Multi-level oil vaporizer for refrigeration system
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorAnthony S. Molavi-Tabrizi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vaporizer includes an inner shell through which a refrigerant and oil mixture is flowed, and one or more hot gas pathways extending through the inner shell from a hot gas inlet to a hot gas outlet, through which a hot gas is flowed to boil refrigerant in the refrigerant and oil mixture. The inner shell is embedded in an outer shell. The outer shell defines a sump fluidly connected to the inner shell via a sump inlet line to deliver the refrigerant and oil mixture from the inner shell to the sump. A sump heater is located in the sump, which is configured to boil additional refrigerant from the refrigerant and oil mixture.
Claims18
A vaporizer of a chiller system, comprising:
- an inner shell through which a refrigerant and oil mixture is flowed;
- one or more hot gas pathways extending through the inner shell from a hot gas inlet to a hot gas outlet, through which a hot gas is flowed to boil refrigerant in the refrigerant and oil mixture;
- an outer shell in which the inner shell is embedded, the outer shell defining a sump fluidly connected to the inner shell via a sump inlet line to deliver the refrigerant and oil mixture from the inner shell to the sump;
- a sump heater disposed in the sump, configured to boil additional refrigerant from the refrigerant and oil mixture;
- a vaporizer vent port to remove boiled vapor refrigerant from the inner shell;
- and
- a sump vapor refrigerant outlet separated from the vaporizer vent port to remove boiled refrigerant from the sump;
- wherein the boiled refrigerant from the inner shell and the boiled refrigerant from the sump are combined along a compressor return line upstream of a compressor inlet.
A chiller system, comprising:
- a main refrigerant circuit through which a flow of refrigerant is circulated, including:
- a compressor;
- a condenser;
- and
- an evaporator;
- a vaporizer fluidly connected to the main refrigerant circuit to remove refrigerant from a refrigerant and oil mixture, the vaporizer including:
- an inner shell through which the refrigerant and oil mixture is flowed;
- one or more hot gas pathways extending through the inner shell from a hot gas inlet to a hot gas outlet, through which a hot gas is flowed to boil refrigerant in the refrigerant and oil mixture;
- an outer shell in which the inner shell is embedded, the outer shell defining a sump fluidly connected to the inner shell via a sump inlet line to deliver the refrigerant and oil mixture from the inner shell to the sump;
- a sump heater disposed in the sump to boil additional refrigerant from the refrigerant and oil mixture;
- a vaporizer vent port to remove boiled vapor refrigerant from the inner shell;
- and
- a sump vapor refrigerant outlet separated from the vaporizer vent port to remove boiled refrigerant from the sump;
- wherein the boiled refrigerant from the inner shell and the boiled refrigerant from the sump are combined along a compressor return line upstream of a compressor inlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.