# US 2008/0184734 A1 · Flat Tube Single Serpentine Co2 Heat Exchanger > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0184734 A1 - Document ID: US20080184734A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 11/908,754 - Filed: 2005-12-30 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2005-03-18 - Assignees: Carrier Commercial Refrigeration, Inc. - Inventors: Parmesh Verma; Tobias H. Sienel; Hans-Joachim Huff; Yu Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080184734A1 ## CPC - F25B 9/008: {the refrigerant being carbon dioxide} - F25B 39/00: Evaporators; Condensers - F28D 1/0478: {the conduits having a non-circular cross-section} - F28F 9/262: {for radiators (F28D1/0408 takes precedence)} - F25B 2309/061: with cycle highest pressure above the supercritical pressure - F25B 2500/01: Geometry problems, e.g. for reducing size - F25D 19/02: plug-in type - F25D 2317/0651: through the bottom - F25D 2317/0661: from the bottom - F25D 2323/00264: through the front bottom part - F25D 2323/00271: from the back bottom - F28D 2021/0073: {Gas coolers} - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) - F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B) ## Abstract A refrigeration system includes 0 compressor for driving 0 refrigerant along flow path in at least a first mode of system; a first heat exchanger along the flow path downstream of the compressor in the first mode; a second heat exchanger along the flow path upstream the compressor in the first mode; and a pressure regulator or expansion device in the flow path downstream of the first heat exchanger and upstream of the second heat exchanger in the first mode, wherein at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger comprises a flat tube heat exchanger. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A refrigeration system comprising: a compressor for driving a refrigerant along a flow path in at least a first mode of system operation; a first heat exchanger along the flow path downstream of the compressor in the first mode; a second heat exchanger along the flow path upstream of the compressor in the first mode; and a pressure regulator or expansion device in the flow path downstream of the first heat exchanger and upstream of the second heat exchanger in the first mode, wherein at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger comprises a flat tube heat exchanger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the flat tube heat exchanger comprises a conduit having a substantially rectangular outside shape and at least one internal flow port for carrying refrigerant flow. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 wherein the rectangular outside shape has a short side and a long side, and wherein the flow paths are arranged with the short side facing a flow of heat exchange fluid. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the short side has a length of between about 0.5 and about 4.0 mm, and the long side has a length of between about 12.7 and about 101.6 mm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the conduit has a flow hydraulic diameter of between about 0.1 and about 3.0 mm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the flat tube heat exchanger comprises a flat tube in a serpentine configuration defining a plurality of substantially parallel flow paths. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6 wherein the flat tube heat exchanger is positioned having the substantially parallel flow paths arranged in a substantially vertical plane. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the fins are present in a fin density of up to about 20 fins per inch. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the serpentine configuration has a tube pitch of between about 5 and about 50 mm. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchanger comprises a plurality of rows of flat tube heat exchanger, and wherein the rows have a row pitch of between about 12.7 and about 50 mm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising fins extending from the flat tube heat exchanger across a flow path for heat exchange medium. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising fins extending from the flat tube heat exchanger and having slots or louvers to allow drainage of condensation on the heat exchanger and fins. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the flat tube heat exchanger has a single inlet and a single refrigerant outlet. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the flat tube heat exchanger comprises flat tubes made of copper or aluminum. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the flat tube heat exchanger comprises multiple rows of flat tube heat exchanger components arranged along a flow path of heat exchange fluid so as to provide counter flow heat exchange between refrigerant in the flat tube heat exchanger and heat exchange fluid. ### Claim 16 The system of claim ˜1 wherein: the refrigerant comprises, in major mass part, CO2; and the first and second heat exchangers are refrigerant-air heat exchangers. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to operate under a transcritical vapor compression mode. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A beverage cooling device comprising the system of claim 1.