JP2020531785A - Systems and methods for purging chiller systems - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system (14), including a refrigerant loop and a purging system (80) configured to purge non-condensable gases from the HVAC & R system. Regarding heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems (14). The purge system consists of a liquid pump (84) configured to draw a first refrigerant flow from the evaporator (38) and a liquid pump (84) configured to receive the first refrigerant flow and reduce the temperature of the first refrigerant flow. It includes a controllable expansion valve (86) and a purge heat exchanger (88) including a purge coil (108). The purge coil is configured to receive the first refrigerant flow from the controllable expansion valve, and the purge heat exchanger chamber is configured to draw a mixture of the non-condensable gas and the second refrigerant flow from the condenser (34). The purge heat exchanger is configured to use a first refrigerant flow to separate the non-condensable gas from the second refrigerant flow.

Description

The application generally relates to purging systems for air conditioning and freezing applications.

Chiller systems, or vapor compression systems, use working fluids such as refrigerants, liquids, and refrigerants that change the phase between these combinations in response to exposure to different temperatures and pressures associated with the operation of the vapor compression system. .. In a low pressure chiller system, some components of the low pressure chiller system operate at a lower pressure than the surrounding atmosphere. Due to the pressure difference, non-condensable gas (NCG), such as ambient air, can migrate into these low pressure components, which can cause inefficiencies in low pressure chiller systems. Therefore, the NCG can be purged from the low pressure chiller system for more effective operation. However, conventional purge systems used to remove NCG can be costly and can require excessive repair management and can be inefficient.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems include a refrigerant loop, a compressor arranged along the refrigerant loop, an evaporator arranged along the refrigerant loop, and a refrigerant. Includes capacitors arranged along the loop. The compressor is configured to circulate the refrigerant through the refrigerant loop, the evaporator is configured to put the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the first cooling fluid, and the condenser is configured to put the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the second cooling fluid. It is configured as follows. The HVAC & R system also includes a purging system configured to purge non-condensable gas (NCG) from the HVAC & R system. The purge system consists of a liquid pump configured to draw a first refrigerant flow from the evaporator and a controllable expansion device configured to receive the first refrigerant flow from the liquid pump and reduce the temperature of the first refrigerant flow. And a purge heat exchanger. The purge heat exchanger includes a purge coil. The purge coil is configured to receive a first refrigerant flow from a controllable expansion device, and the purge heat exchanger chamber is configured to draw in a mixture containing a non-condensable gas and a second refrigerant flow from a condenser and purge. The heat exchanger is configured to separate the non-condensable gas of the mixture from the second refrigerant flow of the mixture using the first refrigerant flow.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems include a refrigerant loop, a compressor arranged along the refrigerant loop, and an evaporator arranged along the refrigerant loop. Includes, with capacitors arranged along the refrigerant loop. The compressor is configured to circulate the refrigerant through the refrigerant loop, the evaporator is configured to put the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the first cooling fluid, and the condenser is configured to put the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the second cooling fluid. It is configured as follows. The HVAC & R system also includes a purging system configured to purge non-condensable gas (NCG) from the HVAC & R system. The purge system includes a purge heat exchanger configured to separate the mixture drawn from the capacitor using a first refrigerant flow of refrigerant drawn from the evaporator. The mixture contains NCG from a capacitor and a second refrigerant flow of refrigerant. Separation of the mixture involves separating the NCG from the second refrigerant flow. The purge system also includes one or more thermoelectric assemblies configured to remove thermal energy from the second refrigerant flow.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems include a refrigerant loop, a compressor arranged along the refrigerant loop, and an evaporator arranged along the refrigerant loop. Includes, with capacitors arranged along the refrigerant loop. The compressor is configured to circulate the refrigerant through the refrigerant loop, the evaporator is configured to put the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the first cooling fluid, and the condenser is configured to put the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the second cooling fluid. It is configured as follows. The HVAC & R system also includes a purging system configured to purge non-condensable gas (NCG) from the HVAC & R system. The purge system includes one or more adsorption chambers configured to receive a mixture of refrigerant and NCG from a capacitor and to separate the refrigerant from NCG. The purge system also includes a pump configured to draw the mixture from the condenser.

In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system includes a purging system configured to purge non-condensable gas (NCG) from a vapor compression system. The purge system includes a pump configured to draw a mixture of vapor refrigerant and NCG from the condenser of the vapor compression system. The purge system is configured to receive the mixture from the pump and place the mixture in a heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant flow drawn from the steam compression system in order to condense the vapor refrigerant of the mixture and separate the NCG of the mixture from the vapor refrigerant. Further includes a purged heat exchanger. The pump is configured to increase the pressure of the mixture in order to guide the flow of NCG from the purge heat exchanger into the atmosphere through the pressure difference between the NCG and the atmosphere.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a building in which a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R: heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration) system can be used in a commercial environment according to aspects of the present disclosure. It is a perspective view of the embodiment of the HVAC & R system according to the aspect of this disclosure. It is the schematic of the embodiment of the HVAC & R system of FIG. 2 according to the aspect of this disclosure. It is the schematic of the embodiment of the HVAC & R system of FIG. 2 according to the aspect of this disclosure. It is a schematic diagram of the embodiment of the HVAC & R system of FIG. 2 according to the aspect of the present disclosure. It is a schematic diagram of the embodiment of the HVAC & R system of FIG. 2 according to the aspect of the present disclosure. It is a schematic diagram of the embodiment of the HVAC & R system of FIG. 2 according to the aspect of the present disclosure. It is a schematic diagram of the embodiment of the HVAC & R system of FIG. 2 according to the aspect of the present disclosure. It is a schematic diagram of the embodiment of the HVAC & R system of FIG. 2 according to the aspect of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include purging systems that can improve the efficiency of purging in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and freezing (HVAC & R) systems. For example, in certain low pressure HVAC & R systems, the evaporator may inhale non-condensable gas (NCG), eg, ambient air, from the atmosphere due to the pressure difference between the evaporator and the atmosphere. The NCG can travel through the HVAC & R system and eventually collect in the capacitor. NCG can be detrimental to the overall performance of the HVAC & R system and should be removed. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein can efficiently purge NCG from the HVAC & R system. For this purpose, the HVAC & R system is a purge system that can guide the first flow of refrigerant from the evaporator to an additional heat exchanger and then separate the NCG from the second flow of refrigerant. Therefore, it may include a purge system that can use the first flow of refrigerant to separate the NCG from the second flow of refrigerant of the HVAC & R system deposited in the condenser by condensing the second flow of refrigerant. The NCG can then be sent to the atmosphere or released in another way. In an additional or alternative form, the purge system may use one or more other systems in addition to the additional heat exchangers for purging the NCG from the HVAC & R system. For example, the purge system may also use one or more thermoelectric assemblies and / or adsorption chambers. Specifically, one or more thermoelectric assemblies may help reduce the temperature of the refrigerant derived from the evaporator to aid in the heat exchange process within the additional heat exchanger. In addition, one or more adsorption chambers from the NCG by using an adsorptive material with an electrochemical affinity for the refrigerant that adsorbs the refrigerant and allows the NCG to flow out of the HVAC & R system. The refrigerant can be filtered. Further, in certain embodiments, the purge system may use a steam pump to draw a second flow of NCG and refrigerant from the condenser and deliver the second flow of NCG and refrigerant to an additional heat exchanger. That is, the steam pump can increase the pressure in the second flow of NCG and refrigerant as it is delivered to additional heat exchangers. Due to the higher pressure, the second flow of refrigerant can be condensed at a higher temperature in the additional heat exchanger, thereby reducing the load on the purge system.

Looking at the drawings here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an environment for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems 10 in a building 12 for a typical commercial environment. is there. The HVAC & R system 10 may include a vapor compression system 14 that supplies a cooled liquid that can be used to cool the building 12. The HVAC & R system 10 may also include a boiler 16 for supplying a warm liquid to heat the building 12 and an air distribution system for circulating air through the building 12. The air distribution system may also include an air return duct 18, an air supply duct 20, and / or an air handler 22. In some embodiments, the air handler 22 may include a heat exchanger connected to the boiler 16 and the vapor compression system 14 by a conduit 24. The heat exchanger in the air handler 22 can receive the heated liquid from the boiler 16 or the cooled liquid from the vapor compression system 14, depending on the operating mode of the HVAC & R system 10. It is either. The HVAC & R system 10 is shown with separate air handlers on each floor of the building 12, but in other embodiments the HVAC & R system 10 is an air handler 22 and / or other that can be shared between floors. Can include components.

