Refrigeration – Automatic control – Refrigeration producer
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-03
2004-03-02
Jones, Melvin (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Refrigeration producer
C062S500000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06698221
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerating system, and more particularly, to a refrigerating system for retrieving energy lost when pressure necessary to make refrigerant flowing is changed from high pressure to low pressure to enhance energy efficiency, and reusing the energy as a power source for increasing the pressure again.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, a compressor in a refrigerating system compresses and pumps refrigerant. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor becomes gaseous refrigerant while passing through a capillary tube or an expansion valve, for example. The conventional refrigerating system employing such a refrigeration cycle causes many problems in circulating the refrigerant. That is to say, whereas external power is required when the pressure necessary to make the refrigerant of the refrigerating system flowing is changed from low pressure to high pressure, the pressure is naturally decreased when the pressure necessary to make the refrigerant flowing is changed from high pressure to low pressure such that power loss occurs unnecessarily. In further detail, the power used in the conventional refrigerating system serves to only increase the pressure of the refrigerant. However, since the pressure necessary to make the refrigerant flowing is hydro-dynamically changed from high pressure to low pressure through the capillary tube or the expansion valve as a natural result, the power used to increase the pressure of the refrigerant is lost as a whole.
In other words, energy necessary when the pressure of the refrigerant is changed from high pressure to low pressure is the same as that necessary when the pressure of the refrigerant is changed from low pressure to high pressure. Thus, if the energy lost when the pressure of the refrigerant is changed from high pressure to low pressure is retrieved and reused, the energy efficiency of the refrigerating system will be accordingly enhanced. Also, if the retrieved energy is used for the compressor, energy to be used for the compressor is proportionally saved, thereby improving the energy efficiency of the system.
However, the refrigerating system is not actuated based on such a simple principle or devices as we can imagine, and not be actuated by using simple pressure, such as high pressure and low pressure. The refrigerating system is called a heat pump for transferring heat by circulating refrigerant inside the refrigerating system to change the pressure and state of the refrigerant.
When the refrigerant circulates through long coils and various types of devices in the system, there is generated resistance against passage of fluid, i.e., pipe resistance. In an energy-exchanging device for changing between low pressure and high pressure, there are generated friction loss in a rotation unit, heat loss and a decrease in capacity efficiency. When the refrigerating system is provided with an auxiliary compressor for compensating for the loss and an auxiliary motor mounted on a rotary shaft of the energy-exchanging device when pressure is changed from low pressure to high pressure for compensating for the loss, the necessity of a motor having high power is eliminated.
If such a refrigerating system is realized based on the above theory, a conventional absorption cooling system or a chiller-heater of an absorption refrigerating system using water, ammonia or lithium bromide will not be required any more. The problem of a decrease in engine load and speed of a car and a continued ratio caused when an air conditioner is used in the car in summer will be solved as well. The shortage of power supplied and demanded in summer due to an increase in the use of refrigerating systems will be also solved.
A conventional refrigerating system will be described as follows with reference to FIG.
14
.
Referring to
FIG. 14
, the conventional refrigerating system includes a compressor
10
for compressing gaseous refrigerant under high temperature and high pressure up to condensing pressure, a condenser
12
for condensing the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor
10
into a liquid state through an air blast of a cooling fan
12
a
to release heat (if the condenser is a water-cooled type, it uses water instead of air to condense the refrigerant. Even though other cooling agents or devices can be used, the present embodiment uses air for explanation.), an expansion valve
24
for expanding the liquid refrigerant condensed by the condenser
12
under high temperature and high pressure into gaseous refrigerant under low pressure by throttling action, and an evaporator
26
for evaporating the gaseous refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve
24
while cooling air which is blasted by a blast fan
26
a
using evaporating heat of the refrigerant by heat exchange, and returning the gaseous refrigerant to the compressor
10
.
In the meantime, the refrigerant should be continuously changed between a gaseous state and a liquid state during the refrigeration cycle. When the refrigerant contains water, the water is frozen in the expansion valve or the capillary tube while circulating through the refrigerating system during the refrigeration process, thereby causing a shut-off of the refrigeration cycle and stopping the refrigerating system. Since the state of the refrigerant cannot be changed smoothly, the refrigerating system cannot be operated well and may be rusted. In case of the refrigerating system employing ammonia, if water is permeated thereinto, dilution occurs due to ammonia water. Therefore, if the amount frozen is small, it will not stop the refrigerating system. However, since evaporating pressure is increased during the dilution, water separation needs to be done.
To solve the problem due to the water, the conventional refrigerating system is provided with a drier (for adsorbing porous material, such as silica gel) interposed between the condenser
12
and the expansion valve
24
in order to adsorb the water contained in the refrigerant, and a fluid receiving tank
15
interposed between the condenser
12
and the drier
18
for supplying only the liquid refrigerant to the expansion valve
24
.
The drier
18
has a desiccant and a filter embedded therein, and the desiccant absorbs the water from the refrigerant introduced from the condenser
12
toward the expansion valve
24
and the filter filters impurities, except water, contained in the refrigerant.
The fluid receiving tank
15
temporarily stores the liquid refrigerant dealing with a load variation of the refrigeration cycle, separates pre-condensed refrigerant or non-condensable gas contained in the liquid refrigerant, and protects the system by forcibly discharging the refrigerant by means of a fusible plug, if any, when the refrigerant is overheated due to failure of the system.
Meantime, when the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the evaporator
26
is not completely evaporated, water is contained in the discharged gaseous refrigerant. Therefore, since the gaseous refrigerant existing in a pipe line between the evaporator
26
and the condenser
10
is changed into a liquid state when the refrigerating system is stopped, the water may be introduced into the compressor
10
.
However, since the water is incompressible fluid, when the water is introduced into the compressor
10
, there is generated a liquid compression phenomenon in which a so-called hammering noise is made, and there is caused the burning in the compressor
10
because the water is not compressed.
Accordingly, it is necessary to fundamentally prevent the liquid refrigerant from being introduced into the compressor
10
. To do that, a gas and liquid phase separator
29
is interposed between the evaporator
26
and the compressor
10
for separating the liquid refrigerant and supplying only the gaseous refrigerant to the compressor
10
.
To protect the compressor
10
from being damaged when impurities are introduced into the compressor
10
, a filter
32
is interposed between the gas and liquid phase separator
Dickinson Wright PLLC
Jones Melvin
Moskowitz Larry J.
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