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US 5,309,729 AGranted
Thermal purge system
OwnerChristopher L. Sagarinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal purge system includes a purge vessel into which is introduced hot gaseous refrigerant fluid from the outlet of a conventional chiller. A first coil having very cold refrigerant fluid flowing through it is positioned within the vessel so that much of the hot gaseous refrigerant fluid from the chiller is condensed upon contact with the coil. The condensate collects on the bottom of the vessel until it reaches a depth sufficient to initiate a syphoning action by an artesian well which returns the condensate to the chiller. Uncondensed gases are reheated and re-expanded external to the vessel and returned to the vessel through a second coil in heat transfer relation to the first coil so that further condensation occurs. Noncondensibles which remain after the reheating, re-expansion, and recooling are purged to the atmosphere.
Claims18
A thermal purge system, comprising:
- a secondary refrigeration system auxiliary to a primary refrigeration system;
- a reheat and re-expansion means that forms a part of said secondary refrigeration system;
- a purge vessel having three inlets and four outlets;
- a first inlet comprising means receiving hot gaseous refrigerant fluid from a chiller means that forms a part of said primary refrigeration system;
- a second inlet comprising means receiving low temperature refrigerant fluid from said secondary refrigeration system;
- a third inlet comprising means for receiving reheated and re-expanded refrigerant fluid from said reheat and re-expansion means;
- a first outlet comprising means for discharging condensed refrigerant fluid from said vessel and returning it to said chiller means;
- a second outlet comprising means for discharging vapor from said vessel and returning it to said secondary refrigeration system;
- a third outlet comprising means for routing condensibles and noncondensibles to said reheat and re-expansion means;
- a fourth outlet comprising means for routing noncondensibles from said purge vessel into the atmosphere;
- a first evaporator coil disposed within said vessel comprising means for condensing, at least in part, said hot gaseous refrigerant fluid received from said chiller means;
- said first evaporator coil having an inlet in fluid communication with said purge vessel second inlet, and said first evaporator coil having an outlet in fluid communication with said purge vessel second outlet;
- said secondary refrigeration system maintaining the temperature of the refrigerant fluid in said first evaporator coil at a predetermined low temperature;
- a second evaporator coil disposed within said vessel in heat transfer relation to said first evaporator coil;
- said second evaporator coil being in fluid communication with said third inlet so that said second evaporator coil receives said reheated and re-expanded refrigerant fluid from said reheating and re-expanding means, said condensibles in said reheated and re-expanded refrigerant fluid being condensed as a result of a temperature differential between said first and second evaporator coils and said noncondensibles being separated from said condensibles;
- and
- means for purging said noncondensibles from said vessel through said fourth outlet after said noncondensibles have been reheated, re-expanded, and subjected to the low temperature of said refrigerant fluid in said first evaporator coil.
14 more elements
A thermal purge system, comprising:
- a purge vessel having a top and a bottom;
- said purge vessel further having a first, a second, and a third inlet and a first, a second, a third, and a fourth outlet;
- said first inlet being in fluid communication with an outlet conduit of a chiller means, said outlet conduit carrying hot gaseous refrigerant fluid;
- a central conduit disposed in said purge vessel, substantially centrally thereof, said central conduit being in fluid communication with said outlet conduit of said chiller means;
- a plurality of openings formed in said central conduit so that said hot gaseous refrigerant fluid escapes into an interior of said purge vessel through said plurality of openings;
- a condensation means disposed in said vessel interior for cooling said hot gaseous refrigerant fluid and causing said hot gaseous refrigerant fluid to at least partially condense and collect on said bottom of said purge vessel;
- an artesian well means disposed in fluid communication with said vessel first outlet so that liquid refrigerant that collects on the bottom of said purge vessel is routed by said artesian well means to a bottom of said chiller means when said liquid refrigerant attains a predetermined depth on said vessel bottom;
- a refrigeration means for delivering cold refrigerant to said purge vessel second inlet;
- said condensation means including a first evaporator coil disposed in said purge vessel, said first evaporator coil being disposed in fluid communication between said purge vessel second inlet and said purge vessel second outlet so that said cold refrigerant flows through said first evaporator coil before exiting said vessel at said second outlet;
- said condensation means causing condensation of said hot gaseous refrigerant fluid by impingement of said hot gaseous refrigerant fluid on said first evaporator coil;
- said hot gaseous refrigerant fluid containing at least some condensibles that are not condensed when said hot gaseous refrigerant fluid contacts said first evaporator coil and containing at least some noncondensibles;
- said purge vessel further comprising means to cause said noncondensed condensibles and said noncondensibles to collect within said purge vessel interior in a space between said top of said purge vessel and a surface of liquid refrigerant collected atop said bottom of said purge vessel;
- said refrigerant means for delivering cold refrigerant to said purge vessel second inlet including a compressor that delivers hot, compressed compressor discharge gas to a compressor outlet conduit that forms a part of said refrigerant circuit;
- a reheating and re-expansion coil disposed in heat exchanging relation to said compressor outlet conduit;
- said reheating and re-expansion coil having an inlet disposed in fluid communication with said purge vessel third outlet and having an outlet disposed in fluid communication with said purge vessel third inlet so that reheated and re-expanded noncondensed condensibles and noncondensibles are reintroduced into the interior of said purge vessel;
- a second evaporator coil disposed in said purge vessel interior, said second evaporator coil being in heat-transfering relation to said first evaporator coil;
- said second evaporator coil having an inlet in fluid communication with said purge vessel third inlet disposed in fluid communication downstream of said reheating and rexpansion coil so that reheated and re-expanded gases enter said second evaporator coil;
- said second evaporator coil having an outlet in fluid communication with the interior of said purge vessel slightly above said surface of said liquid refrigerant collected atop said vessel bottom so that condensed condensibles enter said purge vessel interior and accumulate on said bottom thereof until returned to said chiller means by said artesian well means and so that noncondensibles collect in said purge vessel interior above said surface of said liquid refrigerant;
- and
- purge means for purging said noncondensibles from said purge vessel interior.
17 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.