UNIT- 2

AIR CONDITIONING:
SYSTEMS & APPLICATIONS
Air conditioning system for small buildings:
window air conditioners
 split air conditioners system
 packaged terminal units and
 centralised airconditioner system
Window Air Conditioner
Window air conditioner is the most commonly
used air conditioner for single rooms.

 In this air conditioner all the components,

namely the compressor, condenser, expansion
valve or coil, evaporator and cooling coil are
enclosed in a single box.

This unit is fitted in a slot made in the wall of the Parts of the Window Air Conditioners
room, or more commonly a window sill. Windows air conditioners are one of the most widely used types
of air conditioners because they are the simplest form of the air
conditioning systems.

Window air conditioner comprises of the rigid base on which all

the parts of the window air conditioner are assembled.

The base is assembled inside the casing which is fitted into the
wall or the window of the room in which the air conditioner is
fitted.

The whole assembly of the window air conditioner can be

divided into two compartments: the room side, which is also the
cooling side and the outdoor side from where the heat absorbed
by the room air is liberated to the atmosphere.

The room side and outdoor side are separated from each other
by an insulated partition enclosed inside the window air
conditioner assembly.
In the front of the window air conditioner on the room side there is beautifully decorated front panel on which the supply
and return air grills are fitted (the whole front panel itself is commonly called as front grill).

The louvers fitted in the supply air grills are adjustable so as to supply the air in desired direction. There is also one
opening in the grill that allows access to the control panel or operating panel in front of the window air conditioner.

The various parts of the window air conditioner can be divided into following categories: the refrigeration system, air
circulation system, ventilation system, control system, and the electrical protection system. All these have been
discussed in details below along with the front panel and other parts.

The Refrigeration System of the Window Air Conditioner

The refrigeration system of the window air conditioner comprises

of all the important parts of the refrigeration cycle.

These include the compressor, condenser, expansion valve and

the evaporator. All these components have been shown in figure.
The refrigerant used in most of the window air conditioners is R22.

The compressor used in the window air conditioners is

hermetically sealed type, which is portable one. This compressor
has long life and it carries long warranty periods. In case of the
maintenance problems it can be replaced easily from the
company.

The condenser is made up of copper tubing and it is cooled by

the atmospheric air. The condenser is covered with the fins to
enable faster heat transfer rate from it.

The capillary tubing made up of various rounds of the copper coil

is used as the expansion valve in the window air conditioners.

Just before the capillary there is drier filter that filters the
refrigerant and also removes the moisture particles, if present in
the refrigerant.
 Like condenser, the evaporator is also made up of copper tubing of number of
turns and is covered with the fins. The evaporator is also called as the cooling
coil since the rooms air passes over it and gets cooled.

Just in front of the evaporator there is air filter fitted in the front panel or front
grill. As the room air is absorbed, it is first passed over the filter so that it gets
filtered. The filtered air is then blown over the cooling coil and the chilled air
is passed into the room.

The refrigerant after leaving the cooling coil enters the accumulator where it
is accumulated and then it is again sucked by the compressor for
recirculation over the whole cycle.

Air Circulation System of the Window Air Conditioner

The air circulation system of the window air conditioner comprises of the following parts-

1)Blower: This is the small blower that is fitted behind the evaporator or cooling coil inside the assembly of the window air
conditioner system. The blower sucks the air from the room which first passes over the air filter and gets filtered.

The air then passes over the cooling coil and gets chilled. The blower then blows this filtered and chilled air, which
passes through the supply air compartment inside the window air conditioner assembly. This air is then delivered into the
room from the supply air grill of the front panel.

2) Propeller fan or the condenser fan: The condenser fan is the forced draft type of propeller fan that sucks the
atmospheric air and blows it over the condenser. The hot refrigerant inside the condenser gives up the heat to the
atmospheric air and its temperature reduces.

3) Fan motor: The motor inside the window air conditioner assembly is located between the condenser and the evaporator
coil. It has double shaft on one side of which the blower is fitted and on the other side the condenser fan is fitted. This
makes the whole assembly of the blower, the condenser fan and the motor highly compact.
Split Air Conditioner
The split air conditioner comprises of two parts: the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. The outdoor unit, fitted outside
the room, houses components like the compressor, condenser and expansion valve. The indoor unit comprises the
evaporator or cooling coil and the cooling fan. For this unit you don’t have to make any slot in the wall of the room.
Further, present day split units have aesthetic appeal and do not take up as much space as a window unit. A split air
conditioner can be used to cool one or two rooms.

Parts of the Split Air Conditioner: Wall Mounted Indoor Unit

The indoor unit of the split air conditioner is a box type housing in
which all the important parts of the air conditioner are enclosed. The
most common type of the indoor unit is the wall mounted type though
other types like ceiling mounted and floor mounted are also used.

