US4598556A — High efficiency refrigeration or cooling system

Claim 1

Independent Claim 103 words

A refrigeration/cooling system comprising: a compressor having an inlet and an outlet; a countercurrent condenser connected to said compressor outlet; a countercurrent evaporator connected to said compressor inlet; a heat exchanger interconnecting said condenser and said evaporator; first throttling means interposed between said heat exchanger and said evaporator; means for providing an at least partially expanded refrigerant to said heat exchanger and including a second throttling means connected in said system downstream of said condenser and upstream of said evaporator; and a refrigerant return interconnecting said heat exchanger and said compressor inlet for returning said at least partially expanded refrigerant to said compressor.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 103 words

A refrigeration/cooling system comprising: a compressor having an inlet and an outlet; a countercurrent condenser connected to said compressor outlet; a countercurrent evaporator connected to said compressor inlet; a heat exchanger interconnecting said condenser and said evaporator; first throttling means interposed between said heat exchanger and said evaporator; means for providing an at least partially expanded refrigerant to said heat exchanger and including a second throttling means connected in said system downstream of said condenser and upstream of said evaporator; and a refrigerant return interconnecting said heat exchanger and said compressor inlet for returning said at least partially expanded refrigerant to said compressor.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 27 words

The refrigeration/cooling system of claim 1 further including a refrigerant in said system, said refrigerant being a non-azeotropic binary fluid, said system being free of phase separators.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 14 words

The refrigeration/cooling system of claim 1 wherein said compressor is a multiple stage compressor.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 125 words

A refrigeration/cooling system comprising: a compressor for compressing a refrigerant and having plural inlets for receiving refrigerant at differing pressures; a condenser for condensing refrigerant received from said compressor; an evaporator, including throttling means, for evaporating condensed refrigerant received from said condenser; a heat exchanger for cooling condensed refrigerant from said condenser prior to its receipt by said evaporator; means for providing a coolant to said heat exchanger including means for splitting the stream of condensed refrigerant from said condenser without altering its composition and for providing a first portion to said evaporator and a second, at least partially expanded portion to said heat exchanger; and separate returns for said heat exchanger and said evaporator for returning said portions to respective inlets for said compressor.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 125 words

A refrigeration/cooling system comprising: a compressor for compressing a refrigerant and having plural inlets for receiving refrigerant at differing pressures; a condenser for condensing refrigerant received from said compressor; an evaporator, including throttling means, for evaporating condensed refrigerant received from said condenser; a heat exchanger for cooling condensed refrigerant from said condenser prior to its receipt by said evaporator; means for providing a coolant to said heat exchanger including means for splitting the stream of condensed refrigerant from said condenser without altering its composition and for providing a first portion to said evaporator and a second, at least partially expanded portion to said heat exchanger; and separate returns for said heat exchanger and said evaporator for returning said portions to respective inlets for said compressor.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 43 words

The refrigeration/cooling system of claim 4 further including an additional heat exchanger for further cooling condensed refrigerant received from said heat exchanger prior to its receipt by said evaporator, said additional heat exchanger being provided with coolant by the return for said evaporator.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 52 words

The refrigeration/cooling system of claim 4 further including an additional heat exchanger for further cooling condensed refrigerant received from said heat exchanger prior to its receipt by said evaporator, said additional heat exchanger being provided with coolant by an at least partially expanded further split portion of said stream of condensed refrigerant.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 46 words

The refrigeration/cooling system of claim 6 wherein said splitting means is located between said additional heat exchanger and said evaporator and wherein said evaporator portion and said additional split portion are united downstream of both said additional heat exchanger and said evaporator at said evaporator return.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 183 words

