Air Cooled Chiller

Principle And Diagram

Performance
Components
Detail of terms used in Logbooks

Principle And Diagram

During the Refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant passes through four major
components within the chiller: the evaporator, the compressor, the
condenser, and a flow-metering device such as an expansion valve. The
evaporator is the low-temperature (cooling) side of the system and the
condenser is the high-temperature (heat-rejection) side of the system.

The high pressure superheated gas is cooled

in several stages in the condenser

3
Condenser
Liquid
passes
through
expansion
device,
which
reduces its
pressure and
controls the
flow into the
evaporator

High
Pressure

4
Expansion
Device

Compressor

Low
Pressure

Evaporator

Refrigeration cycle
Low pressure liquid refrigerant in
evaporator absorbs heat and changes to
a gas

Performance of Ciller is expressed in terms of kW/ton or Coefficient of

Performance (COP) or Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER).
Tons of refrigeration (TR):
One ton of refrigeration is the amount of cooling obtained by one ton of ice
melting in one day

1TR=12,000 Btu/h or=3024 kCal/h= 3.516 thermal kW.

The
superheat
ed vapor
enters the
compress
or where
its
pressure
is raised

 Net Refrigerating Capacity:

A quantity defined as the mass flow rate of the evaporator water multiplied by the
difference in enthalpy of water entering and leaving the cooler.
Expressed in kCal/h, tons of Refrigeration (TR)
To determine the net refrigeration capacity:
The test shall include a measurement of the net heat removed from the water as it
passes through the evaporator by determination of the following:
a. Water flow rate
b. Temperature difference between entering and leaving water
The heat removed from the chilled water is equal to the product of the chilled
water flow rate, the water temperature difference, and the specific heat of the water
is defined as follows.
The net refrigeration capacity in tons shall be obtained by the following equation:

Measurement of compressor power:

Power (kW) = 3 x V x I x cos
1. kW/ton rating: Commonly referred to as efficiency, but actually power input to
compressor motor divided by tons of cooling produced, or kilowatts per ton
(kW/ton).

2. Coefficient of Performance (COP): Chiller efficiency measured in Btu output

(cooling) divided by Btu input (electric power).

3. Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER): Performance of smaller chillers and rooftop

units is frequently measured in EER rather than kW/ton. EER is calculated by
dividing a chiller's cooling capacity (in Btu/h) by its power input (in watts) at fullload conditions. The higher the EER, the more efficient the unit.

Lower kW/ton indicates higher efficiency.

Higher COP and EER indicate higher efficiency.

 Evaporator:
Parameter monitored by E&M
CHW Set point
Entering CHW Temp.
Leaving CHW Temp.
Evap. Approach
Evap. Pressure
Liquid level
Evap. Approach:
Approach is the difference between the leaving evaporator water temperature and
the saturated evaporator refrigerant temperature.
It is a measure of the heat transfer efficiency between the evaporator water and the
evaporator refrigerant. If refrigerant is leaking from the chiller or evaporator tubes
foul or division plate gaskets leak or tubes get blocked etc. the approach
temperatures will increase.
Ultrasonic flow meter:
It is used to measure chilled line water flow. Clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters are
especially well suited for use with existing hot- or chilled-water distribution lines.
Measuring principle:
With ultrasonic pulses propagated diagonally between the upstream and
downstream sensors mounted on the exterior of the pipe, the flow rate is measured
by detecting the time difference caused by the flow.

 Condenser:
Parameter monitored by E&M:
Entering CW temp.
Leaving CW temp.
Condenser pressure
Condenser approach
Condenser approach:
Condenser approach is the difference between liquid refrigerant temperature as
measured on the liquid line, and leaving condenser water temperature.
Normal condenser approach is 0 to 3 degrees. If condenser approach is 4 or more,
it's an indication your water cooled chiller has fouled tubes.
Compressor:
Parameter monitored by E&M:
Run hours
Oil pressure
Avg. RLA (%)
A pump is a devise used to increase the kinetic and potential energy of a fluid
by means of mechanical work In DMRC. The pumps used are of centrifugal
type.
Based on the functionality and purpose of the pumps they are categorized as
Primary Chilled Water Pumps
Secondary Chilled Water Pumps
Condenser Water Pumps.
Primary Chilled Water Pumps:
Primary Chilled Water Pumps used in DMRC are Vertical End Suction type
Centrifugal pumps. Function of the Primary Chilled Water pump is to pump the
water from the system (AHUs, FCUs) to suction header of the Secondary Water
Pump through evaporator of the Chiller.

 Secondary Chilled Water Pumps:

Secondary Chilled Water Pumps used in DMRC are of Vertical Split Casing Type
Centrifugal Pump. Function of it is to pump the water from the evaporator of the
chiller to air handling units and fan coil units.
Secondary Chilled Water Pumps are driven by Variable Frequency Drives which
increase or decrease the speed of the pump according to the load conditions.
VFD Operation
Secondary pumping system works based on the actual load conditions at site.
As the temperature in the controlled space falls below the design temperature, PLC
sends the electrical signals to PICV of AHU which intern reduces the flow of water
through the chilled water coils. This decrease in flow through the coils results in
increase of pressure differential between supply and return lines of chilled water
headers. This change in pressure differential is sensed by DPT installed across the
chilled water pipes which gives the output to variable frequency drives which
intern reduces the speed of the secondary pump. The process continues till the
designed temperature is achieved. A reverse process will be initiated if the
temperature rises above the design temperature.

Condenser Water Pumps:

Condenser Pumps used in DMRC are of Horizontal Split Casing Type Centrifugal
Pump. Function of Condenser Water Pump is to circulate the water across the
condenser of the chiller and Cooling Tower. Condenser Water Pump draws the
cold water from Cooling Tower basin and pumps it to condenser of the Chiller
where the water takes the heat from the refrigerant. The warm water is then pushed
away to the cooling tower by the cold water entering the condenser where it gets
cooled and again circulated.