Refrigeration system thermal purge apparatus
AssigneeAmerican Standard Inc.
InventorsWilliam J. Plzak, Brian T. Sullivan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Thermal purge apparatus for a chiller removes air, moisture and other non-condensibles from the chiller system refrigerant by causing chiller system refrigerant vapor to condense in a purge tank as a result of its undergoing a heat exchange relationship with a second and different refrigerant employed in a discrete purge refrigeration circuit. Chiller refrigerant circulates from the chiller condenser to, through and out of the purge tank in a free-flowing circulatory manner as a result of temperature and pressure gradients which develop between the interiors of the chiller condenser and the purge tank when the purge apparatus is in operation.
Claims18
A method of purging non-condensibles, including air, from a water chiller which has a condenser comprising the steps of:
- condensing chiller refrigerant in said chiller condenser;
- providing a flow path from said chiller condenser to a purge tank;
- disposing a heat exchanger in said purge tank, said heat exchanger being a part of a discrete purge refrigeration circuit, said purge refrigeration circuit employing a purge refrigerant which is different than said chiller refrigerant;
- and
- condensing chiller refrigerant on said heat exchanger in said purge tank in a heat exchange relationship with said purge refrigerant thereby causing the separation of non-condensibles from said chiller refrigerant and the circulation, in a free-flow manner, of chiller refrigerant from said chiller condenser into said purge tank due to the temperature gradients which develop between said chiller condenser and said purge tank as a result of said condensing step.
Apparatus for removing non-condensibles from chiller refrigerant comprising:
- a purge refrigeration circuit which employs a refrigerant different from said chiller refrigerant, said purge refrigeration circuit including a purge tank the interior of which is in free-flow communication with the interior of the chiller condenser, chiller system refrigerant circulating out of said chiller condenser and into and out of said purge tank as a result of pressure gradients which develop between the interior of said purge tank and the interior of said chiller condenser as a result of the operation of said purge circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.