Disclosed is a muffler for a water-cooled chiller or air-cooled of a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration system, the muffler having: an upstream case (110) having a fluid inlet (120); a downstream case (115) connected to the upstream case at a downstream end of the upstream case, the downstream case having a fluid outlet (125); the upstream case having a plurality of axially adjacent outer muffler rings (145) and a plurality of axially adjacent inner muffler rings (155), the outer muffler rings being axially coextensive and a radially exterior to the inner muffler rings and defining a fluid inlet passage (140) therebetween, wherein the outer muffler rings and inner muffler rings are a metal mesh material.