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US 12,553,650 B2Granted
Centrifugal flash tank
AssigneeTyco Fire & Security GmbH
InventorsStephen Maurice Zardus, Matthew Christopher Ferrero
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a flash tank configured to receive a refrigerant and to separate the refrigerant into vapor refrigerant and liquid refrigerant. The flash tank is configured to generate a flow of refrigerant therein along a circular flow path. The flash tank has a main body having a circular cross-section with a diameter and an inlet coupled to the main body and configured to direct the refrigerant into the main body. The inlet has a center line extending in a common direction with the diameter, and the center line is offset from the diameter in a radial direction.
Claims16
A heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
- a flash tank configured to receive a refrigerant and to separate the refrigerant into vapor refrigerant and liquid refrigerant;
- a main body of the flash tank, wherein the main body comprises a circular cross-section having a diameter;
- an inlet of the flash tank coupled to the main body and configured to direct the refrigerant into the main body, wherein the inlet is a linear conduit comprising a center line extending in a common direction with the diameter, and the center line is offset from the diameter in a radial direction;
- a first outlet of the flash tank configured to direct the vapor refrigerant out of the flash tank, wherein the first outlet comprises a conduit extending through a top plate of the main body and into an inner volume of the flash tank, and wherein the conduit extends from the top plate into the inner volume of the flash tank by a distance, and the distance is between 30 and 35 percent of a total height of the flash tank;
- and
- a second outlet of the flash tank configured to direct the liquid refrigerant out of the flash tank;
- and
- an evaporator configured to receive the liquid refrigerant from the second outlet of the flash tank, wherein the evaporator is configured to place the liquid refrigerant in a heat exchange relationship with a flow of liquid cooling fluid.
5 more elements
An air-cooled chiller system, comprising:
- a refrigerant circuit configured to circulate a refrigerant;
- a condenser disposed along the refrigerant circuit and configured to condense the refrigerant;
- an evaporator disposed along the refrigerant circuit and configured to vaporize the refrigerant;
- and
- a flash tank disposed along the refrigerant circuit and configured to separate the refrigerant into vapor refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, wherein the flash tank comprises:
- a main body;
- an inlet coupled to the main body and configured to receive the refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit and direct the refrigerant along a flow path extending from the inlet to an impingement point on an inner wall of the main body, wherein an angle between an axis of the flow path and a tangent line of the main body at the impingement point is less than 60 degrees;
- and
- a liquid outlet formed on a side of the main body and configured to direct the liquid refrigerant from the main body toward the evaporator, wherein the liquid outlet extends in a common direction with a diameter of the main body.
6 more elements
A chiller system, comprising:
- a flash tank configured to receive a refrigerant, to at least partially vaporize the refrigerant, and to separate the refrigerant into liquid refrigerant and vapor refrigerant, wherein the flash tank comprises:
- a level indicator coupled to an outer surface of the flash tank;
- and
- an inlet configured to direct the refrigerant into an inner volume of the flash tank along a flow path extending from the inlet to an impingement point on an inner wall of the flash tank, wherein the inlet comprises a center line extending in a common direction with a diameter of the flash tank, wherein the center line is offset from the diameter of the flash tank in a radial direction by a distance, wherein the distance is equal to or greater than 25 percent of a magnitude of the diameter of the flash tank, wherein a length of the flow path from the inlet to the impingement point is less than the magnitude of the diameter of the flash tank, and wherein the inner wall is configured to direct the refrigerant along a circular flow path from the impingement point;
- a condenser configured to direct the refrigerant toward the flash tank;
- an evaporator configured to receive the liquid refrigerant from the flash tank;
- and
- a compressor configured to receive the vapor refrigerant from the flash tank.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.