A chiller is part of a condenser. Chillers are used to cool water or brine solutions. The cooled (chilled) water or brine is fed through pipes to evaporators. This cools the area in which the evaporators are located. This type of cooling, using chilled water or brine, can be used in large air-conditioning units. It can also be used for industrial processes where cooling is required for a particular operation.
Figure 8-11 illustrates such an operation. Note how the compressor sits atop the condenser. Chillers are the answer to requirements of 200 to 1600 ton of refrigeration. They are used for process cooling, comfort air-conditioning, and nuclear power plant cooling. In some cases, they are used to provide ice for ice-skating rinks. The arrows in Fig. 8-11 indicate the refrigerant flow and the water or brine flow through the large pipes. Figure 8-12 shows the machine in a cutaway view. The following explanation of the various cycles will provide a better understanding of the operation of this type of equipment.