Chiller and Coolant Circulation, Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are used to dehumidify and cool commercial buildings. As part of wider programs focused on building performance and sustainability, Modern commercial buildings seek efficient HVAC systems and components.
Likewise, Building occupants have high expectations that the HVAC system will function as intended to create a comfortable indoor environment regardless of the conditions outside the building.
Chiller and Coolant Circulation equipment has become an essential HVAC component of many types of commercial installations, including hotels, restaurants, hospitals, sports stadiums, manufacturing and industrial plants, and more. The industry has long recognized that the cooling system is the largest power consumer in most installations.
A chiller, in general, aids in the transfer of heat from an interior to an exterior environment. The physical state of a refrigerant as it circulates through the chiller system is used to power this heat-transfer mechanism. Chillers can undoubtedly serve as the heart of any central HVAC system.
WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF A CHILLER AND COOLANT CIRCULATION?
A chiller works on the principle of vapour compression or absorption. At a temperature of roughly 50°F (10°C), chillers provide a continuous coolant flow to the cold side of a process water system. The coolant is then pumped through the process, removing heat from one area of the facility (e.g., machinery, process equipment, etc.) and returning it to the return side of the process water system. A chiller is a mechanical refrigeration system that employs vapour compression and is linked to the process water system through an evaporator.
A chiller evaporator, compressor, condenser, and expansion device all circulate refrigerant. Each of the chillers above components undergoes a thermodynamic process. The evaporator acts as a heat exchanger, transferring heat from the process coolant flow to the refrigerant. The refrigerant evaporates, transforming from a low-pressure liquid to vapour, as the heat transfer occurs, and the temperature of the process coolant decreases.
The refrigerant is then directed to a compressor, which performs a variety of tasks. To begin, it removes refrigerant from the evaporator and ensures that the evaporator’s pressure is low enough to absorb heat at the proper pace. Second, it increases the pressure in the departing refrigerant vapour to guarantee that the temperature of the vapour remains high enough to release heat when it reaches the condenser.
In the condenser, the refrigerant reverts to a liquid condition. A cooling medium transports the latent heat released when the refrigerant transitions from vapour to liquid away from the environment (air or water).