chiller

Glossary of Terms
Approach — Temperature difference between the leaving fluid and the evapo-
rating refrigerant
ARI Standard Conditions — 54°F. water inlet; 44°F. water out;
35°F. refrigerant; 0.00025 additive fouling factor
Flow Rate or velocity — Speed at which the fluid travels through the evaporator.
Fouling — Dirt and scale build up that impedes heat transfer.
One Ton — 12,000 Btu/hr
Pressure Drop — Difference in pressure between the incoming and leaving fluid
pressures.
Range — Temperature difference between the entering warm fluid and the
leaving cooled fluid.
Specific Gravity — A measure of the density of a fluid compared to water.
Specific Heat — A measure of a fluid’s ability to absorb and transport heat.
Superheat — Extra heat carried by the refrigerant after it has changed from a
liquid into a gas.
Thermal Conductivity — A measure of the potential rate of heat transfer.
Viscosity — A measure of the ability of a fluid to flow.

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 refrigeration cycle

Refrigeration Cycle the pressure is reduced, resulting in a reduction in

temperature. You can understand this concept if you
think of carbon dioxide as a natural refrigerant. When
CO2 is released from a high pressure fire extinguisher
cylinder to atmosphere, it cools forming ice crystals,
just like a like a halocarbon refrigerant, but less
efficient.
After the expansion valve, refrigerant flows into the
lower pressure evaporator, where it boils by absorbing
heat from the space being cooled, and changes into a
vapor.
The cycle is completed when the compressor draws
the refrigerant vapor from the evaporator and, once
again, compresses the gas so that the cycle can con-
tinue.

Refrigeration is defined as a process of removing heat

Chiller Barr els
from an enclosed space or material, and maintaining
that space or material at a temperature lower than its
surroundings. Cold and hot are relative terms that are
not generally used when sizing heat transfer equip-
ment. Objects and space being refrigerated become
relatively colder and colder (or less and less hot) as
heat is removed.
Removal of heat lowers temperature and may be
accomplished by the use of ice, snow, chilled water, or
mechanical refrigeration. Mechanical refrigeration
can be defined as an arrangement of components in a
system for the purpose of transferring heat.
Refrigerant is one of the key components that makes
mechanical refrigeration work. A refrigerant is a
chemical compound that is alternately compressed Most Standard catalog models are direct–expansion.
and condensed into a liquid, and then permitted to In direct expansion, the refrigerant evaporates inside
expand into a vapor or gas as it is pumped through the tubes as the medium to be cooled flows through a
the mechanical refrigeration cycle. baffled course on the outside of the tube bundles. The
This cycle is based on the physical principle that a liq- baffles assure proper mixing and increase heat trans-
uid extracts heat from the surrounding area as it fer. The other common heat exchange barrels are
expands (boils) into a gas. flooded chillers and water–cooled condensers.
Refrigerants like Ammonia, R–134A, and R–22, are cir-
culated through the system by a compressor, which
increases the pressure and temperature of the
vaporous refrigerant and pumps it into the condenser.
In the condenser, refrigerant vapor is cooled by air or
water until it condenses into a liquid.
The liquid refrigerant then flows to the flow control
device, or expansion valve, where flow is metered and

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 chiller barrels

There are distinct differences in operation between Direct–expansion chiller barrels are described by the
direct–expansion chiller barrels, flooded chiller bar- number of refrigerant circuits, refrigerant passes, and
rels, and water–cooled condensers. All are specialized their capacity.
heat exchangers that operate by removing heat from A single–circuit chiller has one refrigerant inlet and
one fluid and transferring it to another. The difference outlet. A dual–circuit has two refrigerant inlets and
is in the location of the water, and whether the refrig- two outlets. Each circuit can be used for two separate
erant is changing state from a liquid to a gas, or from but similar loads. There’s also a quad–circuit, designed
a gas to a liquid. for four separate loads. Direct–expansion chiller bar-
DX Chiller rels are also distinguished by the number of times that
refrigerant passes back and forth within the length of
the vessel. In a single–pass unit, liquid refrigerant
enters at one end, passes straight through and leaves
as a vapor in a single pass. In a dual–pass model, the
liquid refrigerant must go down and back the length
of the chiller before it exits as vapor. Refrigerant enters
and exits at the same end of the chiller when the
number of passes is even, and at opposite ends when
the number of passes is odd.
Flooded Chiller

In the popular DX (or direct–expansion) chiller, heat

is drawn from water which is located outside the tube
as refrigerant boils and evaporates inside. The tube is
finned internally to increase heat transfer efficiency.
The direct–expansion chiller barrel is popular due to
the thermostatic expansion valve and its exceptional
ability to control loads.

The other commonly found type of chiller barrel is

the flooded style. In the flooded chiller, water travels
through the tubes and transfers its heat to a boiling
refrigerant bath that covers 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 of the tube bundle.
Flooded chillers, commonly used in low temperature
ammonia applications, can be ordered on special
request from Standard.

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 performance factors

Water–Cooled Condensers Range

Range is the difference between incoming and outgo-
ing water or fluid temperature. It is the temperature
difference across the chiller.

