Small refrigerant receiver for use with thermostatic expansion valve refrigeration system
AssigneeThe Delfield Company, LLC
InventorsThomas Joseph Frick, Jeremy Robert Huhn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides a refrigeration system comprising a receiver for use in applications where environmentally-friendly, typically flammable refrigerants are used. The receiver is sized so that it allows for the maximum amount of refrigerant to be used when regulatory concerns restrict the total amount. The present disclosure also provides a method for selecting the size of the receiver.
Claims9
A refrigerant system, comprising, in serial arrangement:
- a condenser;
- a thermostatic expansion valve;
- a receiver;
- and
- an evaporator,
- the system further comprising one or more fluid lines connecting each of the condenser, thermostatic expansion valve, receiver, and evaporator;
- and
- a refrigerant flowing through at least one of the condenser, thermostatic valve, evaporator, and one or more fluid line,
- wherein the receiver has an internal space for holding at least a portion of the refrigerant,
- wherein the refrigerant is flammable, and
- wherein the system has a total volume of the refrigerant, and a volume of the receiver is no more than a difference between the total volume and a volume of refrigerant held in the condenser, thermostatic expansion valve, evaporator, and one or more fluid lines.
A method of selecting the size of a receiver, wherein the receiver is part of a refrigerant system, wherein the refrigerant system comprises, in serial arrangement:
- a condenser;
- a thermostatic expansion valve;
- the receiver;
- and
- an evaporator,
- the system further comprising one or more fluid lines connecting each of the condenser, thermostatic expansion valve, receiver, and evaporator;
- and
- a refrigerant flowing through at least one of the condenser, thermostatic valve, evaporator, and one or more fluid lines,
- wherein the receiver has an internal space for holding at least a portion of the refrigerant, and
- wherein the refrigerant is flammable,
- the method comprising the steps of:
- determining the total volume of the compressor, condenser, receiver, thermostatic expansion valve, evaporator, and one or more fluid lines;
- determining a maximum allowed amount of the refrigerant in the system;
- calculating a difference between the total volume and maximum allowed amount;
- and
- selecting the volume of the receiver so that it is at most the difference between the total volume and maximum amount.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.