The chiller is the core of a central air conditioning system, and its main function is to provide cooling water to buildings through the refrigeration cycle. This article will introduce in detail the basic components and working principles of a chiller plant.
Core Components of a Chiller
The refrigeration system of a chiller mainly consists of four core components:
1. Compressor: compresses low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into high-temperature, high-pressure gas.
2. Condenser: the high temperature and high-pressure gas cooling and condensation into liquid state.
3. Throttle valve: reduce the refrigerant pressure, so that it becomes low temperature and low-pressure liquid.
4. Evaporator: low-temperature, low-pressure liquid absorbs environmental heat and evaporates into a gaseous state.
In addition, the chiller also includes several auxiliary components, such as liquid line solenoid valves, sight glass, liquid piping filter drier, and high and low-pressure controllers to ensure stable operation and efficient performance of the system.
Working Principle of Chiller
The refrigeration process of the chiller can be summarized in the following steps:
1. The compressor compresses the low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into high-temperature, high-pressure gas.
2. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas flow into the condenser, and cool the water for heat exchange, cooling, and condensation into liquid.
3. The liquid refrigerant is depressurized through a throttle valve and becomes a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid.
4. low-temperature, low-pressure liquid in the evaporator to absorb the environmental heat, and evaporation into a gaseous state, to complete the refrigeration cycle.
Circulation system of chiller
The chiller contains two main water circulation systems:
1. Chilled water circulation system: It consists of chilled pumps and chilled water piping. After being cooled in the evaporator, the chilled water is delivered to the fan coils in each room through the chilled pump to absorb indoor heat and realize cooling.
2. Cooling water circulation system: it consists of a cooling pump, cooling water pipeline, and cooling tower. After absorbing heat in the condenser, the cooling water is sent to the cooling tower by the cooling pump. In the cooling tower, the water exchanges heat with the air, cools down, and returns to the condenser, forming a cycle.
Auxiliary equipment
To improve system efficiency and comfort, the chiller is also equipped with the following auxiliary equipment:
1. indoor fan: installed in the room to be cooled down, used to blow the cooled air into the room to accelerate the heat exchange process.
2. cooling tower fan: used to accelerate the heat exchange process in the cooling tower to improve cooling efficiency.
Applicable places of chiller
Due to its high efficiency and stable refrigeration performance, the chiller unit is suitable for many large buildings and places:
1. Commercial buildings: such as shopping centers, large supermarkets, office buildings, etc.
2. Industrial facilities: such as factories, data centers, laboratories, etc.
3. Public facilities: such as hospitals, schools, libraries, stadiums, etc.
4. Large-scale residential projects: such as high-rise apartments, hotels, and so on.
These places usually require large-scale and long-time cooling, and chiller plants can provide stable and economical cooling solutions to meet the air conditioning needs of different buildings.
