Claims
- 1. An accumulator for a refrigeration system, comprising:a vapor refrigerant tank having upper and lower ends, supported on a containment vessel lower portion, such that any liquid removed from fluid flow into the accumulator is stored in the containment vessel lower portion below the tank; said tank having a diffuser pipe in an upper end thereof extending downwardly into the tank; said diffuser pipe including an upper end located exterior of the tank and a lower end located within the tank; the diffuser pipe lower end having a diameter greater than the diameter of the upper end, to thereby reduce the velocity of fluid flowing through the pipe from the upper end to the lower end; said diffuser pipe including a reducer section with a gradually increasing interior diameter, located between the upper and lower ends and within the tank; said diffuser pipe lower end extending a length with a constant diameter, downstream of the reducer, approximately one-half the distance from the upper end of the tank to the lower end of the tank; and said tank having at least one exhaust port in the upper end thereof, for exhausting accumulated vapor refrigerant.
- 2. The accumulator of claim 1, further comprising a diffusion plate mounted in the lower end of the diffuser pipe, said plate having at least one aperture therethrough permitting fluid to flow through the plate.
- 3. An accumulator for a refrigeration system, comprising:a vapor refrigerant tank having upper and lower ends, supported on a containment vessel lower portion, such that any liquid removed from fluid flow into the accumulator is stored in the containment vessel lower portion below the tank; said tank having a diffuser pipe in an upper end thereof extending downwardly into the tank approximately one-half of the distance from the upper end of the tank to the lower end of the tank; said diffuser pipe including an upper end located exterior of the tank and a lower end located within the tank; the diffuser pipe lower end having a diameter about twice the diameter of the upper end, to thereby reduce the velocity of fluid flowing through the pipe from the upper end to the lower end; a diffusion plate mounted in the lower end of the diffuser pipe, said plate having at least one aperture therethrough permitting fluid to flow through the plate; and said tank having at least one exhaust port in the upper end thereof, for exhausting accumulated vapor refrigerant.
- 4. The accumulator of claim 3, wherein the lower end of the diffuser pipe includes a constant diameter length having upper and lower ends, said diffusion plate being mounted in the upper end of the length of the diffuser pipe lower end.
- 5. The accumulator of claim 4, wherein said at least one aperture has a cross-sectional area of approximately 1.5 times the cross-sectional area of the diffuser pipe upper end.
- 6. The accumulator of claim 5, wherein said at least one aperture includes a plurality of uniform diameter and uniformly spaced apertures extending across the area of the plate.
- 7. The accumulator of claim 6, wherein each plate aperture has a perimeter side wall with upper and lower ends, and wherein each aperture side wall is chamfered at the lower end to form a greater diameter at the lower end of each aperture than the upper end of each aperture.
- 8. The accumulator of claim 7, further comprising:a conduit having a downstream end connected to the diffuser pipe upper end, and an upstream end connected to a source of liquid refrigerant; an electronic expansion valve interposed in said conduit, operable to selectively open, close and adjust the flow of refrigerant therethrough; a probe located in said diffuser pipe downstream of the conduit, operable to monitor the temperature of fluid passing through the diffuser pipe; said expansion valve electronically connected to the probe and operable to release refrigerant through the conduit and into the diffuser pipe to lower the fluid temperature to a predetermined temperature.
- 9. An accumulator for a refrigeration system, comprising:a vapor refrigerant tank having upper and lower ends, supported on a containment vessel lower portion, such that any liquid removed from fluid flow into the accumulator is stored in the containment vessel lower portion below the tank; said tank having a diffuser pipe in an upper end thereof extending downwardly into the tank; a diffusion plate mounted in the lower end of the diffuser pipe, said plate having at least one aperture therethrough permitting fluid to flow through the plate; and said tank having at least one exhaust port in the upper end thereof, for exhausting accumulated vapor refrigerant.
- 10. The accumulator of claim 9, wherein said at least one aperture has a cross-sectional area of approximately 1.5 times the cross-sectional area of the diffuser pipe upper end.
- 11. The accumulator of claim 9, wherein said at least one aperture includes a plurality of uniform diameter and uniformly spaced apertures extending across the area
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a divisional application of Ser. No. 09/659,315 filed Sep. 12, 2000, entitled “Improved Refrigeration System”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,564.
US Referenced Citations (7)