Wall Mounted Indoor Unit

It is the indoor unit that produces the cooling effect inside the
room. The indoor unit of the split air conditioner is a box type
housing in which all the important parts of the air conditioner are
enclosed. The most common type of the indoor unit is the wall
mounted type though other types like ceiling mounted and floor
mounted are also used.
Evaporator Coil or the Cooling Coil:
The cooling coil is a copper coil made of number
turns of the copper tubing with one or more rows
depending on the capacity of the air conditioning
system.
The cooling coil is covered with the aluminum fins
so that the maximum amount of heat can be
transferred from the coil to the air inside the room.
The refrigerant from the tubing at very low
temperature and very low pressure enters the cooling
coil.
 The blower absorbs the hot room air or the
atmospheric air and in doing so the air passes over
the cooling coil which leads to the cooling of the air.
This air is then blown to the room where the cooling
effect has to be produced.
The air, after producing the cooling effect is again
sucked by the blower and the process of cooling the
room continues.
After absorbing the heat from the room air, the
temperature of the refrigerant inside the cooling coil
becomes high and it flows back through the return
copper tubing to the compressor inside the outdoor
unit.
 The refrigerant tubing supplying the refrigerant
from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit and that
supplying the refrigerant from indoor unit to the
outdoor unit are both covered with the insulation
tape.
Air Filter:
The air filter is very important part of the indoor unit. It
removes all the dirt particles from the room air and helps
supplying clean air to the room.
The air filter in the wall mounted type of the indoor unit is
placed just before the cooling coil. When the blower sucks the
hot room air, it is first passed through the air filter and then
though the cooling coil. Thus the clean air at low temperature
is supplied into the room by the blower.
One of the most popular types split air conditioners is the
wall mounted type of split AC. In these ACs the indoor unit is
mounted on wall inside the room or the office.
Cooling Fan or Blower:
Inside the indoor unit there is also a long blower that
sucks the room air or the atmospheric air. It is an induced
type of blower and while is sucks the room air it is passed
over the cooling coil and the filter due to which the
temperature of the air reduces and all the dirt from it is
removed.
 The blower sucks the hot and unclean air from the room
and supplies cool and clean air back.
The shaft of the blower rotates inside the bushes and it is
connected to a small multiple speed motor, thus the speed
of the blower can be changed. When the fan speed is
changed with the remote it is the speed of the blower that
changes.
 Drain Pipe:
Due to the low temperature refrigerant inside the cooling coil, its temperature is very low, usually much below the
dew point temperature of the room air. When the room air is passed over the cooling due the suction force of the
blower, the temperature of the air becomes very low and reaches levels below its dew point temperature.

Due to this the water vapor present in the air gets condensed and dew or water drops are formed on the surface of
the cooling coil. These water drops fall off the cooling coil and are collected in a small space inside the indoor unit.

To remove the water from this space the drain pipe is connected from this space extending to the some external
place outside the room where water can be disposed off. Thus the drain pipe helps removing dew water collected
inside the indoor unit.

To remove the water efficiently the indoor unit has to be a tilted by a very small angle of about 2 to 3 degrees so that
the water can be collected in the space easily and drained out. If this angle is in opposite direction, all the water will
get drained inside the room. Also, the if the tilt angle is too high, the indoor unit will shabby inside the room.

Louvers or Fins:

The cool air supplied by the blower is passed into the room through louvers. The louvers help changing the angle or
direction in which the air needs to be supplied into the room as per the requirements. With louvers one easily change
the direction in which the maximum amount of the cooled air has to be passed.

There are two types of louvers: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal louvers are connected to a small motor and
there position can set by the remote control. Once can set a fixed position for the horizontal louvers so that chilled air
is passed in a particular direction only or one can keep it in rotation mode so that the fresh air is supplied throughout
the room.

The vertical louvers are operated manually and one can easily change their position as per the requirements. The
horizontal louvers control flow of air in upper and downward directions of the room, while vertical louvers control
movement of air in left and right directions.

