Hands-On Learning, Powering America Forward

Chiller Introduction

Content Type icon

CONTENT TYPE

VR, ILV, Interactive Modules

Duration icon

DURATION

2.5 Hours

Target Audience icon

TARGET AUDIENCE

Technician

Course Delivery icon

COURSE DELIVERY

VR or WEB Based

Credits icon

Credits : 0.3

Icons representing a four-step workflow: Learn, Assess, Evaluate, and Implement”

About the Course:

This Chiller Introduction microcredential provides HVAC technicians with a foundational understanding of air-cooled chiller systems and their role in commercial HVAC applications. Learners will explore the major components of a chiller, including the evaporator, compressor, air-cooled condenser, expansion valve, and chilled water loop. 

Through immersive VR simulations, learners will follow the refrigeration and chilled water cycles to understand how heat is transferred from building spaces and rejected to the surrounding environment. The course emphasizes component identification, system operation, refrigerant flow, chilled water circulation, and the basic principles of air-cooled chiller performance. 

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the major components of an air-cooled chiller system. 
  • Understand the basic refrigeration cycle and chilled water loop. 
  • Explain the function of the evaporator, compressor, condenser, and expansion valve. 
  • Describe how heat is transferred from building water to the refrigerant. 
  • Understand the role of condenser fans in rejecting heat to the surrounding air. 
  • Explain how the expansion valve reduces refrigerant pressure and temperature. 
  • Describe chilled water circulation between the chiller and building air handling units. 
  • Recognize the differences between air-cooled and water-cooled chiller systems. 

Course delivered through our LMS and accessible in both VR and web. Learn on the web anytime, or enjoy immersive VR training with your own Oculus VR headset.

Walk-in refrigerator door gasket replacement training for HVAC technicians

 

Workforce Development

HVAC technician replacing a worn walk-in refrigerator door gasket

At ImmerseLearn, we equip HVAC technicians with foundational knowledge required to understand and support chiller systems. This microcredential strengthens chiller component identification, refrigeration-cycle awareness, chilled water system knowledge, and HVAC technical understanding through immersive VR practice. 

How this course strengthens workforce skills:

Air-Cooled Chiller Fundamentals −
Explore the basic design and operation of an air-cooled chiller and understand how it differs from a water-cooled system. Learners identify major components and understand how each contributes to the cooling process.
Evaporator and Chilled Water Loop +
Learn how warm return water from the building transfers heat to the refrigerant in the evaporator. Learners explore how chilled water is circulated back to air handling units and returned to the evaporator to repeat the cooling cycle.
Compressor and Refrigerant Flow +
Understand how the compressor draws in low-pressure refrigerant vapor and compresses it into a high-pressure, high-temperature vapor. Learners follow the refrigerant as it moves through the system and prepares to release absorbed heat.
Air-Cooled Condenser and Expansion Valve +
Explore how condenser fans move ambient air across the condenser coils to remove heat from the refrigerant. Learners then follow the high-pressure liquid through the expansion valve, where its pressure and temperature are reduced before returning to the evaporator.

By completing this microcredential, HVAC technicians will develop a foundational understanding of air-cooled chiller components, refrigeration flow, and chilled water circulation, enabling them to better understand chiller operation and support effective HVAC service and maintenance activities.