Refrigerant reclaim with automatic air purge
AssigneeLeon R. Van Steenburgh, Jr.
InventorsLeon R. Van Steenburgh, Jr., David S. Brainard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerant reclaim system including an automatic air purge system. The refrigerant reclaim system has an evaporator, oil separator, compressor, condenser, storage tank, and a filter-drier. An improvement relates to an automatic air purge system having an evaporator to concentrate noncondensable gases in an isolated area of the refrigerant reclaim system so as to minimize the loss of refrigerant vapor during purge operations. The air purge system is not limited to use with a refrigerant reclaim, and is suitable for use with any refrigeration system from which noncondensable gases are to be purged with minimal loss of refrigerant vapor.
Claims10
In a refrigeration system having a vaporized refrigerant and a noncondensable gas in a gaseous mixture above a liquid refrigerant within a storage tank, an air purge system comprising:
- (a) means, including expansion means, for feeding liquid refrigerant from said refrigeration system into an evaporator, and an outlet conduit in fluid communication with said evaporator for returning refrigerant to the refrigerant system,
- (b) means for bringing said gaseous mixture into contact with the evaporator, thereby condensing at least a portion of said vaporized refrigerant out of the gaseous mixture and increasing the concentration of said noncendensable gas within the gaseous mixture.
- (c) an air outlet in fluid communication with said evaporator for releasing the gaseous mixture out of the refrigeration system, and
- (d) isolation means for at least partially isolating the evaporator from the storage tanks;
- wherein the evaporator is held within the storage tank above the liquid refrigerant, and said isolation means includes a baffle disposed within the storage tank between the evaporator and the liquid refrigerant, said baffle having an opening for admitting the gaseous mixture.
In a refrigeration system having a vaporized refrigerant and a noncondensable gas in a gaseous mixture, a method for purging said noncondensable gas from the system, comprising the steps of:
- (a) bringing said gaseous mixture into contact with an evaporator,
- (b) condensing at least a portion of said vaporized refrigerant out of the gaseous mixture,
- (c) increasing the concentration of said noncondensable gas within the gaseous mixture, and
- (d) releasing the gaseous mixture out of said system, thereby purging at least a portion of said noncondensable gas while reducing the amount of vaporized refrigerant contained with the gaseous mixture released,
- wherein the steps of condensing said vaporized refrigerant out of the gaseous mixture and increasing the concentration of said noncondensable gas within said gaseous mixture are taken while holding said evaporator in at least partial isolation from said refrigeration system, using a baffle disposed between said evaporator and said refrigeration system for isolating the evaporator.
A refrigerant reclaim system, comprising:
- (a) a refrigerant compressor having an input and an output;
- means including a first evaporator means for connecting said compressor input to a refrigeration system from which refrigerant is to be recovered;
- condenser means coupled to said compressor output in heat exchange relation to said first evaporator means;
- refrigerant storage means having first and second ports;
- means for feeding liquid refrigerant from said condenser means to said first port;
- filter means for removing contaminants from refrigerant passing therethrough;
- and means for selectively circulating refrigerant in a closed path from said second port through said filter means to said port, and having a vaporized refrigerant and a noncondensable gas in a gaseous mixture above the liquid refrigerant within said storage means,
- (b) means, including expansion means, for feeding liquid refrigerant from said storage means into a second evaporator means, and an outlet conduit in fluid communication with said evaporator means for returning refrigerant to the refrigerant reclaim system,
- (c) means for bringing said gaseous mixture into contact with the second evaporator means, thereby condensing at least a portion of said vaporized refrigerant out of the gaseous mixture and increasing the concentration of said noncondensable gas within the gaseous mixture, and
- (c) an air outlet in fluid communication with said second evaporator means for releasing the gaseous mixture out of the refrigerant reclaim system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.