A refrigeration/cooling system comprising: a compressor having an outlet and two inlets, each for receiving a refrigerant at a different pressure; a countercurrent condenser connected to said outlet; at least first, second and third heat exchange stages defining a serially connected flow path for condensed refrigerant received from said condenser and a number of coolant flow paths equal to the number of stages; flow splitting and throttling means at the end of said flow path of condensed refrigerant into three throttled portions; an evaporator receiving a first of said throttled portions; means directing another of said throttled portions to the coolant path associated with said first stage and then to a relatively higher pressure inlet for said compressor; means for directing a third of said portions to the coolant flow path associated with the third of said stages; and means downstream of the coolant flow path associated with said third stage for combining said first and third portions and directing said combined portion to the coolant path associated with said second stage and then to the relatively lower pressure inlet of said compressor.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 183 words

A refrigeration/cooling system comprising: a compressor having an outlet and two inlets, each for receiving a refrigerant at a different pressure; a countercurrent condenser connected to said outlet; at least first, second and third heat exchange stages defining a serially connected flow path for condensed refrigerant received from said condenser and a number of coolant flow paths equal to the number of stages; flow splitting and throttling means at the end of said flow path of condensed refrigerant into three throttled portions; an evaporator receiving a first of said throttled portions; means directing another of said throttled portions to the coolant path associated with said first stage and then to a relatively higher pressure inlet for said compressor; means for directing a third of said portions to the coolant flow path associated with the third of said stages; and means downstream of the coolant flow path associated with said third stage for combining said first and third portions and directing said combined portion to the coolant path associated with said second stage and then to the relatively lower pressure inlet of said compressor.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 17 words

The refrigeration/cooling system of claim 8 further including a refrigerant, said refrigerant comprising a non-azeotropic binary fluid.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 175 words

A method of refrigerating or cooling by vapor compression of a non-azeotropic binary fluid comprising the steps of (a) compressing the fluid in a compressor; (b) condensing the compressed fluid; (c) cooling the fluid resulting from step (b) by (1) expanding a portion of the condensed fluid, (2) bringing said expanded portion into heat exchange relation with the fluid resulting from step (b) and (3) returning said expanded portion to said compressor; (d) further cooling the cooled fluid resulting from step (c) by (1) expanding a portion of the further cooled fluid, (2) bringing said expanded portion of said further cooled fluid into heat exchange relation with the cooled fluid resulting from step (c), and (3) returning said expanded portion of said further cooled fluid to said compressor at a pressure lower than that of said expanded portion of said condensed fluid; (e) evaporating said further cooled fluid in an evaporator to provide cooling or refrigeration and (f) returning the fluid resulting from step (e) to the compressor with the returned fluid of step (d).

Claim 14

Independent Claim 175 words

A method of refrigerating or cooling by vapor compression of a non-azeotropic binary fluid comprising the steps of (a) compressing the fluid in a compressor; (b) condensing the compressed fluid; (c) cooling the fluid resulting from step (b) by (1) expanding a portion of the condensed fluid, (2) bringing said expanded portion into heat exchange relation with the fluid resulting from step (b) and (3) returning said expanded portion to said compressor; (d) further cooling the cooled fluid resulting from step (c) by (1) expanding a portion of the further cooled fluid, (2) bringing said expanded portion of said further cooled fluid into heat exchange relation with the cooled fluid resulting from step (c), and (3) returning said expanded portion of said further cooled fluid to said compressor at a pressure lower than that of said expanded portion of said condensed fluid; (e) evaporating said further cooled fluid in an evaporator to provide cooling or refrigeration and (f) returning the fluid resulting from step (e) to the compressor with the returned fluid of step (d).

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 25 words

The method of refrigerating or cooling of claim 10 wherein the fluid expanded in step (c)(1) is condensed further cooled fluid resulting from step (d).

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 24 words

The method of refrigerating or cooling of claim 10 wherein the fluid expanded in step (c)(1) is condensed cooled fluid resulting from step (c).

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 23 words

The method of refrigerating or cooling of claim 10 wherein the fluid expanded in step (c)(1) is condensed fluid resulting from step (b).

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1989-07-07	1990-01-06	1990-07-08	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1993-07-07	1994-01-06	1994-07-08	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1997-07-07	1998-01-06	1998-07-08	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

High efficiency refrigeration or cooling system

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag