Refrigeration System with Efficient Expansion Device Control, Liquid Refrigerant Return, Oil Return, and Evaporator Defrost
AssigneeHill Phoenix, Inc.
InventorsSenthilkumar Kandappa Goundar Shanmugam, Manu Mital
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Abstract
A refrigeration system includes an evaporator configured to receive a flow of refrigerant and transfer heat into the refrigerant within the evaporator to provide cooling for a temperature-controlled space, an expansion valve operable to modulate the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator, a liquid level sensor configured to measure a level of liquid accumulated within a component of the refrigeration system, and a controller configured to operate the expansion valve to increase the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator or decrease the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator based on the level of liquid measured by the liquid level sensor.
Claims21
(canceled)
A refrigeration system comprising:
- at least one compressor;
- at least one condenser;
- at least one evaporator;
- at least one ice sensor configured to measure a thickness of ice or frost accumulated on the at least one evaporator;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- receive measurements from the at least one ice sensor;
- determine if a measured ice thickness exceeds a threshold thickness level;
- and
- initiate a defrost operation in response to the determination that the measured ice thickness exceeds the threshold thickness level.
A method for operating a refrigeration system, comprising:
- measuring, with an ice sensor, a thickness of ice or frost accumulated on at least one evaporator;
- comparing, with a controller, the measured ice thickness to a threshold thickness level;
- and
- initiating, with the controller, a defrost operation when the measured ice thickness exceeds the threshold thickness level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.