Brazed plate heat exchanger for water-cooled heat rejection in a refrigeration cycle

A refrigeration unit, comprising:

• a vapor compression cycle unit including an evaporator, an air-cooled heat rejection heat exchanger comprising an air-cooled gas cooler/condenser and an air-cooled intercooler abutting the air cooled gas cooler/condenser in an airflow and a compressor comprising first and second stages;
• and
• separate primary and secondary water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchangers respectively disposed on opposite sides of the air-cooled heat rejection heat exchanger and each comprising:
• a housing having first and second opposing end plates and sidewalls extending between the end plates to form an enclosure, at least the first end plate including first and second inlet/outlet pairs for first and second fluids, respectively;
• a plurality of plates disposed within the enclosure between the first and second end plates to define a first fluid pathway disposed in fluid communication with the first inlet/outlet pair and a second fluid pathway disposed in fluid communication with the second inlet/outlet pair;
• and
• first and second pluralities of brazed joint formations disposed between adjacent ones of the first end plate, the plurality of plates and the second end plate to isolate the first fluid pathway from the second fluid pathway,
• the primary water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchanger being positioned downstream from the second stage of the compressor and directly downstream from the air-cooled gas cooler/condenser,
• the secondary water-cooled braze plate heat rejection heat exchanger being positioned downstream from the first stage of the compressor and directly downstream from the air-cooled intercooler,
• the separate primary and secondary water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchangers receiving high temperature fluid from the compressor and low temperature fluid from an external source, whereby the high temperature fluid is cooled via thermal communication with the low temperature fluid and is flown from the compressor to the evaporator, and
• the separate primary and secondary water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchangers being formed to define the first and second fluid pathways as high and low temperature fluid pathways and the first and second pluralities of brazed joint formations to prevent fluid entering the high temperature fluid pathway at a high temperature side of the water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchanger from flowing into the low temperature fluid pathway at a low temperature side of the water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchanger and vice versa.

A refrigeration unit, comprising:

• a vapor compression cycle unit including an evaporator, an air-cooled heat rejection heat exchanger comprising an air-cooled gas cooler/condenser and an air-cooled intercooler abutting the air cooled gas cooler/condenser in an airflow and a compressor operably disposed between the evaporator and the condenser;
• and
• separate primary and secondary water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchangers respectively disposed directly downstream from the air-cooled gas cooler/condenser and the air-cooled intercooler and each comprising:
• a housing having first and second opposing end plates and sidewalls extending between the end plates to form an enclosure, at least the first end plate including high and low temperature inlet/outlet pairs for high and low temperature fluids, respectively;
• a plurality of plates disposed within the enclosure between the first and second end plates to define a high temperature fluid pathway disposed in fluid communication with the high temperature inlet/outlet pair and a low temperature fluid pathway disposed in fluid communication with the low temperature inlet/outlet pair;
• and
• first and second pluralities of brazed joint formations disposed between adjacent ones of the first end plate, the plurality of plates and the second end plate to prevent fluid entering the high temperature fluid pathway at a high temperature side of the separate primary and secondary water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchanger from flowing into the low temperature fluid pathway at a low temperature side of the water-cooled brazed plate heat rejection heat exchanger and vice versa.