Compressor protection system and method
AssigneeEmerson Climate Technologies, Inc.
InventorStephen M. Seibel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for protecting a variable speed compressor may include an inverter drive that modulates a frequency of electric power delivered to the compressor to modulate a speed of the compressor. The inverter drive may be cooled by refrigerant and include a temperature sensor that outputs an inverter temperature signal corresponding to an inverter temperature. A control module may receives the inverter temperature signal, compare the inverter temperature with a predetermined threshold, and reduce a compressor operating speed range when the inverter temperature is greater than the predetermined threshold.
Claims10
A system comprising:
- a compressor driven by an inverter drive that modulates a frequency of electric power delivered to said compressor to modulate a speed of said compressor, said inverter drive being cooled by refrigerant and including a temperature sensor that outputs an inverter temperature signal corresponding to an inverter temperature;
- a control module that receives said inverter temperature signal, that compares said inverter temperature with a predetermined threshold, and that reduces a compressor operating speed range when said inverter temperature is greater than said predetermined threshold.
A method comprising:
- modulating a speed of a compressor with an inverter drive that modulates a frequency of electric power delivered to said compressor, said inverter drive being cooled by refrigerant;
- receiving an inverter temperature signal corresponding to a temperature of said inverter drive;
- comparing said temperature of said inverter drive with a predetermined threshold;
- and
- reducing a compressor operating speed range of said compressor when said temperature is greater than said threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.