A chiller system is a cooling system that removes heat by circulating heat absorbing a refrigerant through a series of mechanisms through which the heat is released. the essential components of a chiller area compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator. they work in unison to circulate a refrigerant that removes heat from a process operation and space.
Condenser :- the function of chiller condenser is to eliminate heat from the refrigerant being circulated through the chiller unit. this is obtained by circulating water between cooling tower and the condenser for water cooled variants or blowing cool air over condenser piping for air cooled chiller units.
compressor :- the compressor is the driving unit of any chiller system . it generates the pressure gradient necessary to push refrigerant around chiller unit to achieve process cooling. various condensers are available. with the most popular type including centrifugal screw and reciprocating compressors.
Evaporators :- evaporator is places between the expansion valve and the condenser removes heat from any associated process into circulating refrigerant . this is the channeled to a cooling tower or air cooled depending on the chiller configuration
Thermal expansion valve:- thermal expansion valve located between compressor an fthe evaporator serve to expand r refrigenrat pasasing through them , this action diminishes pressure an dimproves the heat elimination from the evaporator.
A typical water cooled chilled water system consists of 4 major components as below.
- Chiller
- Cooling tower
- Chilled water pump
- Condenser water pump
Valve and Accessories
isolation valve : – are used to isolate a section of pipe and prevent water from flowing though in order for people to do maintenance and repair works
y strainer :- are basically filters for water. hence they should be installed before the inlet of chilled water pumps.
Flexible joints :- are used to prevent the vibration of chilled water pumps from transmitting to the piping system. flexible joints are made of rubber with flanged connection most of the time. however smaller flexible joints do use thread connections.
check valves :- only allow water to flow in one direction. they are mechanically designed to close when water is flowing in the wrong direction . it is also know as non – return valve
pressure gauges and temperature gauges :- are important accessories for us to monitor the performance of chilled water pumps and the overall chilled water system . but recently they incorporated digital sensors and monitored remotely in BMS which is Building management system, or so called SCADA system .
Air vent Valve :- are mechanical valves that purge air our of the chilled water piping system. they are installed at the highest point to be effective . air vent valves must be installed upright and thus located on horizontal pipes.