Ship refrigeration

Claim 1

A refrigeration ship adapted to transport food products such as bananas requiring a storage temperature of from about 52* F to 60* F and other food products which require a storage temperature of about -10* F and temperatures inbetween -10* F to 60* F in cargo compartments comprising a liquid recirculation refrigeration system for maintaining said compartments at the same or different refrigeration temperatures from refrigerant fed from a common source, said system having (an) a low pressure accumulator for holding a body of liquid refrigerant under relatively low pressure at a temperature lower than the lowest space temperature required, a feed line leading from said accumulator, a pump in said feed line for raising the pressure of the liquid refrigerant, a return line leading to said accumulator, a compressor and condenser communicating with said accumulator, evaporators connected in parallel between said feed line and said return line and located in different compartments of said ship at elevations above or below said low pressure accumulator, a pressure regulator valve in each parallel line downstream of its evaporator, and a check valve in each parallel line upstream of its evaporator, said regulating valves being set to maintain the pressure in said evaporators at different levels corresponding to temperatures above the temperature of the refrigerant in said accumulator.