2 and 3 are embodiments of the vapor compression system 14 that can be used in the HVAC & R system 10. The vapor compression system 14 may circulate the refrigerant through a circuit initiated by the compressor 32. The circuit may also include a capacitor 34, an expansion valve or device 36, and a liquid chiller or evaporator 38. The steam compression system 14 may further include a control panel 40 (eg, a controller) having an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter 42, a microprocessor 44, a non-volatile memory 46, and / or an interface board 48.

Some examples of fluids that can be used as refrigerants in the steam compression system 14 are hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) -based refrigerants such as R-410A, R-407, R-134a, hydrofluoro-olefins (HFOs), "natural". Refrigerants such as ammonia (NH ₃ ), R-717, carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ), R-744, or hydrocarbon-based refrigerants, water vapors, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, or any other suitable. Refrigerant. In some embodiments, the vapor compression system 14 is also called a low pressure refrigerant relative to a medium pressure refrigerant such as R-134a or a high pressure refrigerant such as R-410A, and is a standard of about 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Celsius or higher at 1 atmosphere. It can be configured to efficiently use a refrigerant having a boiling point. As used herein, the "standard boiling point" can be referred to as the boiling point temperature measured at 1 atm.

In some embodiments, the vapor compression system 14 is of a variable speed drive (VSD) 52, a motor 50, a compressor 32, a condenser 34, an expansion valve or device 36, and / or an evaporator 38. One or more of can be used. The motor 50 can drive the compressor 32 and may be powered by the variable speed drive device (VSD) 52. In certain embodiments, the compressor 32 may use magnetic bearings. The VSD 52 receives alternating current (AC) power with a specific fixed line voltage and fixed line frequency from an AC power source and supplies power with a variable voltage and frequency to the motor 50. In other embodiments, the motor 50 may be powered directly from an AC or direct current (DC) power source. The motor 50 can be any type of electric motor that can be powered by VSD or directly from an AC or DC power source, such as a switch reluctance motor, an induction motor, an electronic rectifying permanent magnet motor, or another suitable motor. Can include.

The compressor 32 compresses the refrigerant vapor and delivers the vapor to the condenser 34 through the discharge path. In some embodiments, the compressor 32 may be a centrifugal compressor. The refrigerant vapor delivered to the condenser 34 by the compressor 32 can transfer heat to the coolant (eg water or air) in the condenser 34. The refrigerant vapor can condense into the refrigerant liquid at the capacitor 34 as a result of heat transfer with the coolant. The refrigerant liquid from the condenser 34 can flow through the expansion device 36 to the evaporator 38. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, the condenser 34 includes a bundle of tubes 54 connected to a cooling tower 56 that is cooled with water and supplies coolant to the condenser.

The refrigerant liquid delivered to the evaporator 38 can absorb heat from another coolant that may or may not be the same as the coolant used in the condenser 34. The refrigerant liquid in the evaporator 38 can undergo a phase change from the refrigerant liquid to the refrigerant vapor. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, the evaporator 38 may include a tube bundle 58 having a supply line 60S and a reflux line 60R connected to a cooling load 62. The coolant of the evaporator 38 (eg, water, ethyl glycol, calcium chloride brine, sodium chloride brine, or any other suitable fluid) enters the evaporator 38 via the reflux line 60R and through the supply line 60S. Exit the evaporator 38. The evaporator 38 can lower the temperature of the coolant in the tube bundle 58 via heat transfer with the refrigerant. The tube bundle 58 in the evaporator 38 may include a plurality of tubes and / or a plurality of tube bundles. In either case, the refrigerant vapor exits the evaporator 38 and returns to the compressor 32 by the suction line to complete the cycle.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the vapor compression system 14 in which the intermediate circuit 64 is incorporated between the capacitor 34 and the expansion device 36. The intermediate circuit 64 may have an inlet line 68 that is fluid-connected directly to the capacitor 34. In other embodiments, the inlet line 68 may be indirectly fluid connected to the capacitor 34. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the inlet line 68 includes a first expansion device 66 located upstream of the intermediate container 70. In some embodiments, the intermediate container 70 may be a flush tank (eg, a flush intercooler). In other embodiments, the intermediate vessel 70 may be configured as a heat exchanger or "surface economizer". In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the intermediate container 70 is used as a flush tank, and the first expansion device 66 is configured to reduce (expand) the pressure of the refrigerant liquid received from the condenser 34. A portion of the liquid may evaporate during the expansion process, therefore the intermediate vessel 70 can be used to separate the vapor from the liquid received from the first expansion device 66. In addition, the intermediate container 70 receives the refrigerant due to the pressure drop that the refrigerant liquid receives when entering the intermediate container 70 (eg, due to the rapid increase in volume received when entering the intermediate container 70). It can provide further expansion of the liquid. The steam in the intermediate container 70 can be drawn by the compressor 32 through the suction line 74 of the compressor 32. In other embodiments, the steam in the intermediate vessel may be drawn into an intermediate stage (eg, not a suction stage) of the compressor 32. The liquid that collects in the intermediate container 70 can have a lower enthalpy than the refrigerant liquid that exits the condenser 34 due to expansion in the expansion device 66 and / or the intermediate container 70. The liquid from the intermediate vessel 70 can then flow through the line 72 through the second expansion device 36 to the evaporator 38.

In some embodiments, the evaporator 38 may function at a pressure below ambient pressure when the vapor compression system 14 is in operation. Therefore, the NCG can be drawn into the evaporator 38 and can move through the compressor 32 and collect in the condenser 34. These NCGs can operate the vapor compression system 14 inefficiently. Therefore, the vapor compression system 14 may include features for purging NCG from the vapor compression system 14.

For example, as seen in FIG. 5, the vapor compression system 14 may include a purge system 80. The purge system 80 is configured to remove NCG, eg, ambient air, from the vapor compression system 14 by using a refrigerant from the vapor compression system 14. To this end, in certain embodiments, the purge system 80 includes a flush tank 82, a liquid pump 84, a controllable expansion device 86, a purge heat exchanger 88, a pump 90 (eg, a vacuum pump and / or a steam pump). , Ejector 94, and one or more stop valves 96, such as solenoid valves.

First, it should be noted that in the following description, the refrigerant can be said to have low, medium and / or high temperatures and / or pressures. In fact, the description of low, medium and high pressure / temperature of refrigerant refers to the relative pressure / temperature value of the same refrigerant in the vapor compression system 14 and / or purge system 80. In other words, the vapor compression system may use a single refrigerant type that may have different pressure values throughout the vapor compression system 14 and / or the purge system 80.

In some embodiments, the vapor compression system 14 may use a controller 81 to control certain aspects of the operation of the purge system 80. The controller 81 can be any device that employs a processor 83, which may represent one or more processors, eg, an application-specific processor. The controller 81 may also include a memory device 85 for storing instructions that can be executed by the processor 83 to perform the methods and control operations described herein for the purge system 80. The processor 83 may include one or more processing devices, and the memory 85 may include one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media. As an example, such machine-readable media may be RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium. Can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine executable instructions or data structures and can be accessed by processor 83 or by any general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine equipped with a processor. Can include any medium of.

For this purpose, the controller 81 may be communicably coupled to one or more components of the purge system 80 through communication system 87. In some embodiments, the communication system 87 may communicate over a wireless network (eg, wireless local area network [WLAN], wireless wide area network [WWAN], short range communication [NFC]). In some embodiments, the communication system 87 may communicate over a wired network (eg, local area network [LAN], wide area network [WAN]). For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the controller 81 may communicate with some elements of the purge system 80, such as pumps, valves, expansion devices, and other components. In some embodiments, the functions of controller 81 and control panel 40 (FIGS. 3 and 4) described herein can be controlled through a single controller. In some embodiments, the single controller can be the control panel 40 or the controller 81.

