Flowing pool shell and tube evaporator
AssigneeAmerican Standard International Inc.
InventorsH. Kenneth Ring, Jon P. Hartfield, Sean A. Smith, William J. Peck
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An evaporator for a refrigeration chiller includes a tube bundle in which at least a portion of the tubes of the tube bundle are immersed in a pool which include both liquid refrigerant and is lubricant. Liquid refrigerant and lubricant are deposited into the pool at a first pool location. Because of the vaporization of refrigerant that occurs within the pool, a pattern of flow is established and managed that causes the lubricant in the pool to migrate from the location of its deposit into the pool to a second pool location. An outlet is provided at the second pool location from which lubricant is drawn out of the evaporator.
Claims58
A shell and tube evaporator comprising:
- a shell;
- a liquid pool in said shell, the liquid in said pool including liquid refrigerant and lubricant;
- a horizontally running tube bundle in said shell, at least a portion of the tubes of said tube bundle being immersed in said pool for heat transfer therewith;
- apparatus for depositing liquid, which includes liquid refrigerant and lubricant, into said pool at a first pool location, said apparatus for depositing liquid being disposed above the surface of said pool and depositing liquid refrigerant and lubricant into said pool from above;
- and
- a lubricant outlet, said lubricant outlet being disposed at a second pool location, said second pool location being remote from said first pool location and being a location to which lubricant in said pool flows as a result of the vaporization of refrigerant out of said pool.
A shell and tube evaporator comprising:
- a shell;
- a liquid pool in said shell, the liquid in said pool including liquid refrigerant and lubricant;
- a lubricant outlet, said lubricant outlet being disposed at a predetermined height above the surface of said pool.
A refrigeration chiller comprising:
- a compressor;
- a condenser;
- an expansion device;
- an evaporator, said evaporator having a shell, a liquid pool, apparatus for depositing liquid refrigerant and lubricant into said pool at a first pool location, a horizontally running tube bundle and a lubricant outlet, said pool being disposed in said shell and the liquid in said pool including liquid refrigerant and lubricant, said apparatus for depositing liquid being disposed above the surface of said pool in said shell and depositing liquid refrigerant and lubricant into said pool from above, said tube bundle being disposed in said shell and said lubricant outlet being disposed at a second pool location, said second pool location being remote from said first pool location and being a location to which lubricant in said pool flows as a result of the vaporization of refrigerant out of said pool;
- and
- apparatus for removing lubricant from said evaporator, said apparatus for removing lubricant communicating with said lubricant outlet of said evaporator and with said compressor.
A method for returning lubricant from the shell and tube evaporator of a refrigeration chiller comprising the steps of:
- maintaining a liquid pool in said evaporator in which at least a portion of the tubes of the tube bundle of said evaporator is immersed;
- flowing a mixture of liquid refrigerant and lubricant into the interior of said evaporator from the expansion device of said chiller;
- depositing liquid refrigerant and lubricant received into the interior of said evaporator in said flowing step onto the surface of said pool from above, generally at a first pool location;
- vaporizing refrigerant out of said pool so as to induce lubricant to flow away from said first pool location to a second pool location in said pool which is remote from said first pool location;
- and
- withdrawing lubricant from said pool proximate said second pool location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.