Standard’s other major heat exchanger line, the

water–cooled condenser, is arranged in a manner sim-
ilar to the flooded chiller, except that cool water trav-
eling through an externally finned tube removes heat The Standard chiller catalog contains performance
from condensing refrigerant vapor outside of the tube, data for ranges for water from six to twenty degrees.
producing liquid refrigerant at the bottom of the con-
denser shell. Approach
Approach is the temperature difference between the
Perfor mance Factors leaving water or fluid and the evaporating refrigerant
Selecting the right chiller barrel or water–cooled con- temperature.
denser for a particular application depends on the
same basic performance factors.
The factors are: flow rates or velocity, pressure drop,
fouling, types of fluids (refrigerants, as well as cooling
fluids), and temperature differential or TD.
There are also some terms to know which refer to spe-
cial temperature differentials. They are: range,
approach, and superheat.

New Terms

5
performance factors

Standard measures evaporating temperature as the Superheat is the extra heat that is carried by a gas after
saturated equivalent temperature to the refrigerant it has changed from a liquid into a gas. Steam at a tem-
outlet pressure, a method that takes into account pres- perature greater than 212° Fahrenheit is a good exam-
sure drop in the barrel. This is a conservative method ple of a super–heated gas. Super–heating occurs in a
of ensuring the capacity claimed. refrigeration system when refrigerant gas in the evap-
Performance is governed by both range and approach, orator tubes and suction line continues to absorb heat
especially when sizing at other than nominal or after it has undergone its change of state from liquid
American Refrigeration Institute conditions. to vapor. The presence of some superheat is beneficial,
since it is proof that the refrigerant has completely
Here’s an example of the dramatic influence of
evaporated and that no liquid refrigerant is left in the
approach temperature on sizing. A Standard TX–10 at
line to slug back to the compressor.
a 10°F range has 9.5 tons capacity at a 8.7°F approach,
but can handle 13.4 tons when the approach is Standard Refrigeration sizes chillers to meet the ARI
increased to 12°F. That is a 30% performance increase. standard of a minimum 7°F superheat. Some other
As a general rule, every one–degree change in manufacturers use virtually zero degrees of superheat
Approach is approximately equivalent to a 13% dif- to boost the apparent rated capacity of their units.
ference in chiller barrel capacity. Higher superheat ratings reduce the overall rated per-
In spite of the dramatic increase in capacity, there are formance of a chiller, since tubing that could carry
good reasons to limit approach. For one, high efficient heat absorbing liquid refrigerant is now ded-
approaches can risk costly freeze–up damage. icated to less efficient refrigerant vapor.
Evaporating temperatures below freezing can destroy Manufacturers that reduce superheat ratings below
a chiller barrel, unless it is protected by a freezestat, the ARI standard of 7°F gain chiller barrel economy,
flow switch, low pressure cut–off, or special fluids like but increase the danger of liquid slugging. Low super-
glycols and brines. heat ratings increase the need for a suction line accu-
Secondly, as the suction temperature and evaporating mulator or a suction line heat exchanger to protect
temperature are lowered, the capacity of the compres- the compressor from severe damage.
sor is reduced, lowering the amount of refrigeration Let’s review the other five factors that affect perfor-
available in the system. mance, flow rates or velocity, pressure drop, fouling,
types of fluids, and temperature differential or TD.
Superheat

Performance Factors

6
 fluid characteristics

Flow Rates Fluid Characteristics

Water flow rates (velocity) in a chiller barrel must be
held to 41⁄2 feet per second to avoid impingement cor-
rosion damage. All Standard selection recommenda-
tions in our literature are under 41⁄2 feet per second. Fluid Characteristics
Pressure Drop
Pressure drop is the difference between the entering
and leaving water pressure. The pump capacity must
be great enough to overcome the combined pressure
drop across the chiller barrel and piping. Choose
another model unless you’re sure that your pump has
the capacity.
Fouling
Fouling is scale or foreign material build–up that
reduces heat transfer. Most packaged chillers for Specific Heat
air–conditioning have sealed loop systems. There is Specific Heat is a measure of the ability of a fluid to
little opportunity for fouling within the chiller barrel, absorb and transport heat. The specific heat value of
because the cooling fluid is sealed from external envi- water is 1.0. Glycols and brines used in many low tem-
ronmental factors. Process chillers in plastics molding perature process cooling applications have lower
and other industrial applications often have open specific heat values than water and are less efficient.
chilled water tanks or open processes where the water The greater the percentage, the lower the specific heat.
can foul badly and added capacity must be available
to compensate for the fouling. Specific Gravity
Standard rates its chiller barrels with an additive foul- Specific gravity is a measure of the density of a fluid as
ing factor of 0.00025 (0.0005 total). compared to water. As the specific gravity increases,
the ability of a fluid to absorb and hold heat also
Types of Fluids increases. The specific gravity of water is 1.0. Most gly-
Fluid types and refrigerants can vary, depending on cols and brines have specific gravities greater than
the application. The most common fluids are water, one.
ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and brine solutions. Viscosity
Fluids are the gasses or liquids that exchange heat in Viscosity is a measure of the ability of a fluid to flow.
heat transfer. Fluids other than water can be consider- It is measured in a unit called centipoise. The viscosi-
ably less efficient and have a substantial effect on the ty of water at 67° Fahrenheit is 1.0 centipoise, and
sizing of a chiller. Special chiller designs may be varies only slightly with temperature. Other fluids,
required if glycols are used to prevent freeze damage like glycols, may have much higher viscosities that
in low temperature applications. change considerably with temperature. This can result
The refrigerant itself must be taken into considera- in unacceptable pressure drops at low temperatures
tion. Standard’s cataloged capacity data is based on and reduction in capacity.
R–22. However, information for other refrigerants,
including R–502 and ammonia, are readily available
from the factory or sales representative.
The major fluid characteristics that affect chiller per-
formance are Specific Heat, Specific Gravity, Viscosity,
and Thermal Conductivity.