As shown in FIG. 5, the liquid pump 84 may draw refrigerant (eg, first refrigerant flow) from the evaporator 38 through conduit 98. The refrigerant drawn from the evaporator 38 can have medium pressure (eg, approximately 5 pounds per square inch absolute value [psia]) and medium temperature (eg, approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit). In some embodiments, the refrigerant can be a two-phase mixture of mostly refrigerant liquids and some of refrigerant vapors. Therefore, in some embodiments, the refrigerant first flows into the flush tank 82 before flowing into the liquid pump 84 to separate the two-phase mixture. In fact, in some embodiments, the purge system 80 does not have to use the flush tank 82. Within the flash tank 82, the two-phase mixture can separate the refrigerant liquid that accumulates at the bottom of the flash tank 82 and the refrigerant vapor that collects at the top of the flash tank 82 due to the difference in density. The liquid pump 84 can then draw the refrigerant liquid from the bottom of the flush tank 82 through the conduit 100. As the refrigerant moves from the flush tank 82 to the pump 84, the refrigerant can have medium temperature (eg, about 40 degrees Fahrenheit) and medium pressure (eg, about 5 psia). The refrigerant vapor deposited in the flash tank 82 can be drawn to the evaporator 38 through the conduit 102. Specifically, the refrigerant vapor from the flash tank 82 can flow to the low pressure of the evaporator 38 or to the outlet side. For example, the pressure difference between the low pressure side of the evaporator 38 and the flash tank 82 can draw the refrigerant vapor from the flash tank 82 to the suction side of the evaporator 38. In fact, the conduit 102 may be designed (eg, sized, molded, textured) so that the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the conduit 102 remains high enough to flow into the evaporator 38. As the refrigerant vapor flows from the flush tank 82 to the evaporator 38, the refrigerant vapor can have medium temperature (eg, about 40 degrees Fahrenheit) and medium pressure (eg, about 5 psia).

The pump 84 can force the refrigerant liquid to pass through the conduit 104 to the controllable expansion device 86. As the refrigerant liquid moves from the liquid pump 84 to the controllable expansion device 86, the refrigerant liquid can have medium temperature (eg, about 45 degrees Fahrenheit) and high pressure (eg, about 16 psia). In fact, the refrigerant liquid leaving the liquid pump 84 may have higher pressure and temperature than the refrigerant entering the liquid pump 84. Further, the controller 81 may transmit one or more liquid pump signals to the liquid pump 84 to control the mass flow rate of the refrigerant through the liquid pump 84.

As the refrigerant travels through the controllable expansion device 86, the controllable expansion device 86 can reduce the pressure of the refrigerant and thus also the temperature. In some embodiments, the controllable expansion device 86 may be placed vertically above the purge heat exchanger 88. After leaving the controllable expansion device 86, the refrigerant is at least partially purged through the conduit 106 due to the height difference between the controllable expansion valve 86 and the purge heat exchanger 88. It can move to the purge coil 108 of 88. As the refrigerant moves from the controllable expansion device 86 to the purge heat exchanger 88, the refrigerant may have low temperatures (eg, about 6 degrees Fahrenheit) and low pressure (eg, about 3.5 psia). Further, in some embodiments, when the controllable expansion device 86 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, some of the refrigerant may evaporate as refrigerant vapor.

As discussed in more detail below, as the refrigerant travels through the purge coil 108 of the purge heat exchanger 88, the refrigerant draws refrigerant vapor (eg, a second) from the condenser 34 or from another part of the system. It can exchange heat with a mixture of (refrigerant flow) and NCG. As mentioned above, due to the low pressure of the vapor compression system 14 compared to the ambient pressure during operation, the NCG can be drawn into the evaporator 38 and travel through the vapor compression system 14 to the capacitor. Can deposit at 34. Specifically, NCG can be deposited on a portion of capacitor 34. Therefore, the mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor can be drawn from a part of the condenser 34. In general, during normal operation, the NCG deposits are substantially below the discharge baffle, near the middle of the capacitor 34, near the outlet of the capacitor 34, near the top of the capacitor 34, or any combination thereof. obtain.

In some embodiments, the NCG deposited in the condenser 34 can be mixed with the refrigerant vapor. The mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor can be drawn into the chamber of the purge heat exchanger 88, for example the purge heat exchanger 88, through the conduit 114. The mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor can be drawn into the purge heat exchanger 88 due to the pressure difference between the condenser 34 and the purge heat exchanger 88. Further, in certain embodiments, the mixture of NCG and steam can be drawn into the purge heat exchanger 88 due to the partial vacuum in the purge heat exchanger 88 caused by the condensation in the purge heat exchanger 88.

When the mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor comes into contact with the cold surface of the purge coil 108, the refrigerant vapor condenses into a refrigerant liquid and creates a partial vacuum in the purge heat exchanger 88, thereby creating a condenser 34 through the conduit 114. It draws in more mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor from. Further, when a mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor enters the purge heat exchanger 88 and the refrigerant vapor condenses into the refrigerant liquid, the refrigerant liquid collects at the bottom of the purge heat exchanger 88. In fact, at least in part, due to the difference in density between the condensed refrigerant liquid and the NCG, the NCG collects towards the top of the purge heat exchanger 88, while the condensed refrigerant liquid collects in the purge heat exchanger. Gather at the bottom of 88. Therefore, as the refrigerant vapor of the mixture of NCG and the refrigerant vapor condenses in the purge heat exchanger 88, the liquid level of the refrigerant liquid in the purge heat exchanger 88 rises.

As described in more detail below, when the liquid level of the refrigerant liquid reaches a predetermined threshold in the purge heat exchanger 88, the refrigerant liquid is discharged through the conduit 115 to the condenser 34, the evaporator 38, or both, and the NCG It is pumped from the purge heat exchanger 88 by the pump 90 through the conduit 116. In some embodiments, the purge heat exchanger 88 may be placed vertically above the condenser 34 and the evaporator 38. By this method, the refrigerant liquid can flow to the condenser 34, the evaporator 38, or both, at least in part, due to the height difference of the purge heat exchanger 88 compared to the condenser 34 and the evaporator 38. In some embodiments, the condenser 34 may be placed vertically above the evaporator 38 so that the refrigerant liquid flows more easily into the evaporator 38 as compared to the purge heat exchanger 88 to the condenser 34. to enable. In addition, pump 90 may release NCG into the atmosphere as indicated by arrow 117.

In some embodiments, the purge heat exchanger 88 is one or more sensors 119, one or more temperature sensors, pressure sensors, weight sensors, liquid level sensors, ultrasonic sensors, or any of them. It may include one or more sensors 119 that may include the combination. For example, one of the sensors 119, one of the sensors 119, may measure the liquid level of the refrigerant liquid in the purge heat exchanger 88 and may transmit data about the liquid level to the controller 81. When the liquid level approaches, matches and / or exceeds a predetermined liquid level threshold, the controller 81 allows the refrigerant liquid to flow out to the condenser 34, the evaporator 38, or both, as described above. Therefore, a signal may be transmitted to one or more of the stop valves 96. Similarly, the controller 81 may signal one or more of the pump 90 and / or the stop valve 96 to release the NCG into the atmosphere through the pump 90.

In some embodiments, the controller 81 is a condenser before allowing a mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor to enter the purge heat exchanger 88, for example by activating one or more of the stop valves 96. It can be determined if there is a significant or predetermined amount of NCG within 34. To determine if there is a significant or predetermined amount of NCG in the capacitor 34, another sensor 119 of the one or more sensors 119 may be one or more related to the performance of the steam compression system 14. Parameters can be measured and data indicating one or more parameters can be transmitted to the controller 81 for analysis and processing. Specifically, the controller 81 can determine the performance of the vapor compression system 14 based on one or more parameters. If the controller 81 determines that the performance of the vapor compression system 14 is below a predetermined threshold, the controller 81 opens an appropriate stop valve and a mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor flows from the condenser 34 to the purge heat exchanger 88. By enabling the capacitor 34, it may be possible to purge as described above. In some embodiments, the controller 81 may purge the capacitor 34 as described above on a predetermined schedule.

In addition, or in an alternative form, one of the sensors 119 can measure the saturation temperature and the actual temperature in the capacitor 34 and controller data showing the saturation and the actual temperature for analysis and processing. Can be transmitted to 81. The controller 81 can then determine if the saturation temperature substantially matches the actual temperature. If the saturation temperature does not substantially match the actual temperature, the controller 81 opens the appropriate stop valve 96 and allows the mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor to flow from the condenser 34 to the purge heat exchanger 88. This may allow the capacitor 34 to be purged as described above.

Further, as mentioned above, the refrigerant moving through the purge coil 108 of the purge heat exchanger 88 may exchange heat with a mixture of the refrigerant vapor drawn from the condenser 34 and the NCG. More specifically, the refrigerant moving through the purge coil 108 can absorb thermal energy from a mixture of refrigerant vapor and NCG and can undergo a phase change from liquid to vapor, passing through conduit 118 to ejector 94. The purge coil 108 can be exited. In fact, the refrigerant vapor leaving the purge coil 108 can be overheated at medium temperature (eg, about 30 degrees Fahrenheit) and low pressure (eg, about 3.5 degrees psia).

