The market that chiller manufacturers are a part of had been growing and diversifying as a number of those manufacturers came to the 2008 Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo).

Published reports made available at the expo, based on information compiled near the end of 2007, found the chiller sector benefiting from a world economy that grew by 5.4 percent in 2006 compared with 2005. China was the main driver, reports said, along with the recovery of the markets in Europe and Japan, and somewhat weaker overall economic growth in the United States.

The chiller market was reported to be $2 billion in Asia-Pacific, $1.5 billion in Europe, and $1 billion in the United States.

In terms of trends, published reports saw screw chillers being used in cooling capacities of 150-1,400 kW, while centrifugals and absorption chillers are being used in cooling capacities of 500-4,500 kW. In the 700-1,400-kW range, competition was seen between absorption, screw, and centrifugal units. In the large-capacity segment, centrifugals were said to have the dominant position.

In the United States, reports said the chiller market grew by 6.2 percent in 2006 compared with 2005 (The China chiller market grew by 13.1 percent during that same time.) Recips, screws, and scrolls were said to have the largest market share in the United States, followed by centrifugals and then absorption.

Other trends of note, according to published reports, were that screw chillers have been increasingly replacing reciprocating chillers in many applications; there is active development of screw chillers that use R-410A, and more attention is being paid to developing high-capacity screw compressors.