Refrigeration system with purge and acid filter

#The embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to a refrigeration system. More particularly, the embodiments relate to a refrigeration system with a purge.

#Refrigeration systems such as centrifugal chillers, utilize low pressure refrigerants such as CFC-11, CFC-113, HCFC-123 and multi-pressure refrigerants such as CFC-114 and HFC-245fa to operate at, e.g., less than atmospheric pressure, either at all times or under a set of operating or stand-down conditions. Since the chillers are operating at subatmospheric pressures, air and moisture may leak into the machine through these low pressure areas. Once the air and moisture and other non-condensables enter the chiller, the non-condensables accumulate in the condenser portion of the chiller during machine operation. The non-condensable gases in the condenser reduce the ability of the condenser to condense refrigerant, which in turn results in an increased condenser pressure, and thereby results in lower chiller efficiency and capacity.

#The embodiments described herein are directed to refrigeration systems with a purge and an acid filter and methods for servicing an acid filter connected to a purge in a refrigeration system.

#Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of a refrigeration system with a purge and an acid filter.

#FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a purge with an acid filter.

#The embodiments described herein are directed to a refrigeration system with a purge and an acid filter.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a refrigeration system 100 with a purge 120 and one or more acid filters 130. The refrigeration system 100 can be a chiller that provides chilled water for use in industrial processes or in the comfort conditioning of building structures. As shown in FIG. 1, the chiller 100 is a centrifugal chiller that includes a condenser 112, an expansion device 114, an evaporator 116 and a compressor 118. The condenser 112, the expansion device 114, the evaporator 116 and the compressor 118 can be serially connected to form a hermetically sealed closed-loop chiller refrigeration circuit which employs a low pressure refrigerant. The low pressure refrigerant can include, for example, the refrigerants referred to as R123, R245fa, etc. The use of a low pressure refrigerant, at certain times and under certain operating conditions, may result in portions of refrigeration system 100 being operated at less than atmospheric pressure.

#Because certain components, including the evaporator 116 and, under certain conditions, the condenser 112 of the chiller 100, operate at a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, it is possible for air, moisture and other non-condensables to leak into the chiller. The non-condensables can include, for example, air, water and other non-condensables, make their way to and become trapped in the condenser 112 with the result that the condensing pressure and compressor power requirements increase thereby reducing chiller efficiency and cooling capacity. It will be appreciated that the chiller 100 can also utilize medium or high pressure refrigerants, and operate at or above the atmospheric pressure.