Anti-slug control for refrigeration circuits

Claim 1

IN A REFRIGERATION CIRCUIT COMPRISING A COMPRESSOR FOR REFRIGERANT, A CONDENSER INCLUDING A REFRIGERANT LINE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CONDENSER AND THE DISCHARGE SIDE OF SAID COMPRESSOR, AN EVAPORATOR CONNECTED TO SAID CONDENSER INCLUDING MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID CONDENSER AND SAID EVAPORATOR FOR EXPANDING REFRIGERANT, A SUCTION LINE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID EVAPORATOR AND THE SUCTION SIDE OF SAID COMPRESSOR, MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE MOVEMENT OF SLUGS OF LIQUID REFRIGERANT TO SAID COMPRESSOR COMPRISING A BY-PASS LINE CONNECTED BETWEEN THE DISCHARGE SIDE OF SAID COMPRESSOR AND SAID SUCTION LINE, A BY-PASS VALVE CONNECTED IN SAID BY-PASS LINE AND ADAPTED TO CONTROL THE BY-PASS OF SUPERHEATED REFRIGERANT TO SAID SUCTION LINE, SAID BY-PASS LINE BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SUCTION LINE BETWEEN SAID BY-PASS VALVE AND THE SUCTION SIDE OF SAID COMPRESSOR, THE IMPROVEMENT IN SAID CIRCUIT WHICH INCLUDE MEANS FOR OPENING SAID BY-PASS VALVE WHEN THE SUPERHEAT IN SAID SUCTION LINE IS BELOW A CERTAIN VALUE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF CHAMBERS SEPARATED BY A COMMON DIAPHRAGM, ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS CONTAINING FLUID WHICH EXPANDS AND CONTRACTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID SUCTION LINE, TEMPERATURE SENSING MEANS IN CONTACT WITH SAID SUCTION LINE AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ONE FLUID CONTAINING CHAMBER OF SAID HOUSING, THE OTHER OF SAID CHAMBERS HAVING MEANS CONNECTING THE SAME TO SAID SUCTION LINE, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DIAPHRAGM AND MOVABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS IN SAID SUCTION LINE, A CIRCUIT INCLUDING MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID BY-PASS VALVE, AND SWITCH MEANS CONNECTED IN SAID CIRCUIT AND OPERABLE TO CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS BY ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH BY SAID MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DIAPHRAGM AND MOVABLE WITH SAME IN RESPONSE TO PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS FOR CONTROLLING SAID BY-PASS VALVE.