installation of the Split Air Conditioners: Deciding the Location of Indoor and Outdoor Units
Indoor Unit:
Here are the important suggestions when deciding the location of indoor unit inside the room:
a)The indoor unit is located inside the room at the location from where the air can be distributed evenly throughout
the room.
installation of the Split Air Conditioners: Deciding the Location of Indoor and Outdoor Units
Indoor Unit:
b) As far as possible the indoor should be installed
above the bed so that the maximum cooling effect
can be obtained. It should be located directly above
the bed. If one has to avoid the direct flow of chilled
air on the body, one can always change the direction
of the louvers. The indoor unit can also be installed
on wall towards your feet though it can be installed
on other side walls also.
c) The wall mounted indoor unit should be located at
the height of about 8 to 10 feet from the floor so that
that most of the chilled air is used for cooling the
room and not merely for cooling the hot roof.
d) The indoor unit should be accessible easily so that
one can conveniently clean the filter every fortnight
and the whole unit and also that one can manually
change the position of the louvers easily.
e) If the indoor unit is installed above certain window,
make sure that it is in symmetry with the window, else
the unit will look shabby. The indoor unit is meant to
add to the aesthetics of the room and not destroy it.
Outdoor Unit:
Here are some points to consider when deciding
the location of the outdoor unit:
a) The outdoor unit should be located in the open
space preferably on the terrace so that the air can
flow freely over the compressor and the
condenser. If the terrace is not available it can be
kept on the awning above the wall or it can be
hanged on the external wall supported by the
angles.
b) The location of outdoor unit should be such that it is easily
accessible for carrying out the maintenance works of the
compressor, condenser, and other devices. The installation and
gas charging also should be convenient.
c) There should not be any hindrances in front of the outdoor
that would block the passage of fan air from passing to the open
space. Any blockages will seriously affect the performance of
the AC and can also lead to the burning of hermetically sealed
compressor coil.
d) The surface on which the outdoor unit is to be installed
should be rigid enough to avoid its vibration. The vibration of
the outdoor unit will raise excessive noise and also lead to the
breaking of the copper tubing and leakage of the refrigerant.
It is always advisable to keep the outdoor unit at the height
above the indoor unit. If the outdoor unit is kept at level below
the indoor, some of the compressor power is used in pumping
the refrigerant against the gravity, thus reducing the overall
performance of the compressor.
Most of the outdoor units are quite silent so one does not have
to worry about their noise. The internal parts of the outdoor unit
are shielded against the rain and sun rays, so one can rest
assured about their safety in different climatic conditions.
The refrigerant at very low temperature flows inside the tubing
between indoor and the outdoor unit, and there is always some
loss of refrigerant effect to the atmosphere from these tubing,
hence the distance between the indoor and the outdoor unit
should be kept as minimum as possible to reduce the loss of the
cooling effect. The maximum distance between the indoor and
the outdoor units can be about 15 meters.
Packaged Air Conditioner
An HVAC designer will suggest this type of air conditioner if you want to cool more than two rooms or a larger space at
your home or office. There are two possible arrangements with the package unit. In the first one, all the components,
namely the compressor, condenser (which can be air cooled or water cooled), expansion valve and evaporator are
housed in a single box.

The cooled air is thrown by the high capacity blower, and it flows through the ducts laid through various rooms. In the
second arrangement, the compressor and condenser are housed in one casing. The compressed gas passes through
individual units, comprised of the expansion valve and cooling coil, located in various rooms.

The window and split air conditioners are usually used for the small air conditioning capacities up to 5 tons. The central
air conditioning systems are used for where the cooling loads extend beyond 20 tons.

The packaged air conditioners are used for the cooling capacities in between these two extremes. The packaged air
conditioners are available in the fixed rated capacities of 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 tons. These units are used commonly in
places like restaurants, telephone exchanges, homes, small halls, etc.

As the name implies, in the packaged air conditioners all the important components of the air conditioners are enclosed
in a single casing like window AC. Thus the compressor, cooling coil, air handling unit and the air filter are all housed in
a single casing and assembled at the factory location.

Depending on the type of the cooling system used in these systems, the packaged air conditioners are divided into two
types: ones with water cooled condenser and the ones with air cooled condensers. Both these systems have been
described below:

Packaged Air Conditioners with Water Cooled Condenser

In these packaged air conditions the condenser is cooled by the water. The condenser is of shell and tube type, with
refrigerant flowing along the tube side and the cooling water flowing along the shell side. The water has to be supplied
continuously in these systems to maintain functioning of the air conditioning system.

The shell and tube type of condenser is compact in shape and it is enclosed in a single casing along with the compressor,
expansion valve, and the air handling unit including the cooling coil or the evaporator. This whole packaged air
conditioning unit externally looks like a box with the control panel located externally.
In the packaged units with the water cooled condenser, the compressor is
located at the bottom along with the condenser (refer the figure below).
Above these components the evaporator or the cooling coil is located.

The air handling unit comprising of the centrifugal blower and the air
filter is located above the cooling coil.

The centrifugal blower has the capacity to handle large volume of air
required for cooling a number of rooms. From the top of the package air
conditioners the duct comes out that extends to the various rooms that
are to be cooled.

All the components of this package AC

are assembled at the factory site.

The gas charging is also done at the

factory thus one does not have to
perform the complicated operations of
the laying the piping, evacuation, gas
charging, and leak testing at the site.

