Chiller Glossary

Compressor - increases the pressure on a substance
Condensor - converts a substance from a gas into its liquid form, extracting heat from the substance
Chill water - water in the closed-loop section of a chiller
Chiller stall - interruption in the flow of refrigerant through a compressor
Evaporator - adds heat to a substance, changing it from a liquid to a gas
Tonnage - measurement of a chiller's ability to cool (a ton of cooling is the amount of cooling provided by the melting of one ton of ice in one day)
Variable frequency drive (VFD) - an adjustable-speed drive, often used in centrifugal chillers, which provides energy savings over the traditional constant-speed drive