The refrigerant entering the purge coil 108 can be cold enough to condense the refrigerant vapor drawn from the capacitor 34. For this purpose, another sensor 119 of the one or more sensors 119 can measure the temperature of the refrigerant entering the purge coil 108 and the controller 81 to analyze and process data indicating the temperature of the refrigerant. Can be sent to. In this way, the controller 81 controls (eg, further opens and / or closes) the controllable expansion device 86 to adjust the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the purge coil 108 to achieve a sufficiently low temperature. obtain.

After exiting the purge coil 108, the refrigerant vapor can be drawn into the ejector 94 due to a pressure difference compared to the flow of refrigerant vapor that can enter the ejector 94 from the condenser 34 through the conduit 120. The ejector 94 can also help pull the refrigerant through the expansion device 86 and the purge coil 108. More specifically, the high-pressure refrigerant vapor from the condenser 34 can enter the ejector 94 through the nozzle 122 and increase the flow velocity and reduce the pressure as it flows through the nozzle 122. By this method, the now low pressure refrigerant vapor exiting the nozzle 122 can draw out the refrigerant vapor from the purge coil 108, whereby the high pressure refrigerant vapor from the condenser 32 and the refrigerant vapor from the purge coil 108 can be separated into the ejector 94. Mix. When the refrigerant vapors mix in the ejector 94, they travel through the ejector 94 and exit through the diffuser cone 124 of the ejector 94. Further, the refrigerant vapor mixes as it passes through the ejector 94, which can cause a decrease in speed and an increase in pressure. As the refrigerant vapor passes through the diffuser cone 124, the diffuser cone 124 further reduces the flow velocity and increases the pressure of the refrigerant vapor leaving the ejector 94. Refrigerant vapor leaving the ejector 94 may then pass through conduit 126 to the low pressure side of the evaporator 38. More specifically, the refrigerant vapor exiting the ejector 94 is drawn into the evaporator 38 due to a pressure difference compared to the lower pressure refrigerant in the evaporator 38. In particular, the refrigerant flowing from the ejector 94 to the evaporator 38 can be medium temperature (eg, about 40 degrees Fahrenheit) and medium pressure (eg, about 5 psia).

As mentioned above, the embodiments described with respect to FIG. 5 may be used when the vapor compression system 14 is in operation. In fact, during operation, the low pressure in the vapor compression system 14 can inhale ambient air and / or other non-condensable gases. However, when the vapor compression system 14 is not operating, the vapor compression system 14 may still contain some amount of remaining NCG, especially above the capacitor 34. However, when the vapor compression system 14 is not operating, the ejector 94 does not have to draw the high pressure refrigerant from the condenser 34 to draw the refrigerant from the purge coil 108, because of the refrigerant in the vapor compression system 14. This is because the pressure level can be flat when the vapor compression system 14 is not operating. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the purge system 80 may use the thermoelectric assembly 150 and / or the adsorption chamber 152 to purge the remaining NCG from the vapor compression system 14.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the vapor compression system 14 is not operating, the liquid pump 84 may draw refrigerant from the evaporator 38 through the conduit 100. The liquid pump 84 can then pump the refrigerant through the conduit 104 to the purge coil 108 of the purge heat exchanger 88 through the controllable expansion valve 86. While moving from the liquid pump 84 to the purge coil 108, the temperature of the refrigerant may drop as the thermoelectric assembly 150 absorbs heat from the refrigerant and releases heat to the surrounding atmosphere. Specifically, the thermoelectric assembly 150 may use a power source 154 to induce a power gradient within the thermoelectric assembly 150. The power source 154 can be any suitable power source, including, but not limited to, a power grid, a battery, a solar panel, a generator, a gas engine, a steam compression system 14, or any combination thereof. The thermoelectric assembly 150 can convert a power gradient into a thermal gradient through the thermoelectric effect or the Peltier Seebeck effect. In particular, the thermoelectric assembly 150 may use a thermal gradient to absorb heat from the refrigerant flowing from the liquid pump 84 to the purge coil 108.

In the current embodiment, the thermoelectric assembly 150 is configured to be located between the liquid pump 84 of the conduit 104 and the controllable expansion valve 86 and to absorb heat from the refrigerant as it flows through the conduit 104. To. However, in some embodiments, the thermoelectric assembly 150 may be located between the controllable expansion valve 106 of the conduit 106 and the purge coil 108 and absorbs heat from the refrigerant as it flows through the conduit 106. Can be configured as In some embodiments, the conduit 104 and / or 106 may be thermally insulated. Specifically, the thermoelectric assembly 150a of the thermoelectric assembly 150, or thermoelectric module, may include a thermopaste 156, a thermoelectric device 158, a heat sink 160, and a fan 162. For example, the thermoelectric assembly 150a may be attached to a conduit, such as the conduit 104 and / or the conduit 106, with a thermal paste 156, which thermal paste 156 may be attached to the first side of the thermoelectric device 158. The second side of the thermoelectric device 158 is coupled to a heat sink 160, which in turn is coupled to a fan 162. The thermoelectric assembly 150 may include any suitable number of independent thermoelectric assemblies 150a, or thermoelectric modules. For example, in some embodiments, the purge system 80 has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. It may include 13, 14, or any other suitable number of thermoelectric assemblies 150a. In some embodiments, the conduit to which the thermoelectric assembly 150 is attached, such as the conduit 104 and / or the conduit 106, may include internal fins 161 to facilitate heat transfer to the thermoelectric assembly 150.

As the thermoelectric assembly 150 absorbs heat from the refrigerant, the refrigerant may become supercooled. Therefore, the controllable expansion valve 86 is completely or substantially so that the minimum amount of refrigerant boils or no refrigerant boils (eg, the refrigerant remains supercooled) before reaching the purge coil 108. Can be opened (eg, as instructed by controller 81). When the supercooled refrigerant passes through the purge coil 108, the supercooled refrigerant is the NCG and the refrigerant vapor obtained by being drawn into the purge heat exchanger 88 from the condenser 34 as described above with reference to FIG. The heat can be exchanged with the mixture of. However, unlike the above-described embodiment in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the supercooled refrigerant moves through the purge coil 108 and absorbs heat from the mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor. It should be noted that the supercooled refrigerant passing through the purge coil 108 can be sufficiently supercooled so that it remains substantially liquid, if not completely. In some embodiments, the fluid pump 84 substantially, if not completely, as the supercooled refrigerant travels through the purge coil 108 and absorbs heat from the mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor. The supercooled refrigerant can be forced through the purge coil 108 at such a high flow rate (eg, as instructed by the controller 81) so that it remains in a liquid state. In some embodiments, the controller 81 has a thermoelectric assembly 150 that exchanges heat with the refrigerant for an extended period of time to ensure that the refrigerant remains in a liquid state as it moves through the purge coil 108. Along with this, signals may be sent to one or more of the stop valves 96 and the liquid pump 84 to further reduce the temperature of the refrigerant before it flows into the purge coil 108.

Head pressure and / or gravity allow the refrigerant to return to the evaporator 38 through conduit 163, at least in part due to the liquid state of the refrigerant in the purge coil 108. Further, as described above, the refrigerant vapor of the mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor drawn from the condenser 34 can condense and collect at the bottom of the purge heat exchanger 88, and finally the refrigerant fluid level is purged. When a predetermined threshold is reached in the heat exchanger 88, it may return to the condenser 34 and / or the evaporator 38.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 6, in some embodiments, the purge system 80 may use the adsorption chamber 152 to purge ambient air or other non-condensable gas from the vapor compression system 14. For example, in some embodiments, the NCG gas / refrigerant vapor drawn by the pump 90 from the purge heat exchanger 88 may include a portion of the refrigerant vapor in addition to the NCG. Therefore, the adsorption chamber 152 can remove a part of the refrigerant vapor drawn by the pump 90 before releasing the NCG to the atmosphere. For illustration purposes, the pump 90 may pump a mixture of NCG and refrigerant vapor, or "mixture," through conduit 164 to one or more of the adsorption chambers 152. As the mixture moves through the adsorption chamber 152 of the adsorption chamber 152, the mixture can pass through the reforming material 166 of the adsorption chamber 152, and the refrigerant vapor is modified due to the properties of the reforming material 166 and the refrigerant steam. It can be adsorbed or attracted into and / or onto the quality material 166. For example, electrochemical properties aid in the adsorption described herein. Further, as the mixture moves through the adsorption chamber 152, the NCG may not be adsorbed into the modified material 166, also due to the properties of the NCG and the modified material 166, at least in part. Therefore, NCG can pass through the modified material 162 and continue to be released into the atmosphere through the air outlet valve 168 as indicated by arrow 170.

