-cooled chillers use water to remove heat by using pumps to send water through a sealed condenser. The latter is generally more energy-efficient than air-cooled chillers. The evaporative condensed chillers can condense a substance from its gas state to its liquid state by cooling it. Then the heat is released by the substance and transferred to the surrounding environment. It is usually considered as an alternative device to air or water cooled chillers.

What are Chiller Components?

A complete chiller is basically composed of the following components: a condenser, a compressor, an evaporator, an expansion valve, a power unit, water boxes and a control unit. The condenser can remove heat from the refrigerant, including air and water cooled condensers. The compressor is the most important component in a chiller system, which can ensure the movement of the refrigerant throughout the system. The evaporator can collect heat from the structure and send it to the cooling tower. The expansion valve can expand the refrigerant to increase its volume, thus allowing the refrigerant to absorb heat in the evaporator. The power unit controls the electricity supply to the chiller. The water box usually directs the flow and separates the entrance from the exit. The control unit can observe and manage the performance of a chiller. The above components all play an important role in a good operation of a chiller.