What are the main types of chillers used in HVAC?

Chillers refer to industrial units that help maintain the temperature of the space and machinery. They are one of the most vital HVAC components and the heart of the chilled water system. Typically, they are named based on their categorization and the type of compressor. The ones set up in commercial areas are of various kinds. Centrifugal, hybrid, air-cooled, magnetic-bearing, and heat recovery chillers are the most commonly used. More information on these chiller units is provided in the following sections for those interested in knowing more about their functioning. Have a look!

Types of chillers used in HVAC systems:

1. Centrifugal Chiller:

This type of chiller is commonly used in HVAC and is mostly water-cooled. They work with the cooling towers and use the liquid to absorb heat inside a building. Afterward, the system rejects the warmth and sends it outside with the assistance of cooling towers. A chiller works with a centrifugal compressor and ensures cooling in a short while. While the small-capacity chillers have a single compressor, the large-capacity ones rely on dual compressors to deliver a satisfactory performance. Mainly, it is used in large spaces like hotels, shopping malls, and hospitals.

1. Air-cooled Chiller:

Instead of using the cooling towers, the air-cooled chillers rely on two fans to reject the heat outside of the building. They can conveniently fit in small spaces and can very well handle low cooling load applications because of the small compressors. The air-cooled chillers rely on either scroll or screw compressors to deliver a cooling capacity ranging between 10 RT to 550 RT. Also known as modular chillers, these systems can be stacked horizontally to increase the overall cooling ability.

1. Hybrid Chillers:

A combination of an air-cooled chiller and cooling tower, the hybrid chiller works on the principle of evaporative cooling and helps in rejecting heat. The system typically consists of two fans and one finned-tube heat exchanger to dismiss heat and a brazed-plate exchanger to ensure chilled water production. Unlike the air-cooled chiller, the hybrid chiller has an additional water circulation pump and internal pipe to spray water on infills or heat exchangers.

1. Magnetic bearing Chiller:

The centrifugal chiller is a type of water-cooled system that doesn’t use a lubricant. Instead, it uses the magnetic bearing compressor or oil-free compressor and ensures efficiency. This type of chiller has low friction loss and delivers better performance than a standard water-cooled centrifugal chiller. In addition, these systems provide quiet noise operation and need less maintenance.

1. Heat Recovery Chiller:

These chillers can produce chilled water for cooling and hot water for other purposes. The heat absorbed in these systems is not wasted at cooling towers and is used to create hot water. Also known as heat reclaim chillers, these units employ screw-type compressors. Typically, they come in a bigger size as they have a condenser to take care of the heat recovery process.

So, these are some types of HVAC chillers used in industrial spaces.

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