Industrial Chillers
Industrial chillers are refrigeration systems that chill liquids, such as water, oil, brine, alcohol, chemicals, or acids, for industrial purposes. They operate through the use of refrigerants, which can be divided into two categories: primary
industrial chillers and secondary industrial chillers. Primary refrigerants used
in many industrial chillers are substances, such as CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs, which change their physical state from liquid to vapor or vice versa, based on whether they absorb or release heat. Secondary refrigerants
used in many industrial chillers include water, brine, and air and supplement primary
industrial chillers refrigerants.
In industrial chillers, refrigerant gas passes through a heat exchanger while a liquid flows in the other direction on the opposite side of the exchanger. The refrigerant absorbs the heat lost by the liquid as a compressor compresses the refrigerant into a high pressure, high temperature gas. The gas then moves into the condenser coil, over which ambient air blows. The air, moved by one or more fans
in industrial chiller systems, removes heat from the gas, which causes it to condense into a high pressure, warm temperature liquid. The liquid passes through the expansion valve
in industrial chillers where a large pressure drop occurs, turning the liquid into a very cold mist. Finally, the mist returns to the heat exchanger, and the whole process begins again.