When the reforming material 166 adsorbs the refrigerant, the reforming material 166 can be saturated with the refrigerant and does not have to efficiently adsorb additional refrigerant. Therefore, a heater 169, such as a throw-in heater, an outer cable heater, or a band heater, can be activated to provide thermal energy to the modifier 166. The reforming material 166 transfers thermal energy to the refrigerant. Over time, the thermal energy given to the refrigerant overcomes the adhesion of the modifier 166 refrigerant so that the modifier 166 releases the refrigerant in a vapor state. When released from the reforming material 166, the refrigerant vapor may have a high pressure relative to the pressure in the evaporator 38 such that the refrigerant vapor flows through the conduit 170 to the evaporator 38. In some embodiments, the suction chamber 152 may use a vacuum pump to generate traction at the outlet of the suction chamber 152. The traction force may be stronger than the electrochemical bond between the reforming material 166 and the refrigerant so that the refrigerant is drawn from the reforming material 166.

In some embodiments, the intake valve 166 may allow the mixture to flow only into a particular suction chamber 152 at a time. By this method, the adsorption chamber 152 can continuously receive and filter the mixture as described above. For example, the controller 81 may control the stop valve 96 to allow the mixture to be filtered by one or more specific adsorption chambers 152 of the adsorption chambers 152. When the particular adsorption chamber 152 is saturated with the refrigerant, the controller 81 can stop the flow of the mixture to the particular adsorption chamber 152 and allow the mixture to flow to different adsorption chambers 152. When the controller 81 stops the flow to the particular adsorption chamber 152, the controller activates the heater 169 associated with the particular adsorption chamber 152 to allow the refrigerant vapor to flow to the evaporator 38 as described above. I can let you. In fact, different adsorption chambers 152 may continue to filter the mixture while the particular adsorption chamber 152 is being heated. Once the particular adsorption chamber 152 is sufficiently unsaturated with the refrigerant, the controller 81 may once again activate one or more of the stop valves 96 to allow the mixture to flow into the particular adsorption chamber 152. For this purpose, the purge system 80 has one, two, three, four, five, six, or any other suitable number to allow continuous filtration of the mixture. Independent adsorption chamber 152 may be included. Further, in the embodiment discussed herein with respect to FIG. 6, specifically the thermoelectric assembly 150 and / or the adsorption chamber 152, the vapor compression system 14 operates even when the vapor compression system 14 is in operation. It should be noted that it can be used even if it is not.

In a particular embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the purge system 80 is located upstream of the purge heat exchanger 88, which is configured to increase the pressure of the mixture before it enters the purge heat exchanger 88. A pump 202, eg, a mutual / diaphragm oil-free steam pump, can be used. This method raises the temperature at which the vapor refrigerant of the mixture condenses in the purge heat exchanger 88, thereby reducing the load on the purge system 80. Further, the purge system 80 may include a solenoid valve 204, an ejector 206, such as an ejector 94, a purge heat exchanger 88 which can be a shell and tube heat exchanger, and one or more stop valves 96.

In general, the purge system 80 may use the refrigerant from the vapor compression system 14 to purge the NCG from the vapor compression system 14. In other words, the refrigerant from the vapor compression system 14 can be used as a cooling source to condense the mixture of refrigerant and NCG in the purge system 80. For example, the purge system 80 may draw a mixture of NCG and vapor refrigerant from the condenser 34. The mixture is then pumped to the purge heat exchanger 88, where the vapor refrigerant condenses, thereby separating the mixture refrigerant from the mixture NCG. In particular, in order to condense the vapor refrigerant, the mixture is placed in a heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant drawn from the downstream of the expansion device 36 of the vapor compression system 14. The condensed refrigerant is then discharged to the capacitor 34 and the NCG is released into the atmosphere.

For further explanation, the pump 202 may draw a mixture of vapor refrigerant and NCG from the condenser 34 through the conduit 203. In certain embodiments, the mixture drawn from the capacitor 34 can be approximately 94 ° F and 26 psi. The pump 202 may increase the pressure of the mixture as it is pumped out of the condenser 34 and delivered to the purge heat exchanger 88 through the conduit 205. In certain embodiments, the pump 202 can increase the pressure of the mixture by approximately 50 psi. For example, after passing through pump 202, the mixture can be at approximately 160 ° F and 76 psi and can be superheated steam at a flow rate of approximately 10 lbm / hr (lbs-mass per hour). Due to the increased pressure, the refrigerant vapor in the mixture condenses in the purge heat exchanger 88 at a higher heat exchange temperature as mentioned above. That is, as the pump 202 increases the pressure of the mixture, the condensation temperature of the vapor refrigerant rises correspondingly, and therefore the vapor refrigerant uses less cooling to condense. In certain embodiments, the pump 202 may increase the pressure of the mixture so that the vapor refrigerant can condense in the purge heat exchanger 88 at approximately 43 ° F. In certain embodiments, the pump 202 may include two pumps 199 arranged in series with each other. By this method, the load can be split or divided between the two pumps 199, resulting in less stress on the individual pumps 199, which results in less repair management of the pumps 199.

As the purge heat exchanger 88 condenses the vapor refrigerant into the liquid refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant may collect at the bottom of the purge heat exchanger 88. As discussed above, when the liquid refrigerant reaches the threshold volume in the purge heat exchanger 88, the controller 81 sets the stop valve 96 to discharge the liquid refrigerant from the purge heat exchanger 88 to the condenser 34 through the conduit 207. Can be activated. In certain embodiments, the liquid refrigerant may be continuously discharged into the capacitor 34. In certain embodiments, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the purge heat exchanger 88 can be a supercooled liquid of approximately 160 ° F and 76 psi.

Further, when the refrigerant and the NCG are separated in the purge heat exchanger 88, the NCG can be released into the atmosphere through the solenoid valve 204 via the conduit 209. For example, the pump 202 may increase the pressure of the mixture entering the purge heat exchanger 88 so that the pressure of the NCG separated from the refrigerant in the mixture exceeds atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the pressure difference between the NCG and the atmosphere in the purge heat exchanger 88 can drive the flow of the NCG to enter the atmosphere through the solenoid valve 204. In some embodiments, the controller 81 may activate the solenoid valve 204 to release the NCG into the atmosphere when the fluid level in the purge heat exchanger 88 reaches a threshold. In certain embodiments, the controller 81 activates one or more of the stop valves 96 and / or stops the pump 202 prior to discharging the NCG, for example through the solenoid valve 204, so that the mixture is purged heat exchanger 88. Can block you from entering. By this method, the purge system 80 ensures that substantially all of the vapor refrigerant in the mixture in the purge heat exchanger 88 is condensed, thereby blocking the release of the vapor refrigerant through the solenoid valve 204. obtain.

As discussed above, the vapor refrigerant and NCG of the mixture can be separated in the purge heat exchanger 88 as the vapor refrigerant condenses into the liquid refrigerant. In particular, in order to condense the vapor refrigerant, the mixture may be in a heat exchange relationship with the liquid refrigerant drawn from the vapor compression system 14. More specifically, the liquid refrigerant may be drawn from the refrigerant loop of the vapor compression system 14 downstream of the expansion device 36 through the conduit 211. As discussed herein, the refrigerant drawn from the refrigerant loop of the vapor compression system 14 downstream of the expansion device 36 and used to condense the vapor refrigerant of the mixture is an "expanded refrigerant". Can be called. The expanding refrigerant can be substantially liquid and / or may contain some flush gas.

In order to condense the vapor refrigerant of the mixture in the purge heat exchanger 88, the expansion refrigerant may pass through the tube 210 of the purge heat exchanger 88. As the expanding refrigerant travels through tube 210 of the purge heat exchanger 88, the expanding refrigerant may exchange heat with the mixture. In particular, the expanding refrigerant can absorb heat from the mixture. Therefore, when the expanding refrigerant exits tube 210 of the purge heat exchanger 88, the expanding refrigerant can be superheated steam. For example, the expanding refrigerant can exit the purge heat exchanger 88 at a flow rate of approximately 8.5 lbm / hr at approximately 43 ° F and 9 psi.

