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US 12,631,381 B2Granted
Refrigerated dryer power saving controls
AssigneeIngersoll-Rand Industrial U.S., Inc.
InventorLalitkumar Jamnadas Vaishnav
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods are provided for controlling a refrigerated dryer of a gas compressor system. In an aspect, a control system, including a controller and a flow sensor, selectively operates in a power saving mode in which the controller shuts down a refrigerant compressor included in the dryer system when the flow sensor indicates that no compressed gas is flowing through the dryer. The control system uses input from a temperature sensor to determine whether to activate the compressor regardless of the flow of compressed gas through the dryer.
Claims20
A control system for controlling operation of a refrigerated compressed air dryer, comprising:
- a flow sensor configured to measure a flow of compressed air in a compressed air circuit, the compressed air circuit in thermal communication with an evaporator of a refrigeration circuit including a compressor, a condenser, and the evaporator;
- a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the evaporator;
- and
- a controller electronically coupled with each of the flow sensor and the temperature sensor, the controller configured to:
- monitor a flow condition of the compressed air in the compressed air circuit and a temperature condition of the evaporator;
- determine the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed air and the temperature condition of the evaporator has reached a lower threshold;
- responsive to the determination that the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed air and the temperature condition of the evaporator has reached a lower threshold, deactivate the compressor;
- determine the flow condition indicates flow of compressed air and/or the temperature condition of the evaporator reached an upper threshold;
- responsive to the determination that the flow condition indicates flow of compressed air and/or the temperature condition of the evaporator reached an upper threshold, reactivate the compressor;
- determine the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed air and the temperature condition is above the lower threshold;
- and
- responsive to the determination that the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed air and the temperature condition is above the lower threshold, maintain operation of the compressor.
9 more elements
A control system for controlling operation of a refrigerated compressed air dryer, comprising:
- a flow sensor configured to measure a flow of compressed air in a compressed air circuit, the compressed air circuit in thermal communication with an evaporator of a refrigeration circuit including a compressor, a condenser, and the evaporator;
- a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the evaporator;
- a bypass valve coupled to an outlet of the compressor;
- and
- a controller electronically coupled with each of the flow sensor, the temperature sensor, and the bypass valve, the controller configured to:
- monitor a flow condition of the compressed air in the compressed air circuit and a temperature condition of the evaporator;
- determine the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed air and the temperature condition of the evaporator has reached a lower threshold;
- responsive to the determination that the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed air and the temperature condition of the evaporator has reached a lower threshold, deactivate the compressor;
- determine the flow condition indicates flow of compressed air and/or the temperature condition of the evaporator reached an upper threshold;
- responsive to the determination that the flow condition indicates flow of compressed air and/or the temperature condition of the evaporator reached an upper threshold, reactivate the compressor;
- and
- route at least a portion of a refrigerant fluid from the outlet of the compressor to an inlet of the compressor upon a pressure of the refrigerant fluid downstream of the evaporator being below a predetermined pressure value.
9 more elements
A control system for controlling operation of a refrigerated compressed gas dryer, comprising:
- a flow sensor configured to measure a flow of compressed gas in a compressed gas circuit, the compressed gas circuit in thermal communication with an evaporator of a refrigeration circuit including a compressor, a condenser, and the evaporator;
- a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the evaporator;
- and
- a controller electronically coupled with each of the flow sensor and the temperature sensor, the controller configured to:
- monitor a flow condition of the compressed gas in the compressed gas circuit and a temperature condition of the evaporator;
- determine the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed gas and the temperature condition of the evaporator has reached a lower threshold;
- responsive to the determination that the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed gas and the temperature condition of the evaporator has reached a lower threshold, deactivate the compressor;
- determine the flow condition indicates flow of compressed gas and/or the temperature condition of the evaporator reached an upper threshold;
- responsive to the determination that the flow condition indicates flow of compressed gas and/or the temperature condition of the evaporator reached an upper threshold, reactivate the compressor;
- determine the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed gas and the temperature condition is above the lower threshold;
- and
- responsive to the determination that the flow condition indicates no flow of compressed gas and the temperature condition is above the lower threshold, maintain operation of the compressor.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.