The unit can be transported very easily

to the site and is installed easily on the
plane surface.

Since all the components are

assembled at the factory, the high
quality of the packaged unit is ensured.
Packaged Air Conditioners with Air Cooled Condensers

In this packaged air conditioners the condenser of the refrigeration system is cooled by the atmospheric air. There is an
outdoor unit that comprises of the important components like the compressor, condenser and in some cases the
expansion valve (refer the figure below).

The outdoor unit can be kept on the terrace or any other open place where the free flow of the atmospheric air is
available. The fan located inside this unit sucks the outside air and blows it over the condenser coil cooling it in the
process. The condenser coil is made up of several turns of the copper tubing and it is finned externally.

The packaged ACs with the air cooled condensers are used more commonly than the ones with water cooled
condensers since air is freely available it is difficult maintain continuous flow of the water.

The cooling unit comprising of the expansion valve, evaporator, the air handling blower and the filter are located on the
floor or hanged to the ceiling. The ducts coming from the cooling unit are connected to the various rooms that are to be
cooled.
Compressors and Capacity Control System in the Packaged Air Conditioners

Compressors and Control System in the Packaged Air Conditioners

The packaged air conditioners are used for the low to medium tonnage of air conditioning load ranging from 5 to 20
tons also higher. For smaller loads up to 5 tons single compressor is used.

For the higher load of more than 5 tons two compressor are used in the package air conditioning system forming two
independent refrigeration systems. Though the two systems are independent they are housed in the same supporting
framework. The evaporator systems of these two systems are entwined together.

With the two compressors installed in the system there is facility for the capacity control of the air conditioning plant
thus one can run the plant fully or partially as per the heating load or as per the number of rooms to be cooled. At full
capacity both the compressors can be kept running, while at the partial load one of the compressors can be kept off.

The capacity control can also be done automatically by thermostat. The two compressors also ensure that the air
conditioning plant won't stop completely when one of the compressor breaks down, for the system can still keep on
running though on partial capacity.

The water cooled condenser used with the two compressor system can be single shell but partitioned inside it for
different passages for the refrigerant from the two compressors. There can also be two different water cooled
condensers for two different systems. If the condenser is of air cooled type, there would be two condensers either
placed side-by-side or entwined together just like the evaporator of the system.
Thermostat Setting for Two Compressor Systems

For controlling the operation of the two compressor packaged air conditioning system, two different thermostats can be
connected to the two cooling systems. This will allow for the capacity control of both the compressors to ensure
optimum running of the plant.

In many cases the thermostat is connected to the compressor of one cooling system only. In this case one
compressors keeps on running at full capacity and the other compressor remains shut or runs at partial or full capacity
depending on the cooling load.

To ensure that one compressor won't wear and tear at the fast rate, the compressor running at the full capacity is
interchanged from time-to-time.

The two compressor system is used for the cooling loads between 5 to tons 15 tons, for higher loads more than two
units can be installed as per the requirements. There can be multiple air handling units in these systems sending the
chilled air to different parts of the building.

The compressor and the condenser units are housed in the same location of the building thus there is one common
place for the return air. If these units have water cooled condenser, the hot water coming out from them is cooled in the
single cooling tower.

During the full load all the compressors run at the full capacity, and when the load reduces one or more compressors
are stopped manually or automatically, which makes the other compressors to run at the full load.

When the compressor runs at full capacity it runs more efficiently. Whether the packaged air conditioner consists of
single compressor or the multiple compressors, most of the components are assembled at the factory site, so the
installation of the package AC is quite easy.
Central Air Conditioning System
Central air conditioning is used for cooling big buildings, houses, offices, entire hotels, gyms, movie theaters,
factories etc. If the whole building is to be air conditioned, HVAC engineers find that putting individual units in each
of the rooms is very expensive making this a better option.

A central air conditioning system is comprised of a huge compressor that has the capacity to produce hundreds of
tons of air conditioning. Cooling big halls, malls, huge spaces, galleries etc is usually only feasible with central
conditioning units

Central Air Conditioning Plants

Central air conditioning plants are used for applications like big hotels, large buildings having multiple floors,
hospitals, etc, where very high cooling loads are required. The article describes various possible arrangements of
central air conditioning plants.

The central air conditioning plants or the systems are used when large buildings, hotels, theaters, airports, shopping
malls etc are to be air conditioned completely. The window and split air conditioners are used for single rooms or
small office spaces. If the whole building is to be cooled it is not economically viable to put window or split air
conditioner in each and every room. Further, these small units cannot satisfactorily cool the large halls, auditoriums,
receptions areas etc.