The purge system 80 may use the ejector 206 to draw the expanded refrigerant through the tube 210 of the purge heat exchanger 88. The ejector 206 may function similarly to the ejector 94 as described above. For example, the ejector 206 can use the pressure difference to draw the expanding refrigerant through the tube 210 and the conduit 212 of the purge heat exchanger 88. Specifically, the ejector 206 is a refrigerant and is fluid-coupled at a position immediately downstream of the compressor 32, for example, along the refrigerant loop of the vapor compression system 14 between the compressor 32 and the condenser 34. A refrigerant drawn through the conduit 213 may be used. The ejector 206 may function with increased performance, at least in part, due to the low pressure difference between the expanding refrigerant flowing through the tube 210 and the refrigerant drawn from the refrigerant loop downstream of the compressor 32. For example, the pressure of the expanding refrigerant drawn from the tube 210 can be approximately 8 psi to 9 psi, and the pressure of the refrigerant drawn downstream of the compressor 32 can be approximately 26 psi. The ejector 206 can then flush the combined refrigerant through the conduit 215 into the evaporator 38. Further, the liquid refrigerant may flow from the purge heat exchanger 88 to the evaporator 38, at least in part, due to the height difference between the purge heat exchanger 88 and the evaporator 38. In addition or in alternative embodiments, the liquid refrigerant may flow from the purge heat exchanger 88 to the condenser 34, at least in part, due to the height difference between the purge heat exchanger 88 and the condenser 34.

Further, in a particular embodiment, eg, the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the purge system 80 is a liquid to draw the refrigerant out of the evaporator 38 to condense the vapor refrigerant of the mixture in the purge heat exchanger 88. A pump 222, for example a liquid pump 84, may be used. In addition, the purge system 80 is a pump 202, eg, a mutual / diaphragm oil-free steam pump, a solenoid valve 204, a purge heat exchanger 88 which can be a direct contact heat exchanger, a pump to purge the NCG from the steam compression system 14. 202, a liquid pump 222, and one or more stop valves 96 may be used.

In general, the purge system 80 may use the refrigerant drawn from the vapor compression system 14 to purge the NCG from the vapor compression system 14. For example, the purge system 80 can draw NCG from the condenser 34 that can be mixed with the vapor refrigerant. The mixture of NCG and vapor refrigerant is then pumped to the purge heat exchanger 88, where the vapor refrigerant condenses, thereby separating the refrigerant of the mixture from the NCG of the mixture. In particular, in order to condense the vapor refrigerant, the mixture has a heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant which can be drawn from the evaporator 38 or from a position along the refrigerant loop of the vapor compression system 14 upstream of the expansion device 36. Be placed in the air. The condensed refrigerant in the purge heat exchanger 88 is then discharged to the evaporator 38 and / or the condenser 34, and the NCG is released into the atmosphere.

To further illustrate, pump 202 may draw a mixture of refrigerant vapor and NCG from condenser 34 through conduit 203. In certain embodiments, the mixture drawn from the capacitor 34 can be approximately 94 ° F and 26 psi. The pump 202 may increase the pressure of the mixture as it pumps the mixture from the condenser 34 and delivers the mixture through the conduit 205 to the purge heat exchanger 88. In certain embodiments, the pump 202 can increase the pressure of the mixture by approximately 50 psi. In particular, after passing through pump 202, the mixture can be superheated steam. For example, the mixture can be at approximately 160 ° F and 76 psi at a flow rate of approximately 10 lbm / hr (pound-mass per hour). By this method, the refrigerant vapor is condensed in the purge heat exchanger 88 at a higher heat exchange temperature. That is, as the pump 202 increases the pressure of the mixture, the condensation temperature of the refrigerant rises correspondingly, and therefore less cooling is used to condense.

When pumped into the purge heat exchanger 88, the mixture can exchange heat with the refrigerant drawn from the evaporator 38 and / or upstream of the expansion device 36. More specifically, the liquid pump 222 can draw the liquid refrigerant from the bottom or drain section of the evaporator 38 through the conduit 223, which can increase the pressure of the liquid refrigerant and purge through the conduit 225 to exchange heat with the mixture. The liquid refrigerant may be delivered to the heat exchanger 88. The liquid refrigerant drawn from the evaporator 38 may be approximately 43 ° F and 9 psi and may be a supercooled liquid. The liquid pump 222 can raise the pressure of the liquid refrigerant to, for example, about 76 psi, and can deliver the supercooled liquid refrigerant to the purge heat exchanger 88 at about 30 lbm / hr. Further, it should be noted that the output pressure of the mixture through the pump 202 can substantially match the output pressure of the liquid refrigerant exiting the liquid pump 222. In fact, the pump 202 can deliver the mixture to the purge heat exchanger 88 at a flow rate of about 10 lbm / hr at about 160 ° F and 76 psi.

In some embodiments, the liquid pump 222 may draw the liquid refrigerant upstream of the expansion valve 36 as discussed above. In such an embodiment, the liquid pump 222 may function with increased efficiency due to the reduced pressure difference. For example, the liquid refrigerant upstream of the expansion device 36 may have a higher pressure than the liquid refrigerant of the evaporator 38. Therefore, if the liquid pump 222 pumps the refrigerant drawn from the upstream of the liquid expansion device 36 in order to match the pressure output of the pump 202, the liquid pump 222 may have to work less. is there.

The liquid refrigerant drawn from the evaporator 38 and / or upstream of the expansion device 36 is a spray system 224, a spray nozzle and sprayer configured to disperse the liquid refrigerant over the entire volume of the purge heat exchanger 88. It may be supplied to the purge heat exchanger 88 through a spray system 224 that may include a rack. When the liquid refrigerant mixes with the mixture of steam refrigerant and NCG, the steam refrigerant in the mixture can condense into the liquid refrigerant, which in turn can form a pool of liquid refrigerant at the bottom of the purge heat exchanger 88. .. The liquid refrigerant can then be discharged to the evaporator 38 through conduit 226 as shown. For example, as discussed above, when the liquid refrigerant reaches the threshold volume in the purge heat exchanger 88, the controller 81 may activate the stop valve 96 to discharge the liquid refrigerant to the evaporator 38. In certain embodiments, the liquid refrigerant may be continuously discharged to the evaporator 38 and / or to the condenser 34. In certain embodiments, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the purge heat exchanger 88 can be a supercooled liquid of approximately 132 ° F and 76 psi.

Further, when the refrigerant of the mixture and the NCG are separated in the purge heat exchanger 88, the NCG can be released into the atmosphere through the solenoid valve 204. For example, the pump 202 may increase the pressure of the mixture of vapor refrigerant and NCG so that the pressure of the NCG in the purge heat exchanger 88 exceeds atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the pressure difference between the NCG and the atmosphere in the purge heat exchanger 88 can drive the flow of the NCG into the atmosphere through the solenoid valve 204. In some embodiments, the controller 81 may activate the solenoid valve 204 to release the NCG into the atmosphere when the fluid level of the purge heat exchanger 88 reaches a threshold. In certain embodiments, the controller 81 activates one or more stop valves prior to discharging the NCG through the solenoid valve 204 and / or stops the pump 202 so that the mixture is purged heat exchanger. Can block entering 88. By this method, the purge system 80 ensures that substantially all of the vapor refrigerant in the mixture in the purge heat exchanger 88 is condensed, thereby blocking the release of the vapor refrigerant through the solenoid valve 204. obtain. Further, the liquid refrigerant may flow from the purge heat exchanger 88 to the evaporator 38, at least in part, due to the height difference between the purge heat exchanger 88 and the evaporator 38. In addition or in alternative embodiments, the liquid refrigerant may flow from the purge heat exchanger 88 to the condenser 34, at least in part, due to the height difference between the purge heat exchanger 88 and the condenser 34.

As discussed above, in certain embodiments, the pump 202 may include two pumps 199 arranged in series. By this method, the load is split between the two pumps 199, which can result in less stress caused by the individual pumps 199, which results in less repair management of the pumps 199. Similarly, in certain embodiments, the liquid pump 222 may include two liquid pumps 227 arranged in series. By this method, the load can be split between the two liquid pumps 227, resulting in less stress caused by the individual liquid pumps 227, which results in less repair management of the liquid pumps 227.

Additionally, the embodiment discussed above with reference to FIG. 8 can be used while the vapor compression system 14 is off. In fact, as discussed with reference to the embodiment of FIG. 8, the purge system 80 does not necessarily have to use the conditions provided by the vapor compression system 14 during operation. That is, the pump 202 and the liquid pump 222 can induce the pressure used by the function of the purging system 80 to purge the NCG from the vapor compression system 14.

