How does a chiller work? some what noob.

tylerdustin2008

[H]ard|Gawd
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I know how a water loop chiller hooked up works, but how dows a "CHILLER" work. Does it not need a return? And what type of rad are those really thick ones that i see people using? Also can i get some links where i can see prices on these items?

And i know this has been posted bfore but i would like to ask my own questions to get the answer i want, or i hope.

Thanks for the help ahead of time.



Tyler
 
I have had 24 views at this thread but no responses. I guess the experts on this subject are on vaction.
 
Well if you look at a air conditioner it has a return. It is a loop, comes back gets heated up then cooled again.

ac-cycle.gif
 
The really thick one you see people using is a phase change unit. The return tubing is in with the tubing going to the cpu. It works on the same principles as the inside of an air conditioner. I think this is what you're asking. I am by no means an expert on it, so hopfully some of our other forum members that are more educated on the topic will jump in on this one.
 
Yea you did help, i did not know the return was in the same line. But how does it return? It is frozen right? Or is that the gas just really cold? And where can i buy compressors, i want a new one not a used one.
 
All the cooling parts are in the chiller itself. If you were to take one apart you'd see basically what you have in the pic there. The water part is separate, kinda intertwined or around half of your pic. Get a window air conditioner, that's the cheapest way.
 
That might be the cheapest way, but i dont want to buy the whole thing. And moneys not a problem, and i dont want a thermo chill, i want to build one.
 
A compressor by itself? Then you will have to put it together (brazing?), charge it up with gas that you may or may not be allowed to legally obtain (some license)... etc. An AC is ready made, just put the evaporator in a res. If you insist look for Danfoss or something.
 
444 said:
A compressor by itself? Then you will have to put it together (brazing?), charge it up with gas that you may or may not be allowed to legally obtain (some license)... etc. An AC is ready made, just put the evaporator in a res. If you insist look for Danfoss or something.


I dont want this to an ac unit sitting beside a computer i want it in a case. I am not going to be cheap and leave an A/C unit lying in the floor. I will make a case for it. And thanks for the help you have given me so far.
 
Dark Prodigy said:
Here you go ... The article is older (about 2 years) but the chiller is still available from Swiftech and it offers good information on how it works....

Swiftech MCW - Chill 452
That's not the same type of chiller. That just cools the water with TECs (peltiers). I don't really know that much about chillers, but this link should help you out a bit.
 
In order to build any type of AC system you need the following, an Evaporator (where the cold air goes) a condensor (warm air), a compressor, some type of charcoal filter, a compressor, and expansion valve, and all lines to make it air tight. You also need low pressure and over pressure switches so you don't blow yourself up. Car compressors are about all you will find on the open market. You will also need to figure out what kind of freon you will be using. After you build the thing you will need some sort of vacum pump to pull it down to at least a -20lb vacum. Its not an easy thing to build enless you really know what you are doing. You will have to spend some time doing this, and odds are you will end up spending ALOT more money then you would on a comercialy bought one.
 
Yeah man if you don't have all of those tools lying around already it's probably not a good idea. I was justing reading (i think on XS) about this dude who showed how he crammed a chiller he built into his case, looked pretty neat.

EDIT: Heh is was right here all along: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=942689
 
Well thanks for all of the help people. So my best bet is to go to a junk yard to get the compressor and other stuff. And what pump can handle really low temps?
 
Below is a pic of a small chiller I built a while back, it worked great but only had a 1/6hp compressor, so it lacked capacity. I'm currently rebuilding it with a 1/4hp compressor and larger condensor, after that I'll sell it and build something else (it's addicting ;) ). The best place to look for a new compressor is the online refrigeration supply places, or Ebay :eek: , you can get some very good deals on new compressors if you watch for them.


This pic shows the whole unit, the evap is submersed in the liquid in the res (white insuated rectangle in pic, the actual evap is the coiled copper loop. The evap is fed, in this case by a CPEV and the return is the insulated line coming out of the evap on the left and going back to the compressor. You can use a CPEV, TEV, or good ole' cap tube to feed the evap.

759chiller72dx.jpg


This pic shows the evap with the system running..... love that frost :D

evapfrost14dr.jpg
 
Ok so i have anh question? The CAP line is the one that fills the evapoator up right? The really small one, that come out of the filter i think, then the big one goes back to the compressor.
 
444 said:
Yeah man if you don't have all of those tools lying around already it's probably not a good idea. I was justing reading (i think on XS) about this dude who showed how he crammed a chiller he built into his case, looked pretty neat.

EDIT: Heh is was right here all along: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=942689


Talk about a thread resurrected from the dead. Seriously, to the OP, if you read that thread, you'll see pretty much all you need to know to build an in-case chiller.
 
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