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 sizing

Thermal Conductivity Sizing

Thermal Conductivity is the fourth fluid factor that Sizing by Nominal Tons
can affect performance. It is related to the potential
rate of heat transfer across a temperature differential There are three basic selection methods you can use to
for a fluid. The thermal conductivity of pure water at size a chiller. The first and easiest is to size by nominal
44° Fahrenheit is 0.338, while a 30% solution of ethy- systems tons. The second method is to use compressor
lene glycol at the same temperature is 0.256. capacity. The third and recommended method is siz-
ing by range, flow and approach.
It is always best to consult with your Standard sales
representative for fluids other than water. Standard Sizing by nominal tons is done according to ARI stan-
has complete data on ethylene and propylene glycols, dards. Chillers can be selected on a nominal system
as well as sodium and calcium brines. If you are deal- tons basis, as shown in the catalog, or reflected in the
ing with a more exotic fluid, try to have the specific model name. For example, an TX–50–2 is a nominal
heat, specific gravity, viscosity, and thermal conduc- 50 ton dual–circuit barrel.
tivity ready when you call Standard for help with your Nominal ton ratings are based on the conditions of
selection. ARI Standard 480 utilizing R–22, which are:
54° F water in
Materials 44° F water out
35° F refrigerant temperature
7° superheat
0.00025 additive fouling factor (0.0005 total)
Tube Selection 100° F liquid refrigerant entering the flow control

ARI standard

Remember that most stock chiller barrels contain cop-

per tubes; therefore, ammonia refrigerant or chloride
brines cannot be used. Cupronickel construction
should be specified for chloride brines. Carbon or
stainless steel should be specified for ammonia appli- This method is reasonably accurate for sizing air–con-
cations. Be sure to consult the factory for a special ditioning systems. However, it is not recommended
selection if you have any questions. for evaporating temperature below 34° F, or when the
fluids used are other than water and R–22.

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 sizing

Sizing by Compressor Capacity To obtain the Btu per hour capacity, just multiply the
Range or Temperature Drop by gpm flow, and convert
to pounds of water per hour by multiplying by 500.
The Btus can then be divided by 12,000 to yield the
tons of load.
For example—
With a incoming water temperature of 55° F.,
outgoing water temperature of 45° F., and a 479 gpm
water flow. Btu capacity can be calculated like this:
(55° – 45°) x 479 gpm x 500 = 2,395,000 Btu/hr

2,395,000 Btu/hr ÷ 12,000 Btu/ton = 199.5 tons

Standard’s sales catalog is designed to make your selec-
tion job easy after you have determined the cooling
load. Once fluid range has been determined, locate
You may also size by compressor capacity. the table for that range. If no table exists, use the next
Compressor manufacturer performance curves of lowest range.
compressor Btu per hour data can be used to select Next, locate an acceptable approach at the top of the
chiller barrels for a given system. By reading the per- table and read down the tons column to the capacity
formance curve for the compressor at the conditions that is adequate for the job.
that you require, you can determine the maximum The water pressure drop in psi is listed to the right. To
capacity of the chiller barrel you will need. determine gpm multiply tons by the gpm factor at the
Sizing by Range and Flow bottom of each range chart.
The most precise way to size a chiller barrel when In this case, an FSX–150 will provide the duty at a 10°
water is used is by range and flow, as seen in this for- range and 11° approach with a 34° suction.
mula. In cases where the fluid being cooled is other than
Btu/hr capacity = Range x gpm x 500 water, capacity can be determined by adding the
specific heat and specific gravity into the equation:
Btu/hr = Range x gpm x 500 x Sp Heat x Sp Gravity
This equation will give you the capacity required, but
chiller selection should be made by your factory represen-
tative since the fluid is not water.
All of Standard’s rating data is based on ARI standards,
a suction temperature of thirty–five degrees, using
water as the fluid. Contact your local Standard repre-
sentative for special fluid conditions.
All heat exchangers have capacity limits. Careless siz-
ing of chiller barrels leads to needless performance
problems.
Undersizing can lead to insufficient cooling and
inefficient compressor operation.
Oversizing can lead to control valve hunting, poor
performance, oil logging, and refrigerant slugging.