Whether for comfort or specialized processes or facilities, temperature control plays a vital role in many industries. Some needs are, though important, relatively basic; such as air conditioning or heating for a temporary structure, or scheduled maintenance or unexpected failure of a system in a permanent structure. More sophisticated applications involve producing the cold air or fluid necessary for the manufacture of a wide variety of products—from chemicals to electronics. No matter the application, chillers fill the vital role in these applications.

The following articles are provided to further enhance your understanding of chillers and their applications in cooling processes.

Chiller Basics -- What is a Chiller? A chiller is a water-cooled air conditioning system that cools inside air, creating a more comfortable and productive environment. Chillers are also used in the manufacturing environment to provide "process" cooling to equipment in an effort to maximize productivity.

With large facilities, such as commercial buildings, hospitals, universities, government facilities and theme parks, the cost of energy to generate cooling in excess of 50 tons is cost prohibitive with air-cooled units. Water-cooled chillers produce higher tonnage at lower costs per ton, creating greater energy efficiency. A typical home has 3-5 tons of cooling capacity.

How a Complete Chiller System Works

Chillers circulate chilled water to air-handlers in order to transfer heat from air to water. This water then returns to the evaporator side of the chiller where the heat is passed from the water to a liquid refrigerant (freon). The refrigerant leaves the evaporator as a cold vapor and enters the compressor where it is compressed into a hot vapor. Upon leaving the compressor, the vapor enters the condenser side of the chiller where heat is transferred from the refrigerant to the water side of the condenser where it is circulated to an open cooling tower for the final removal of heat via evaporation in the cooling tower. Read More Here.

Reaping the Benefits Of New Chillers -- Facilities have installed a new generation of chillers in recent years that are designed to deliver a range of benefits, including greater energy efficiency, easier monitoring and control, and smaller footprints. These chillers also have created new operating and maintenance requirements.

The challenge for engineering and maintenance managers is determining how these advances affect maintenance procedures and strategies and smoothly incorporating the new requirements into technicians’ existing duties.
Technology focus

Many recent advances in chiller technology have opened the way for managers to offset some or all of the costs of an upgrade or replacement by significantly lowering operating costs — an important factor in selling the project to facility executives...Read More Here.

Chiller Replacement: Making the Case -- There is no question that chillers are big-ticket items. In most facilities, they are one of the most expensive pieces of equipment. They also are the single biggest users of electricity in those facilities.

Combine these factors with a chiller’s relatively long service life of 20-25 years, and it is easy to understand why engineering and maintenance managers move cautiously when it comes to making decisions on chiller replacement. Some managers move too cautiously, however, believing that as long as a chiller is running, it is not worth the expense of replacing it.

But these managers fail to understand that just because a chiller is operating does not mean it is operating efficiently. And with operating costs over the life of a chiller greatly exceeding its initial cost, replacing an older chiller with one that delivers higher efficiency can greatly reduce overall electricity costs.

While reduced operating costs is a strong motivation to replace older chillers, managers also must weigh other factors, including the chiller’s condition, age and reliability, how building loads have changed, and a chiller’s maintenance requirements. Only by considering the impact chiller replacement can have on these factors can managers determine the true value of replacing their facilities’ chillers… Read More Here.