In the central air conditioning systems there is a plant room where large compressor, condenser, thermostatic
expansion valve and the evaporator are kept in the large plant room. They perform all the functions as usual similar to
a typical refrigeration system. However, all these parts are larger in size and have higher capacities.

The compressor is of open reciprocating type with multiple cylinders and is cooled by the water just like the
automobile engine. The compressor and the condenser are of shell and tube type. While in the small air conditioning
system capillary is used as the expansion valve, in the central air conditioning systems thermostatic expansion valve
is used.

The chilled is passed via the ducts to all the rooms, halls and other spaces that are to be air conditioned. Thus in all
the rooms there is only the duct passing the chilled air and there are no individual cooling coils, and other parts of the
refrigeration system in the rooms. What is we get in each room is the completely silent and highly effective air
conditions system in the room. Further, the amount of chilled air that is needed in the room can be controlled by the
openings depending on the total heat load inside the room.
The central air conditioning systems are highly sophisticated applications of the air conditioning systems and many a
times they tend to be complicated. It is due to this reason that there are very few companies in the world that specialize
in these systems. In the modern era of computerization a number of additional electronic utilities have been added to
the central conditioning systems.

There are two types of central air conditioning plants or systems:

Direct expansion or DX central air conditioning plant:
In this system the huge compressor, and the condenser are housed in the plant room, while the expansion valve and
the evaporator or the cooling coil and the air handling unit are housed in separate room. The cooling coil is fixed in
the air handling unit, which also has large blower housed in it.

The blower sucks the hot return air from the room via ducts and blows it over the cooling coil. The cooled air is then
supplied through various ducts and into the spaces which are to be cooled. This type of system is useful for small
buildings.
DX Central Air Conditioning Plant

a)The Plant Room:

The plant room comprises of the important parts of the refrigeration system, the compressor and the condenser. The
compressor can be either semi-hermetically sealed or open type.

The semi-hermetically sealed compressors are cooled by the air, which is blown by the fan, while open type
compressor is water cooled. The open compressor can be driven directly by motor shaft by coupling or by the belt via
pulley arrangement.

The condenser is of shell and tube type and is cooled by the water. The refrigerant flows along the tube side of the
condenser and water along the shell side, which enables faster cooling of the refrigerant.

The water used for cooling the compressor and the condenser is cooled in the cooling tower kept at the top of the plant
room, though it can be kept at other convenient location also.

b) The Air Handling Unit Room:

he refrigerant leaving the condenser in the plant room enters the thermostatic expansion valve and then the air
handling unit, which is kept in the separate room.

The air handling unit is a large box type of unit that comprises of the evaporator or the cooling coil, air filter and the
large blower. After leaving the thermostatic expansion valve the refrigerant enters the cooling coil where it cools the
air that enters the room to be air conditioned.

The evaporator in the air handling unit of the DX central air conditioning system is of coil type covered with the fins
to increasing the heat transfer efficiency from the refrigerant to the air.

There are two types of ducts connected to the air handling unit: for absorbing the hot return air from the rooms and
for sending the chilled air to the rooms to be air conditioned. The blower of the air handling unit enables absorbing
the hot return air that has absorbed the heat from the room via the ducts.

This air is then passed through the filters and then over the cooling coil. The blower then passes the chilled air
through ducts to the rooms that are to be air conditioned.
The DX expansion system runs more efficiently at higher loads. Even in case of the breakdown of the plants, the other
plants can be used for the cooling purpose. The DX types of central air conditioner plants are less popular than the
chilled water type of central conditioning plants.

c) Air Conditioned Room

This is the space that is to be actually cooled. It can be residential room, room of the hotel, part of the office or any
other suitable application. The ducts from the air handling room are passed to all the rooms that are to be cooled. The
ducts are connected to the grills or diffusers that supply the chilled air to the room.

The air absorbs the heat and gets heated and it passes through another set of the grill and into the return air duct that
ends into the air handling unit room. This air is then re-circulated by the air handling unit.

Though the efficiency of the DX plants is higher, the air handling units and the refrigerant piping cannot be kept at very
long distance since there will be lots of drop in pressure of the refrigerant along the way and there will also be cooling
losses. Further, for the long piping, large amounts of refrigerant will be needed which makes the system very
expensive and also prone to the ma instance problems like the leakage of the refrigerant.

Due to these reasons the DX type central air conditioning systems are used for small air conditioning systems of
about 5 to 15 tons in small buildings or the number of rooms on a single floor. If there are large air conditioning loads,
then multiple direct expansion systems can be installed.

In such cases, when there is lesser heat load one of the plants can be shut down and the other can run at full load.
The DX expansion system runs more efficiently at higher loads.

