Claims
- 1. In a refrigeration system having a condenser which operates at a first pressure and temperature to condense refrigerant vapors to a liquid and an evaporator which operates at a second, lower pressure and temperature to evaporate liquid refrigerant to a vapor to produce cooling, a thermal condensing economizer comprising:
- a container connected to receive liquid refrigerant from the condenser and to forward liquid refrigerant to the evaporator;
- means to maintain a pressure differential between the condenser and the container; and
- means associated with said container to reduce the temperature of the container below the temperature of the condenser to allow refrigerant liquid to flash therein to a vapor to subcool the remaining liquid refrigerant before it circulates to the evaporator and to condense therein the refrigerant vapors so flashed for mixing with the liquid refrigerant being forwarded from the container to the evaporator.
- 2. The economizer of claim 1 wherein the means to reduce the temperature of the container and to condense refrigerant vapors comprises a heat exchange coil through which a cooling medium may be circulated.
- 3. The economizer of claim 1 wherein the means to maintain a pressure differential between the condenser and the container comprises nozzle means to spray liquid refrigerant into the container to improve the flashing of the liquid refrigerant to a vapor.
- 4. The economizer of claim 2 wherein the means to maintain a pressure differential between the condenser and the container comprises nozzle means positioned in the container to spray refrigerant from the condenser over the heat exchange coil in the container to bring the flashed refrigerant vapor into contact with the heat exchange coil to condense the vapor to a liquid.
- 5. An economizer for use in a refrigeration system having a condenser at a first pressure in which vaporized refrigerant is condensed to a liquid and an evaporator at a second pressure in which liquid refrigerant is vaporized comprising:
- a container adapted to hold both vaporized and liquid refrigerant;
- means to convey liquid refrigerant from the condenser to the container;
- restriction means in the means to convey liquid refrigerant from the condenser to the container to maintain a pressure differential between the condenser and the container;
- a heat exchange coil in the container adapted to receive a cooling medium to reduce the temperature and pressure of the container below the temperature and pressure of the condenser and to condense vaporized refrigerant in the container to a liquid; and
- means to convey liquid refrigerant from the container to the evaporator, and to maintain a pressure differential between the container and the evaporator.
- 6. A method of subcooling liquid refrigerant within a refrigeration system after the refrigerant has been condensed to a liquid in a condenser and before the liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator comprising the steps of:
- transporting liquid refrigerant from the condenser into a container at a lower temperature and pressure than the condenser whereby a portion of the refrigerant is flashed to a vapor and the heat to vaporize the refrigerant is absorbed from the remaining liquid refrigerant to subcool the remaining liquid refrigerant;
- condensing the vaporized refrigerant to a liquid within the container; and
- combining the condensed liquid refrigerant with the subcooled liquid refrigerant before the liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator.
- 7. The method of claim 6 for subcooling liquid refrigerant wherein the liquid refrigerant transported to the container is sprayed into the container to improve the flashing of liquid refrigerant to a vapor, and the condensing of vaporized refrigerant to a liquid is accomplished by bringing the vaporized refrigerant into heat exchange contact with a cooling medium.
- 8. A refrigeration system utilizing a refrigerant to cool a fluid which comprises:
- a primary refrigerant loop having:
- (a) a compressor for discharging refrigerant at an increased temperature and pressure;
- (b) a condenser connected to receive the refrigerant from the compressor wherein the refrigerant is converted from a gas to a liquid;
- (c) a thermal condensing economizer connected to the condenser wherein the liquid refrigerant is partially flashed to a gaseous refrigerant absorbing heat from the remaining liquid refrigerant;
- (d) an expansion control device connected to receive liquid refrigerant from the thermal economizer wherein the refrigerant pressure is reduced;
- (e) an evaporator that receives refrigerant from the expansion control device and discharges refrigerant to the compressor, at least part of said refrigerant changing state from a liquid to a gas to absorb heat from the fluid to be cooled; and
- a secondary refrigeration loop having:
- (a) an economizer-condenser coil in communication with the flashed gas of the thermal condensing economizer wherein the flashed refrigerant gas is converted from a gaseous state to a liquid state; and
- (b) combining means for adding the refrigerant condensed by the economizer-condenser to the liquid refrigerant flowing to the evaporator of the primary refrigeration loop.
- 9. A flash gas refrigeration loop for use with a refrigeration system having a condenser and an evaporator through which refrigerant circulates which comprises:
- a thermal condensing economizer connected to the condenser wherein the pressure of the liquid refrigerant received from the condenser is decreased so that part of the liquid refrigerant vaporizes absorbing heat from the remaining liquid refrigerant; and
- an economizer-condenser coil to cool the gaseous flashed refrigerant from a gaseous state to a liquid state so that the recondensed liquid refrigerant may together with the liquid refrigerant from the condenser that was not vaporized be conducted to the evaporator.
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 828,449 filed Aug. 29, 1977, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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828449 |
Aug 1977 |
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