Refrigeration equipment

In refrigeration equipment having a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a thermostatic expansion valve with an equalizer line connected to a low pressure line that connects a suction side of said compressor and an outlet of said expansion valve, said low pressure line also connecting said suction side of said compressor and an outlet of said evaporator, the improvement comprising control means for controlling an opening of said thermostatic expansion valve using pressure from hot gas from said compressor which by passes said condensor and said thermostatic expansion valve, said control means including:

• (a) a hot gas by-pass for introducing hot gas discharged from said compressor into said evaporator by by-passing said condensor and said expansion valve;
• (b) a hot gas valve on said hot gas by-pass, for controlling an amount of hot gas to be introduced into said evaporator;
• (c) a control passage connected on one end to an outlet of said hot gas valve, for introducing a portion of said hot gas discharged from said compressor into said equalizer line to control an opening of said thermostatic expansion valve by means of hot gas pressure, said control passage being connected on another end to said equalizer line;
• and
• (d) a communication shut-off valve for shutting off communication between said hot gas by-pass and said equalizer line by means of said control passage, said communication shut-off valve being responsive to closing of said hot gas valve.