Heat exchange apparatus

A heat exchange apparatus comprising:

• a heat exchange circuit which is passed through by a heat exchange fluid and is provided with an evaporator which is connected in output, by way of the interposition of a compressor, to a condenser, which is connected in output, by way of the interposition of expansion means, to said evaporator, between said evaporator and said condenser there being at least one regenerative exchanger for an exchange of heat between a vapor-phase exchange fluid that exits from said evaporator and a liquid-phase exchange fluid that exits from said condenser, and further comprising, between an outlet of said condenser and an inlet of said evaporator, adjustment valve means for a flow of said exchange fluid, sensor means being provided which are adapted to measure at least one thermodynamic parameter of said exchange fluid at preset points of said circuit and control means being provided which are connected to said sensor means and are configured to calculate, using measurements supplied by said sensor means, an instantaneous efficiency of said regenerative exchanger and a reference efficiency of said regenerative exchanger, said control means being adapted to act on said adjustment valve means in order to vary their degree of opening, at least on the basis of a difference between the instantaneous efficiency and the reference efficiency of said regenerative exchanger.

A method for adjusting a heat exchange apparatus of the type comprising a heat exchange circuit which is passed through by a heat exchange fluid and is provided with an evaporator which is connected in output, by way of the interposition of a compressor, to a condenser, which is connected in output, by way of the interposition of expansion means, to said evaporator and with the interposition, between said evaporator and said condenser, of at least one regenerative exchanger for heat exchange between the vapor-phase exchange fluid that exits from said evaporator and the liquid-phase exchange fluid that exits from said condenser, and further comprising the steps of performing a measurement of at least one thermodynamic parameter of said exchange fluid at preset points of said circuit, calculating, using the measurements made, an instantaneous efficiency and a reference efficiency of said regenerative exchanger, calculating a difference between a calculated value of the instantaneous efficiency of said regenerative exchanger and a calculated value of the reference efficiency of said regenerative exchanger, and varying a degree of opening of adjustment valve means interposed between an outlet of the condenser and an inlet of the evaporator on the basis of a calculated value of the difference between the instantaneous efficiency and the reference efficiency of said regenerative exchanger.