Absorption heating system with improved liquid flow control

Claim 2

In an absorption refrigeration system having a generator, an absorber, a condenser, an evaporator, a liquid flow control element, a refrigerant flow control element and a solution pump, operatively connected to extract heat into a refrigerant at a low pressure in the evaporator, to reject heat from the refrigerant at a high pressure in the condenser, to absorb refrigerant into an absorbent and reject heat at the low pressure in the absorber and to distill refrigerant from the absorbent in the generator; the improvement wherein the liquid flow control element comprises a variably-sized restriction and means for opening the restriction to increase the flow of absorbent into the absorber in response to decreases in the low pressure and for closing the restriction to decrease the flow of absorbent into the absorber in response to increases in the low pressure.

Claim 3

The absorption system of claim 1 wherein the liquid expansion element comprises a valve having a movable portion responsive to absorber pressure directing the valve toward an closed position and a counter-balancing force directing the valve toward a open position.

Claim 4

The absorption refrigeration system of claim 2 wherein the liquid expansion element further comprises internal equalizer means for equalizing the pressure of liquid immediately downstream of the valve with a pressure exerted directly on the valve movable portion toward the open position.

Claim 5

In a method of absorption heating wherein heat is rejected from a condensing refrigerant at a high pressure, the condensed refrigerant is expanded to a low pressure, heat is absorbed into an evaporating refrigerant at the low pressure, the evaporated refrigerant is absorbed into an absorbent solution at the low pressure, the solution formed by absorbing the refrigerant into the absorbent is pumped to a high pressure, the refrigerant is distilled from the solution at the high pressure and returned to the condensing step, and the absorbent remaining after distillation is returned to the low pressure to absorb additional evaporated refrigerant; the improvement wherein the absorbent solution flow to the lower pressure is controlled through a variably sized flow restriction, and the method further comprises: increasing the size of the restriction to increase the flow of absorbent in response to decreases in the low pressure, and decreasing the size of the restriction to decrease the flow of absorbent in response to increases in the low pressure.

Claim 6

In a method of absorption heating wherein heat is rejected from a condensing refrigerant at a high pressure, the condensed refrigerant is expanded to a low pressure, heat is absorbed into an evaporating refrigerant at the low pressure, the evaporated refrigerant is absorbed into an absorbent solution at the low pressure, the solution formed by absorbing the refrigerant into the absorbent is pumped to a high pressure, the refrigerant is distilled from the solution at the high pressure and returned to the condensing step, and the absorbent remaining after distillation is returned to the low pressure to absorb additional evaporated refrigerant; the improvement wherein the absorbent solution flow to the lower pressure is controlled through a variably sized flow restriction, and the method further comprises: increasing the size of the restriction to increase the flow of absorbent in response to decreases in the low pressure, and decreasing the size of the restriction to decrease the flow of absorbent in response to increases in the low pressure.

Claim 7

The method of claim 4 wherein the size of the restriction is controlled by balancing the absorption pressure against a countervailing force.

Claim 8

The method of claim 5 wherein the countervailing force is a spring force.