Cooling systems
AssigneeGE Energy Power Conversion Technology Limited
InventorAllan David Crane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cooling system for cooling an item of industrial equipment is described. The cooling system includes a primary circuit around which a cooling fluid is circulated, and which includes a two-phase heat exchanger. A secondary circuit is fluidly connected to the primary circuit in parallel with the heat exchanger. The secondary circuit includes a condenser, a pump, a separator and reservoir tank and a restrictor. The boiling point of the cooling fluid at the inlet of the heat exchanger is reduced by the action of the secondary circuit, thereby improving the cooling performance of the cooling system.
Claims15
A cooling system comprising:
- a primary circuit around which a cooling fluid is circulated, the primary circuit comprising:
- a primary condenser having an inlet and an outlet, and
- a two-phase heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet,
- wherein the outlet of the primary condenser is in fluid communication with the inlet of the two-phase heat exchanger and the outlet of the two-phase heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the inlet of the primary condenser;
- and
- a secondary circuit, fluidly connected to the primary circuit in parallel with the two-phase heat exchanger and comprising:
- a secondary condenser having an inlet and an outlet,
- a secondary pump for moving a proportion of the cooling fluid at the outlet of the two-phase heat exchanger through the secondary circuit and having an inlet and an outlet,
- a separator for separating the cooling fluid into liquid and gaseous components having an inlet and an outlet for the liquid component, and
- a restrictor having an inlet and an outlet,
- wherein the outlet of the two-phase heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the inlet of the secondary condenser, the outlet of the secondary condenser is in fluid communication with the inlet of the secondary pump, the outlet of the secondary pump is in fluid communication with the inlet of the separator, the outlet of the separator is in fluid communication with the inlet of the restrictor, and the outlet of the restrictor is in fluid communication with the inlet of the two-phase heat exchanger.
A method of cooling an item of industrial equipment by circulating a cooling fluid around a primary circuit where the cooling fluid is condensed by a primary condenser and in two-phase heat transfer with the item of industrial equipment using a two-phase heat exchanger, and where a proportion of the cooling fluid at an outlet of the two-phase heat exchanger is moved through a secondary circuit, fluidly connected to the primary circuit in parallel with the two-phase heat exchanger, and where the cooling fluid in the secondary circuit is condensed, separated into liquid and gaseous components, and where the pressure of the liquid component of the cooling fluid is reduced to a negative pressure before being returned to the primary circuit so as to reduce the boiling point of the cooling fluid at an inlet of the two-phase heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.