Evaporator liquid preheater for reducing refrigerant charge
AssigneeEvapco, Inc.
InventorGreg Derosier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for reducing the refrigerant charge in a refrigeration system by preheating the liquid refrigerant before it is introduced to the evaporator inlet. When refrigerant liquid is introduced to the evaporator inlet, a portion of the refrigerant liquid vaporizes. This refrigerant vapor displaces refrigerant liquid at the inlet of the evaporator. As more refrigerant vapor is introduced, the amount of liquid inside the evaporator is reduced. A heat exchanger is placed before the liquid refrigerant inlet of the evaporator to generate more vapor when the refrigerant enters the evaporator.
Claims6
A liquid overfeed refrigeration system comprising:
- a refrigerant evaporator, a refrigerant compressor, a refrigerant condenser,
- an expansion device, and a refrigerant pre-heater situated upstream of the inlet of the refrigerant evaporator, said refrigerant evaporator, refrigerant compressor, refrigerant condenser, expansion device and refrigerant pre-heater connected in a refrigerant flow path in the refrigeration system in the following order:
- 1) compressor—2) condenser—3) pre-heater—4) expansion device—5) evaporator—1) compressor, said refrigerant flow path also including
- a first sensor located between an outlet of the refrigerant evaporator and an inlet of the compressor to measure at least one of temperature, pressure and liquid vapor ratio of refrigerant leaving the refrigerant evaporator,
- and a preheater control system configured to control an amount of heat that is applied to refrigerant flowing through said refrigerant pre-heater to said refrigerant evaporator based on data received from said first sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.