EP1441121A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system with refrigeration cycle and rankine cycle
Assignee: Denso Corp
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Filing: 2004-01-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2024-01-26
Abstract
Abstract A vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system with a refrigeration cycle and a Rankine cycle includes a compressor (10), a radiator (11), a gas-liquid separator (12), a decompression device (13) and an evaporator (14). In the vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system, a liquid pump (32) is disposed for supplying the liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator to a heater (30) for heating the refrigerant, a cooling means (136, 39, 15, 38) is provided for cooling the liquid refrigerant to be sucked into the liquid pump, and an energy recovery unit (33) for expanding the refrigerant flowing out of the heater is disposed to recover thermal energy in the refrigerant from the heater. When the Rankine cycle is set so that the energy recovery unit recovers the thermal energy, the cooling means cools the liquid refrigerant to be sucked into the liquid pump. Therefore, pumping efficiency of the liquid pump can be effectively improved.
Inventors
- 👤 Atsushi Inaba
- 👤 Yasushi Yamanaka
- 👤 Shigeki Iwanami
- 👤 Koichi Ban
- 👤 Shigeru Hisanaga
- 👤 Tadashi Hotta
- 👤 Yukikatsu Ozaki
- 👤 Kazuhide Uchida
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 03:17
CPC Classifications
F; F25; F25B; F25B27/00; F25B1/00; F02; F02G; F02G5/00; F02G5/02; F02G5/04; F25B1/04; F25B2400/00; F25B2400/04; F25B2400/23; F25B2600/00; F25B2600/25; F25B2600/2507; F25B2700/00; F25B2700/04; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/10; Y02T10/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
260 words
A vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
comprising: a compressor (10) for sucking and compressing
refrigerant; a radiator (11), provided at a refrigerant discharge side
of the compressor, for cooling the refrigerant; a gas-liquid separator (12) for separating the
refrigerant from the radiator into gas refrigerant and liquid
refrigerant; a decompression device (13) for decompressing the liquid
refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator; an evaporator (14) for evaporating the refrigerant after
being decompressed in the decompression device; a heater (30) for heating the refrigerant; a liquid pump (32) for supplying the liquid refrigerant
in the gas-liquid separator to the heater; a cooling means (136, 39, 15, 38) for cooling the liquid
refrigerant to be sucked into the liquid pump; an energy recovery unit (33) for expanding the
refrigerant flowing out of the heater to recover thermal
energy in the refrigerant from the heater; and a switching means (34a-34d, 31a, 14a) for switching
between a refrigeration cycle where the evaporator has a
refrigeration capacity, and a Rankine cycle where the energy
recovery unit recovers the thermal energy, wherein: in the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant is
circulated in this order of the compressor → the radiator →
the gas-liquid separator → the decompression device → the
evaporator → the compressor; in the Rankine cycle, the refrigerant is circulated in
this order of the gas-liquid separator → the liquid pump →
the heater → the energy recovery unit → the radiator → the
gas-liquid separator; and the cooling means cools the liquid refrigerant to be
introduced into the liquid pump in the Rankine cycle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
84 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 1, wherein: the radiator is connected to the refrigerant discharge
side of the compressor through a refrigerant circuit; the switching means includes a switching member (34c)
that is disposed in the refrigerant circuit to shut a
refrigerant flow from the refrigerant discharge side of the
compressor to the radiator in the Rankine cycle; and the liquid pump is provided to supply the liquid
refrigerant to the heater while bypassing the switching member
in the Rankine cycle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
76 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 1, wherein: the heater is a vapor generator (30) that generates a
super-heated vapor refrigerant in the Rankine cycle; the energy recovery unit includes an expansion device
(33a) that expands the super-heated vapor refrigerant from the
heater in iso-entropy in the Rankine cycle; and the radiator is disposed to cool and condense the
expanded refrigerant in the expansion device of the energy
recovery unit in the Rankine cycle.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
105 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 3, further comprising an inner heat exchanger (136) having a first refrigerant
passage through which the liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid
separator is introduced into the liquid pump, and a second
refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant decompressed
in the decompression device flows, wherein: before the liquid pump is operated in the Rankine cycle,
the switching means is operated to set a start mode where the
refrigerant is circulated in this order of the compressor →
the heater → the radiator → the gas-liquid separator → the
decompression device → the inner heat exchanger → the
compressor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 4, wherein the liquid pump is operated in
the Rankine cycle, after the start mode is performed for a
predetermined time.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 4, wherein the start mode is performed
until an amount of the liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid
separator becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined
value, and the liquid pump is operated in the Rankine cycle,
after the amount of the liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid
separator becomes the predetermined value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
62 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 4, wherein the start mode is performed
until a super-cooling degree of the liquid refrigerant in the
gas-liquid separator becomes equal to or larger than a
predetermined value, and the liquid pump is operated in the
Rankine cycle, after the super-cooling degree of the liquid
refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator becomes the
predetermined value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
59 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 4, wherein: in the start mode, the refrigerant decompressed in the
decompression device is evaporated in the second refrigerant
passage of the inner heat exchanger by absorbing heat in the
refrigerant of the first refrigerant passage between the gas-liquid
separator and the liquid pump, so as to have a cooling
capacity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means is an
electronic refrigerator (39) using a Peltier effect.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means is a super-cooler