Further, in a particular embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the purge system 80 may draw the refrigerant from the refrigerant loop of the vapor compression system 14 upstream of the expansion device 36 in order to condense the vapor refrigerant of the mixture. In particular, the purge system 80 expands the refrigerant to an intermediate pressure between the pressures of the condenser 34 and the evaporator 38 so that the pressure difference drives the flow of the refrigerant through the tube 210 of the purge heat exchanger 88. , The second expansion device 230 may be used. In addition, the purge system 80 has a pump 202, a purge heat exchanger 88 such as a shell and tube heat exchanger, a solenoid valve 204, and a three-way valve to remove the NCG deposited in the capacitor 34 as discussed above. 228 can be used.

In general, the purge system 80 may use the refrigerant drawn from the vapor compression system 14 to purge the NCG from the vapor compression system 14. For example, the purge system 80 may draw NCG from the capacitor 34 that can be placed in the mixture with the vapor refrigerant. The mixture is then pumped to the purge heat exchanger 88, where the vapor refrigerant condenses, thereby separating the mixture refrigerant from the mixture NCG. For example, in order to condense the vapor refrigerant, the mixture is placed in a heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant drawn from the upstream of the expansion device 36. The condensed refrigerant is then discharged to the capacitor 34 and the NCG is released into the atmosphere.

To further illustrate, pump 202 may draw a mixture of refrigerant vapor and NCG from condenser 34 through conduit 203. In certain embodiments, the mixture drawn from the capacitor 34 can be approximately 94 ° F and 26 psi. The pump 202 may increase the pressure of the mixture as it pumps the mixture from the condenser 34 and delivers the mixture through the conduit 205 to the purge heat exchanger 88. In certain embodiments, the pump 202 can increase the pressure of the mixture by approximately 50 psi. For example, after passing through pump 202, the mixture can be superheated steam at approximately 160 ° F and 76 psi at a flow rate of approximately 10 lbm / hr (lbs-mass per hour). By this method, the refrigerant vapor in the mixture can more easily condense in the purge heat exchanger 88. That is, as the pump 202 increases the pressure of the mixture, the condensation temperature of the refrigerant increases correspondingly, thus using less cooling to condense.

As the purge heat exchanger 88 condenses the vapor refrigerant into the liquid refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant may collect at the bottom of the purge heat exchanger 88. As discussed above, when the liquid refrigerant reaches the threshold volume in the purge heat exchanger 88, the controller 81 may activate the stop valve 96 to drain the liquid refrigerant through the conduit 207 into the condenser 34. In certain embodiments, the liquid refrigerant may be continuously discharged into the capacitor 34. In certain embodiments, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the purge heat exchanger 88 can be a supercooled liquid of approximately 160 ° F and 76 psi.

Further, when the vapor refrigerant and NCG of the mixture are separated in the purge heat exchanger 88, the NCG can be released into the atmosphere through the solenoid valve 204 via the conduit 209. For example, the pump 202 may increase the pressure of the mixture of NCG and vapor refrigerant so that the pressure of NCG in the purge heat exchanger 88 exceeds atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the pressure difference between the NCG and the atmosphere in the purge heat exchanger 88 can drive the flow of the NCG into the atmosphere through the solenoid valve 204. In some embodiments, the controller 81 may activate the solenoid valve 204 to release the NCG into the atmosphere when the internal pressure of the purge heat exchanger 88 reaches a threshold. In certain embodiments, the controller 81 activates one or more stop valves 96 and / or stops the pump 202 prior to discharging the NCG through the solenoid valve, for example to allow the mixture to purge heat exchanger 88. Can block you from entering. By this method, the purge system 80 ensures that substantially all of the vapor refrigerant in the mixture in the purge heat exchanger 88 is condensed, thereby blocking the release of the vapor refrigerant through the solenoid valve 204. obtain.

To condense the vapor refrigerant of the mixture, the purge system 80 may place the mixture in a heat exchange relationship with the liquid refrigerant in the purge heat exchanger 88. The liquid refrigerant may draw vapor from the refrigerant loop of the vapor compression system 14 through a three-way valve 228 at a position upstream of the expansion device 36. Prior to entering the purge heat exchanger 88, the liquid refrigerant drawn from the refrigerant loop can be expanded to intermediate pressure via the second expansion device 230. In particular, the intermediate pressure can be above the pressure of the evaporator 38 and below the pressure of the condenser 34. For example, the intermediate pressure can be approximately 9 psi to 26 psi. As another example, the intermediate pressure can be approximately 10 psi to 12 psi, while the pressure of the evaporator 38 can be approximately 9 psi. Thus, the liquid refrigerant can flow through the tube 210 of the purge heat exchanger 88 and vaporize, and at least in part, the evaporator through the conduit 238 due to the pressure difference between the vapor refrigerant and the evaporator 38. Can flow to 38. For example, after exiting the purge heat exchanger 88, the vapor refrigerant can be approximately 52 ° F and 11 psi, while the refrigerant in the evaporator 38 can be approximately 9 psi. Further, the vapor refrigerant may flow from the purge heat exchanger 88 to the evaporator 38, at least in part, due to the height difference between the purge heat exchanger 88 and the evaporator 38. In addition or in alternative embodiments, the vapor refrigerant may flow from the purge heat exchanger 88 to the condenser 34, at least in part, due to the height difference between the purge heat exchanger 88 and the condenser 34.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5-9, in some embodiments, the pumps such as the liquid pump 84, the pump 90, the pump 202, and / or the liquid pump 222 can be any suitable motor or one or the other. It can be powered by a plurality of motors 180. In some embodiments, the controller 81 may control the pump through communication with one or more motors 180. In some embodiments, the one or more motors 180 may be powered by a power source 154, which may be similar to the power source 154 used to power the thermoelectric assembly 150.

Therefore, the present disclosure covers systems and methods for purging NCGs that may enter the HVAC & R system during operation from low pressure HVAC & R systems (eg, chiller systems, vapor compression systems). Specifically, the purge system can purge NCG from the HVAC & R system by using the refrigerant drawn from the HVAC & R system. In other words, the second flow of the refrigerant in the HVAC & R system is used as a cooling source to condense the first flow of the refrigerant and separate the first flow of the refrigerant from the NCG, and the second flow of the refrigerant in the HVAC & R system mixed with the NCG. NCG can be purged from one flow. The disclosed embodiments are cost-effective compared to conventional purging methods and allow the NCG to be purged from the HVAC & R system without the use of additional refrigerant loops with additional refrigerant. To.

Although only certain features and embodiments have been illustrated and described, many modifications and modifications to those skilled in the art have been made without substantial deviation from the novel teachings and advantages of the subjects listed in the claims. Morphology can emerge (eg, variations in use of various element sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions, values of parameters (eg temperature, pressure, etc.), mounting arrangements, materials, colors, orientations, etc.). The order or order of any process or method step can be changed or rearranged by alternative embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and modifications as fall within the true spirit of the invention. Moreover, in order to provide a concise description of the exemplary embodiment, all features of the actual implementation may not be described (ie, not related to the best currently envisioned mode in which the present invention is practiced). Or anything that is not related to enabling the claimed invention). It should be acknowledged that in the development of any such actual implementation, as with any engineering or design project, a number of implementation specific decisions can be made. Such development efforts can be complex and time consuming, but nonetheless, for those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure, in the normal work of designing, assembling, and manufacturing without unnecessary experimentation. possible.

