Chiller vs. Cooler

Main Difference

The main difference between Chiller and Cooler is that the Chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid via a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle and Cooler is a type of insulated box used to keep food or drink cool

• Chiller

  A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid via a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle. This liquid can then be circulated through a heat exchanger to cool equipment, or another process stream (such as air or process water). As a necessary by-product, refrigeration creates waste heat that must be exhausted to ambience, or for greater efficiency, recovered for heating purposes. Chillers may use hermetic scroll, or semi hermetic screw, or centrifugal compressors.

  Chilled water is used to cool and dehumidify air in mid- to large-size commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities. Water chillers can be water-cooled, air-cooled, or evaporatively cooled. Water-cooled systems can provide efficiency and environmental impact advantages over air-cooled systems.

• Cooler

  A cooler, portable ice chest, ice box, cool box, chilly bin (in New Zealand), or esky (Australia) is an insulated box used to keep food or drink cool.

  Ice cubes are most commonly placed in it to help the contents inside stay cool. Ice packs are sometimes used, as they either contain the melting water inside, or have a gel sealed inside that stays cold longer than plain ice (absorbing heat as it changes phase).

  Coolers are often taken on picnics, and on vacation or holiday. Where summers are hot, they may also be used just for getting cold groceries home from the store, such as keeping ice cream from melting in a hot automobile. Even without adding ice, this can be helpful, particularly if the trip home will be lengthy. Some coolers have built-in cupholders in the lid.

  They are usually made with interior and exterior shells of plastic, with a hard foam in between. They come in sizes from small personal ones to large family ones with wheels. Disposable ones are made solely from polystyrene foam (such as is a disposable coffee cup) about 2 cm or one inch thick. Most reusable ones have molded-in handles; a few have shoulder straps. The cooler has developed from just a means of keeping beverages cold into a mode of transportation with the ride-on cooler. A thermal bag or cooler bag is very similar in concept, but typically smaller and not rigid.

• Cooler (noun)

  a container for keeping food or bottles cool.

• Cooler (noun)

  a refrigerator.

• Cooler (noun)

  a long drink, especially a mixture of wine, fruit juice, and soda water.

• Cooler (noun)

  prison or a prison cell

  “the cooler was a dark, claustrophobic room”