Refrigeration system including refrigeration cycle and rankine cycle

Claim 1

A refrigeration system that recycles waste heat of a heat generating apparatus, the refrigeration system comprising: a refrigeration cycle that includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator, which are connected to circulate refrigerant therethrough; a Rankine cycle that shares the condenser with the refrigeration cycle and thereby includes the condenser, a pump, a heating device and an expansion device, which are connected to circulate the refrigerant therethrough, wherein the heating device uses the waste heat of the heat generating apparatus as a heat source thereof; a control means for controlling an operation of the refrigeration cycle and an operation of the Rankine cycle; a predetermined state sensing means for sensing a predetermined state, which satisfies a predetermined condition that relates to a sole operation of the Rankine cycle, in which the Rankine cycle is operated while the operation of the refrigeration cycle is substantially stopped; and a flow quantity determining means for determining whether a predicted refrigerant flow quantity in the condenser exceeds a predetermined flow quantity, wherein the flow quantity determining means predicts the predicted refrigerant flow quantity in the condenser by assuming that the compressor is operated in the sole operation of the Rankine cycle at a predetermined normal rotational speed of the Rankine cycle, wherein: the control means operates the compressor when the predetermined state is sensed by the predetermined state sensing means; and the control means reduces a rotational speed of the Rankine cycle from the predetermined normal rotational speed during an operation of the compressor in the predetermined state when the flow quantity determining means determines that the predicted refrigerant flow quantity exceeds the predetermined flow quantity.