Even in case of the breakdown of the plants, the other plants can be used for the cooling purpose. The DX types of
central air conditioning plants are less popular than the chilled water type of central conditioning plants.
Chilled water central air conditioning plant:

This type of system is more useful for large buildings comprising of a number of floors. It has the plant room where all
the important units like the compressor, condenser, throttling valve and the evaporator are housed.

The evaporator is a shell and tube. On the tube side the Freon fluid passes at extremely low temperature, while on the
shell side the brine solution is passed.

After passing through the evaporator, the brine solution gets chilled and is pumped to the various air handling units
installed at different floors of the building.

The air handling units comprise the cooling coil through which the chilled brine flows, and the blower. The blower
sucks hot return air from the room via ducts and blows it over the cooling coil.

The cool air is then supplied to the space to be cooled through the ducts. The brine solution which has absorbed the
room heat comes back to the evaporator, gets chilled and is again pumped back to the air handling unit.

The chilled water types of central air conditioning plants are installed in the place where whole large buildings,
shopping mall, airport, hotel, etc, comprising of several floors are to be air conditioned.

While in the direct expansion type of central air conditioning plants, refrigerant is directly used to cool the room air; in
the chilled water plants the refrigerant first chills the water, which in turn chills the room air.

In chilled water plants, the ordinary water or brine solution is chilled to very low temperatures of about 6 to 8 degree
Celsius by the refrigeration plant.

This chilled water is pumped to various floors of the building and its different parts. In each of these parts the air
handling units are installed, which comprise of the cooling coil, blower and the ducts.

The chilled water flows through the cooling coil. The blower absorbs return air from the air conditioned rooms that
are to be cooled via the ducts. This air passes over the cooling coil and gets cooled and is then passed to the air
conditioned space.
a) Central Air Conditioning Plant Room:

The plant room comprises of all the important components of the

chilled water air conditioning plant. These include the compressor,
condenser, thermostatic expansion valve and the evaporator or the
chiller. The compressor is of open type and can be driven by the motor
directly or by the belt via pulley arrangement connected to the motor. It
is cooled by the water just like the automotive engine.

The condenser and the evaporator are of shell and tube type. The condenser is cooled by the water, with water
flowing along the shell side and refrigerant along the tube side. The thermostatic expansion valve is operated
automatically by the solenoid valve.

The evaporator is also called as the chiller, because it chills the water. If the water flows along the shell side and
refrigerant on the tube side, it is called as the dry expansion type of chiller. If the water flows along tube side and the
refrigerant along the shell side, it is called as the flooded chiller.

The water chilled in the chiller is pumped to various parts of the building that are to be air conditioned. It enters the
air handling unit, cools the air in cooling coil, absorbs the heat and returns back to the plant room to get chilled again.
The amount of water passing into the chiller is controlled by the flow switch.

In the central air conditioning plant room all the components, the compressor, condenser, thermostatic expansion
valve, and the chiller are assembled in the structural steel framework making a complete compact refrigeration plant,
known as the chiller package. Piping required to connect these parts is also enclosed in this unit making a highly
compact central air conditioning plant.

The air handling units are installed in the various parts of the building that are to be air conditioned, in the place
called air handling unit rooms. The air handling units comprise of the cooling coil, air filter, the blower and the supply
and return air ducts. The chilled water flows through the cooling coil.

The blower absorbs the return hot air from the air conditioned space and blows it over the cooling coil thus cooling
the air. This cooled air passes over the air filter and is passed by the supply air ducts into the space which is to be air
conditioned. The air handling unit and the ducts passing through it are insulated to reduce the loss of the cooling
effect.
Chilled Central Air Conditioners
b) Air Handling Unit Rooms:
The air handling units are installed in
the various parts of the building that are
to be air conditioned, in the place called
air handling unit rooms.

The air handling units comprise of the

cooling coil, air filter, the blower and the
supply and return air ducts. The chilled
water flows through the cooling coil.

The blower absorbs the return hot air

from the air conditioned space and
blows it over the cooling coil thus
cooling the air.

This cooled air passes over the air filter

and is passed by the supply air ducts
into the space which is to be air
conditioned.

The air handling unit and the ducts

passing through it are insulated to
reduce the loss of the cooling effect.
c) Air Conditioned Rooms:
These are the rooms or spaces that are to be air conditioned. These
can be residential or hotel rooms, halls, shops, offices, complete
theater, various parts of the airport etc.

At the top of these rooms the supply and the return air ducts are
laid. The supply air ducts supply the cool air to the room via one
set of the diffusers, while the return air ducts absorbs the hot
return air from the room by another set of the diffusers.

The hot return air enters the air handling unit, gets cooled and
again enters the room via supply duct to produce air conditioning
effect.

d) Cooling Tower:
The cooling tower is used to cool the water that absorbs heat from the compressor and the condenser. When water
flows through these components some water gets evaporated, to make up this loss some water is also added in the
cooling tower. The cooling tower is of evaporative type. Here the water is cooled by the atmospheric air and is re-
circulated through the compressor and the condenser.
Chilled-Water-Plant Basics
Chilled-water plants consist of these functional parts:
Chillers that produce chilled water,
 Loads, often satisfied by coils, that transfer heat from air to water,
 Chilled-water distribution pumps and pipes that send chilled water to the previously mentioned loads,
Condenser-water pumps, pipes, and cooling towers that reject heat (for water-cooled chillers).
 Controls that coordinate the operation of the mechanical components together as a system.

CHILLERS
 There are a variety of water chiller types. Most commonly, they are absorption, centrifugal, helical rotary, and
scroll. Some reciprocating chillers are also available.

Chillers can be either air- or water-cooled. Major vapor-compression chiller components include an evaporator, a
compressor(s), a condenser, and an expansion device(s). This manual discusses the chiller’s evaporator and
condenser and their relationship to the chilled-water plant.

Evaporator
The evaporator section of a water chiller is a shell-and-tube,
refrigerant-to water heat exchanger. Depending on the chiller’s design,
either the refrigerant or the water is contained within the tubes.

In a flooded shell-and-tube evaporator, cool, liquid refrigerant at low

pressure enters the distribution system inside the shell and moves
uniformly over the tubes, absorbing heat from warmer water that flows
through the tubes.

In a direct-expansion (DX) shell-and-tube evaporator, warmer water

fills the shell while the cool, lower-pressure liquid refrigerant flows
through the tubes.

In either design, there is an approach temperature, which is the

temperature difference between the refrigerant and exit water stream.
The approach temperature is a measure of the heat transfer efficiency
of the evaporator.
Typical vapor-compression chillers
Water-cooled condenser
To cool a building or process, the transferred heat must ultimately be rejected. The total amount of heat rejected
includes the sum total of the evaporator load, the compressor work, and the motor inefficiency.

In a hermetic chiller, where the motor and compressor are in the same housing, these loads are all rejected through the
condenser. In an open chiller, where the motor is separate from the compressor and connected by a shaft, the motor
heat is rejected directly to the surrounding air.

The evaporator load and the compressor work are rejected through the condenser and the motor heat must be taken
care of by the air conditioning system.

Air-cooled condenser
air-cooled chillers do not use condenser-water, since they reject their heat by having ambient air passed across
refrigerant-to-air heat exchangers.

In packaged air-cooled chillers, the manufacturers attempt to provide optimal

performance by staging fans in response to chiller load and ambient, dry-bulb temperature.
Chilled-water distribution system
Chilled water is circulated through fixed piping—most commonly steel, copper, or plastic—that connects the chiller with
various load terminals. Piping is sized to meet a project’s pressure loss, water velocity, and construction cost
parameters. Pressure drop is overcome by the use of a chilled-water pump.

Chilled-water pump

The purpose of the chilled-water pump is to circulate chilled water within the loop. Generally, the pump must
overcome the frictional pressure losses caused by the piping, coils, and chiller and the pressure differential across
open control
valves in the system.

The pump, while working at the system static pressure, does not need to overcome this static pressure. For
example, in a forty-story building the pump need not overcome the static pressure due to those forty stories.

The pump is typically located upstream of the chiller, however it may be anywhere in the system, provided that the
pump:
 meets the minimum pump net positive suction-head requirements. That is, the system pressure at the pump inlet
must be both positive and high enough to allow the pump to operate properly;

 maintains the minimum dynamic pressure head at critical system components (usually the chiller). If the dynamic
pressure head is not high enough at these components, proper flow will not be established through them;

 accommodates the total pressure (static head plus dynamic head) on system components such as the chiller’s
evaporator, valves, etc.

Note that the pump heat is added to the water and must be absorbed by the chiller. Generally, this represents a very
small temperature increase.

Multiple pumps are often used for redundancy. Depending on the terminal control devices and system
configurations, the chilled-water pumps may be either constant or variable-flow.
 Simplified distribution system

Distribution piping

Figure shows a simplified distribution system

consisting of multiple cooling coils, each controlled
by a thermostat that regulates the flow in its
respective coil.

The valves may be either three-way or two-way. As

previously discussed, three-way valves require
constant water flow, while two-way valves allow the
water flow in the system to vary.

As flow varies, the pump may simply ride its curve or

use a method of flow control such as a variable-speed
drive.

The distribution system may contain other components, such as an expansion tank, control valves, balancing
valves, check valves, and an air separator, to name a few.