(15, 38) that cools the liquid refrigerant from the
gas-liquid separator by using outside air.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 1-10, further comprising an additional pump (32a) for supplying the liquid
refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator into a suction side of
the liquid pump.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
43 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 11, wherein the additional pump is disposed
in the gas-liquid separator in such a manner that at least a
suction port of the additional pump is positioned in the
liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 11 and 12, wherein the liquid
pump and the additional pump are integrated with the gas-liquid
separator.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the compressor
and the energy recovery unit are integrated.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the energy
recovery unit is arranged in parallel with the compressor in a
refrigerant flow.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one claims 1-15, further comprising an energy storage means for storing energy recovered by
the energy recovery unit.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 1-16, wherein the heater heats
the refrigerant by using waste heat generated from an
equipment mounted on a vehicle.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
39 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 1-17, wherein the refrigerant
contains at least one substance selected from the group
consisting of HFC134a, HFC152a, butane, propane, and ammonia,
as a main constituent of the refrigerant.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
246 words
A vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
comprising: a compressor (10) for sucking and compressing
refrigerant; a radiator (11), provided at a refrigerant discharge side
of the compressor, for cooling the refrigerant, the radiator
being connected to a refrigerant discharge side of the
compressor through a refrigerant circuit; a decompression device (13) for decompressing refrigerant
flowing out of the radiator; an evaporator (14) for evaporating the refrigerant after
being decompressed in the decompression device; a refrigerant shutting unit (31, 31a, 32) disposed in the
refrigerant circuit to shut a refrigerant flow from the
refrigerant discharge side of the compressor to the radiator; a heater for heating the refrigerant; a refrigerant supply means (33) for supplying refrigerant
to the heater while bypassing the refrigerant shutting unit;
and an energy recovery unit for expanding the refrigerant
flowing out of the heater to recover thermal energy in the
refrigerant from the heater, wherein: when a refrigeration cycle where the evaporator has a
refrigeration capacity is set, the refrigerant is circulated
in this order of the compressor → the radiator → the
decompression device → the evaporator → the compressor; and when a Rankine cycle where the energy recovery unit
recovers the thermal energy is set, the refrigerant shutting
unit shuts the refrigerant flow from the refrigerant discharge
side of the compressor to the radiator, and the refrigerant is
circulated by the refrigerant supply means in this order of
the heater → the energy recovery unit → the radiator → the
heater.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
48 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 19, wherein: the compressor and the energy recovery unit are
integrated to form a compressor device (100); and the compressor device functions as the energy recovery
unit when the refrigerant flowing out of the heater flows into
the compressor device.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 19, wherein the energy recovery unit is
connected in parallel with the compressor.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-21, wherein the heater is
provided in the refrigerant circuit connecting the compressor
and the radiator.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
55 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-22, further comprising a
gas-liquid separator for separating the refrigerant flowing
out of the radiator into gas refrigerant and liquid
refrigerant, wherein, in the Rankine cycle, the liquid refrigerant separated in
the gas-liquid separator is supplied to the heater by the
refrigerant supply means.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-23, further comprising
energy storage means for storing energy recovered by the
energy recovery unit.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
17 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 24, wherein the energy storage means
includes a capacitor.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 24, wherein the energy storage means stores
the energy recovered in the energy recovery unit as a
mechanical energy.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-25, wherein the energy
recovery unit generates an electric energy by use of the
recovered energy.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-27, wherein the compressor
is driven by an electric motor.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
26 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-27, wherein the compressor
is disposed to be driven by plural kinds of driving sources.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
29 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-27, wherein the compressor
is disposed to be driven by a driving source other than an
electric motor.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
40 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-30, further comprising an
auxiliary heater that is provided separately from the heater,
for heating the refrigerant by using heat of an exhaust gas
discharged from a heat engine.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-30, wherein the heater heats
the refrigerant by using waste heat generated by a heat engine.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
26 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to claim 32, wherein the heater heats the
refrigerant by using heat of exhaust gas discharged from the
heat engine.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
29 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-30, wherein the heater heats
the refrigerant by using waste heat generated by equipment
mounted on a vehicle.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
26 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-30, wherein the heater heats
the refrigerant by use of a plurality of heat sources.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
39 words
The vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system
according to any one of claims 19-35, wherein the refrigerant
contains at least one substance selected from the group
consisting of HFC134a, HFC152a, butane, propane, and ammonia,
as a main constituent of the refrigerant.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
JPS6392021A
Cited
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