Claims (32)

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and freezing (HVAC & R) systems,
Refrigerant loop and
A compressor arranged along the refrigerant loop, wherein the compressor is configured to circulate the refrigerant through the refrigerant loop.
An evaporator arranged along the refrigerant loop, wherein the evaporator is configured to place the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with a first cooling fluid.
A capacitor arranged along the refrigerant loop, wherein the capacitor is configured to place the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with a second cooling fluid.
A purge system configured to purge a non-condensable gas from the HVAC & R system.
A liquid pump configured to draw a first refrigerant flow from the evaporator,
A controllable expansion valve configured to receive the first refrigerant flow from the liquid pump and lower the temperature of the first refrigerant flow.
A purge heat exchanger including a purge coil, wherein the purge coil is configured to receive the first refrigerant flow from the controllable expansion valve, and a chamber of the purge heat exchanger is connected to the non-condensable gas from the capacitor. The purge heat exchanger is configured to draw out a mixture containing two refrigerant flows so that the non-condensable gas of the mixture is separated from the second refrigerant flow of the mixture using the first refrigerant flow. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system, including a purge system, including a purge heat exchanger. The HVAC & R system includes an ejector configured to receive the first refrigerant flow from the purge coil, and the ejector is configured to use the second refrigerant flow from the capacitor to increase the pressure of the first refrigerant flow. The HVAC & R system according to claim 1. The HVAC & R system according to claim 2, wherein the evaporator is configured to receive the second refrigerant flow and the first refrigerant flow discharged from the ejector. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, wherein the purge system further comprises a pump configured to remove the non-condensable gas of the mixture from the purge heat exchanger. The purge system further includes a conduit configured to allow the first refrigerant flow to flow from the liquid pump to the controllable expansion valve, with one or more thermoelectric assemblies coupled to the conduit. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, configured to remove thermal energy from the first refrigerant flow flowing through the conduit. The HVAC & R system according to claim 5, wherein each thermoelectric assembly of the one or more thermoelectric assemblies is configured to remove the thermal energy of the first refrigerant flow by converting a power gradient into a thermal gradient. .. The purge system further comprises one or more adsorption chambers configured to receive the mixture from the purge heat exchanger, and each adsorption chamber of the one or more adsorption chambers is the first of the mixture. 2. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, configured to separate the non-condensable gas of the mixture from the refrigerant flow. 7. The seventh aspect of the invention, wherein the one or more adsorption chambers are configured to release the non-condensable gas of the mixture into the atmosphere and allow the second refrigerant flow of the mixture to flow into the evaporator. HVAC & R system. The liquid pump is configured to draw the first refrigerant flow from the evaporator through the flush tank, the first refrigerant flow drawn from the evaporator contains refrigerant liquid and refrigerant steam, and the flush tank The HVAC & R system according to claim 1, which is configured to separate the refrigerant liquid from the refrigerant vapor. The HVAC & R system according to claim 9, wherein the flush tank is configured to flow the refrigerant liquid through the liquid pump and the refrigerant vapor through the evaporator. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, wherein the purge heat exchanger is configured to allow the second refrigerant flow of the mixture to flow through the condenser, the evaporator, or both. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and freezing (HVAC & R) systems,
Refrigerant loop and
A compressor arranged along the refrigerant loop and configured to circulate the refrigerant through the refrigerant loop.
An evaporator that is arranged along the refrigerant loop and is configured to place the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the first cooling fluid.
A capacitor arranged along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the second cooling fluid.
A purge system configured to purge a non-condensable gas (NCG) from the HVAC & R system.
A purge heat exchanger configured to separate the mixture drawn from the condenser using the first refrigerant flow of the refrigerant drawn from the evaporator, wherein the mixture is with the NCG from the condenser. A purge heat exchanger comprising a second refrigerant flow of the refrigerant and the separation of the mixture comprising separating the NCG from the second refrigerant flow.
A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system that includes a purge system that includes one or more thermoelectric assemblies configured to remove thermal energy from the second refrigerant flow. The purge system is a liquid pump configured to draw the first refrigerant flow from the evaporator and push the first refrigerant flow into the purge heat exchanger through the one or more thermoelectric assemblies. The HVAC & R system according to claim 12, further comprising a liquid pump. Claimed that the purge system further comprises a conduit configured to allow the first refrigerant flow to flow from the liquid pump to the purge heat exchanger, and the one or more thermoelectric assemblies are coupled to the conduit. Item 13. The HVAC & R system according to item 13. Each thermoelectric assembly of the one or more thermoelectric assemblies
With a thermal paste configured to bond the thermoelectric assembly to the conduit,
A thermoelectric assembly configured to remove thermal energy from the first refrigerant flow by being coupled to the thermal paste and converting the power gradient into a thermal gradient.
With the heat sink coupled to the thermoelectric assembly,
The HVAC & R system according to claim 14, further comprising a fan coupled to the heat sink. The HVAC & R system according to claim 12, wherein the purge heat exchanger includes the purge coil configured to receive the first refrigerant flow. 12. The HVAC & R system of claim 12, wherein the purge system further comprises a pump configured to remove the NCG from the purge heat exchanger. The HVAC & R system of claim 12, wherein the purge heat exchanger is configured to allow the second refrigerant flow to flow through the condenser, the evaporator, or both. The purge system further includes one or more adsorption chambers configured to receive at least a portion of the mixture from the purge heat exchanger, the one or more adsorption chambers being the second refrigerant flow. The HVAC & R system according to claim 12, which is configured to separate the second refrigerant flow from the NCG by adsorbing. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and freezing (HVAC & R) systems,
Refrigerant loop and
A compressor arranged along the refrigerant loop and configured to circulate the refrigerant through the refrigerant loop.
An evaporator that is arranged along the refrigerant loop and is configured to place the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the first cooling fluid.
A capacitor arranged along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with the second cooling fluid.
A purge system configured to purge a non-condensable gas (NCG) from the HVAC & R system.
A purge heat exchanger configured to separate the mixture drawn from the condenser using the first refrigerant flow of the refrigerant drawn from the evaporator, wherein the mixture is with the NCG from the condenser. A purge heat exchanger comprising a second refrigerant flow of the refrigerant and comprising separating the mixture from the second refrigerant flow separating the NCG.
One or more adsorption chambers configured to receive the NCG from the purge heat exchanger, the one or more adsorption chambers configured to separate the NCG from the remaining refrigerant. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems, including a purge system including a room. Each of the one or more adsorption chambers is a modified material and is configured to adsorb the remaining refrigerant and allow the NCG to pass through the one or more adsorption chambers. The HVAC & R system according to claim 20, which comprises a modified material. 21. The HVAC & R of claim 21, wherein each of the one or more adsorption chambers comprises a heater configured to heat the modified material in order to release the remaining refrigerant from the modified material. system. The HVAC & R system according to claim 20, wherein the evaporator is configured to receive the remaining refrigerant from the one or more adsorption chambers. The HVAC & R system according to claim 20, wherein the one or more adsorption chambers are configured to release the NCG into the atmosphere. The purge system
A pump configured to draw the NCG from the purge heat exchanger, wherein the one or more suction chambers are configured to receive the NCG from the pump.
A liquid pump configured to draw the first refrigerant flow from the evaporator,
A controllable expansion valve configured to receive the first refrigerant flow from the liquid pump and reduce the pressure of the first refrigerant flow.
A purge coil of the purge heat exchanger configured to receive the first refrigerant flow from the controllable expansion valve, the chamber of the purge heat exchanger is the first refrigerant flow in which the mixture is in the purge coil. The HVAC & R system according to claim 20, further comprising a purge coil that allows heat exchange with and from. 25. The purge system further comprises one or more thermoelectric assemblies configured to remove thermal energy from the first refrigerant flow exiting the liquid pump by converting a power gradient into a thermal gradient. HVAC & R system described in. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and freezing (HVAC & R) systems,
A purging system configured to purge non-condensable gas (NCG) from a vapor compression system.
A pump configured to draw a mixture containing the vapor refrigerant and the NCG from the condenser of the vapor compression system.
In order to condense the steam refrigerant of the mixture and separate the NCG of the mixture from the steam refrigerant, the mixture is received from the pump and the mixture is heat-exchanged with the refrigerant flow drawn from the steam compression system. Includes a purge system that includes a purge heat exchanger configured to place in
The pump is configured to increase the pressure of the mixture in order to guide the flow of the NCG from the purge heat exchanger into the atmosphere through the pressure difference between the NCG and the atmosphere. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems. 28. The HVAC & R system of claim 27, comprising a liquid pump that is configured to draw the refrigerant flow from the vapor compression system and provide the refrigerant flow to the purge heat exchanger. 28. The HVAC & R system of claim 28, wherein the purge heat exchanger is a direct contact heat exchanger. The HVAC & R system includes an expansion device arranged along a conduit extending from the refrigerant loop of the vapor compression system to the purge heat exchanger, and the conduit and the expansion device transfer the refrigerant flow to the purge heat exchanger. 27. The HVAC & R system of claim 27, configured to supply. The expansion device is such that the flow of the refrigerant flow passes through the purge heat exchanger and returns to the vapor compression system via a second pressure difference between the refrigerant flow and the evaporator of the vapor compression system. 30. The HVAC & R system of claim 30, configured to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant flow to induce. 28. The HVAC & R system of claim 27, comprising an ejector configured to draw the refrigerant flow from the purge heat exchanger and direct the refrigerant flow towards the evaporator of the vapor compression system.

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