The density, and therefore the volume, of the water in a “closed” chilled-water distribution system varies as it
undergoes changes in temperature. The expansion tank allows for this expansion and contraction of
water volume.
Condenser-water system

As in chilled-water distribution systems, condenser-water system piping—most commonly steel, copper, or plastic—is
sized to meet a project’s operating pressure, pressure loss, water velocity, and construction cost parameters.
Pressure drop through piping and the chiller’s condenser, plus the cooling tower static lift, is overcome by use of a
condenser-water pump.

Cooling tower
To reject heat, water is passed through a cooling tower where a portion of it evaporates, thus cooling the remaining
water. A particular cooling tower’s effectiveness at transferring heat depends on water flow rate, water temperature,
and ambient wet bulb.

The temperature difference between the water entering and leaving the cooling tower is the range. The temperature
difference between the leaving water temperature and the entering wet-bulb temperature is the approach.

Effect of load
As the building load—or heat rejection—decreases, range and approach also decrease. This means that when the
building is at part load, the cooling tower can provide colder water at the same ambient wet-bulb temperature.

Controls
The chilled-water supply temperature is usually controlled at the chiller. Most commonly, supply water temperature
is used as the sensed variable to permit control of chiller capacity to meet system load demand.

Supply-temperature control strategies may be used on either constant- or variable-flow systems. As previously
discussed, flow control is executed at the load terminals using three way or two-way valves, or separate pumps for
each coil.

Control capabilities run the gamut from slow-acting pneumatic controls, to electromechanical controls, to
sophisticated digital controls that use algorithms tuned to give superior performance.
Chiller control
Today’s chiller controls are capable of doing more than simply turning the chiller on and off. At a minimum, these
controls should monitor:

 Safety points such as bearing temperatures and electrical points that, when out of range, may cause motor failure.

Data points that may cause operational problems if corrective action is not taken. An example is low chilled-water
or refrigerant temperature, which may result in freezing in or around the evaporator tubes.

General points that should be logged daily to ensure proper chiller performance.

In addition to monitoring data, it is vital that the chiller controls alert operators to possible problems. Diagnostic
messages are necessary for the operator to respond to safety issues and data points that are outside normal
operating ranges.
While communicating these diagnostic messages is a requirement, some chiller controls include factory-installed
programming that responds to the diagnostic messages.

For example, when the chilled-water temperature nears freezing, the chiller sends a diagnostic message and adapts
its operation by reducing the compressor capacity, raising the chilled-water temperature to a safer condition.

Finally, the chiller controls should communicate with a system-level controller. There are many system aspects that
are outside the chiller’s direct control, such as condenser-water temperature and the amount of fluid flowing through
the evaporator and condenser.

To minimize the system energy costs, the system controls must coordinate chiller, pump, cooling-tower, and
terminal-unit controls. This can only be done if adequate information is communicated from each system component
to the system-level controls.

Chilled- and condenser-water temperatures

Leaving chilled-water and entering condenser-water temperature selection can be considered independently of
their respective flow rates. However, temperatures and flow rates should be selected together to design an
efficient and flexible chilled-water-system.

Standard rating temperatures

Currently, the standard-rating-condition temperatures in ARI 550/5901 and ARI 5602 are:

Evaporator leaving water temperature: 44°F [6.7°C]

Water-cooled-condenser, entering-water temperature: 85°F [29.4°C]
 Air-cooled-condenser, entering-air dry bulb: 95°F [35.0°C]

For years, these temperature definitions were the benchmarks in system

designs.

Today, designers apply a variety of different temperatures.

ARI 550/590 reflects this trend by allowing the chilled-water and condenser water
temperatures to be selected at non-standard points and the chiller to be
tested as specified by the standard.
Chiller Sizing Information
No matter what your application, there is a single formula for determining the size of chiller you
need. Before you begin, you must know three factors:
The incoming water temperature
The chill water temperature you require
The flow rate

General sizing formula:

Calculate Temperature Differential (ΔT°F) ΔT°F = Incoming Water Temperature (°F) - Required Chill
Water Temperature

Calculate BTU/hr. BTU/hr. = Gallons per hr x 8.33 x ΔT°F

Calculate tons of cooling capacity Tons = BTU/hr. ÷ 12,000

Oversize the chiller by 20% Ideal Size in Tons = Tons x 1.2

You have the ideal size for your needs

For example, what size chiller is required to cool 40GPM from 70°F to 58°F?

ΔT°F = 70°F - 58°F = 12°F

BTU/hr. = 40gpm x 60 x 8.33 x 12°F = 239,904 BTU/hr.

Ton Capacity = 239,904 BTU/hr. ÷ 12,000 = 19.992 Tons

Oversize the chiller = 19.992 x 1.2 = 23.9904

A 23.9904 or 25-Ton chiller is required