2 replies to this topic

[harshchem55]

I want to understand the basic and operation wise differences between chiller and heat exchangers.

 

Please do help me

[Art Montemayor]

Harsh:

 

A chiller is not a heat exchanger; it is a unit that is composed of serveral components - one of which is a refrigerant vaporizer wherein a cooling medium (usually a glycol aqueous solution) is "chilled" (cooled) for subsequent use as a cooling medium in another process.  Basically it serves as an indirect cooler.

 

If you are an engineer, you should be well familiarized with heat exchangers.  This is an engineering Forum, so almost every member is an engineer.  Tell us if you are not one so that we can respond to your query(ies) in a manner that you can better understand.  

[sanchez]

chiller is used to cool down the temperature in the process stream. chiller operates on its own. you need an extra equipment (chiller), extra energy, extra money.

 

while heat exchanger is usually used after the heat integration of the process has been made. you need a hot stream that need to be cool down and cold stream that need to be heated up and exchange the heat between those two stream in a heat exchanger (HE).

 

that way, u dont need additional energy to do the task. u just need to find the right match of the stream to combined in the HE.