Refrigeration apparatus and method

A process for cooling or heating comprising:

• a) combining a refrigerant substantially in its vaporized form at a low pressure with a concentrated absorbing liquid while extracting heat to provide a resulting dilute solution of liquid-rich refrigerant and absorbing liquid;
• b) pumping the absorbent/refrigerant solution to a higher pressure;
• c) passing the pressurized absorbent/refrigerant solution through a pervaporation membrane separator to separate the solution into two streams, one stream comprising primarily a vapor-rich refrigerant and the other stream comprising a concentrated absorbent liquid;
• d) substantially condensing the vapor output from the membrane separator to provide a liquid-rich refrigerant;
• e) passing the liquid-rich refrigerant stream through an expansion element to reduce the pressure and temperature thereof;
• f) passing the liquid-rich refrigerant through an evaporator while adding heat to allow a substantial portion of the refrigerant to vaporize;
• g) adjusting the pressure of the vaporized refrigerant from the evaporator and the concentrated liquid absorbent from the membrane to substantially the same pressure;
• and
• h) repeating steps a-g above.

In a refrigeration system for extracting energy in the form of heat from a desired space by utilizing as a working fluid a refrigerant in solution with an absorbent, the combination comprising:

• a first pervaporation membrane separator for separating an absorbent/refrigerant solution into two streams, one stream comprising primarily refrigerant in its vapor state and the other stream comprising a concentrated liquid absorbent/refrigerant solution;
• a condenser in fluid communication with the membrane assembly for condensing the refrigerant vapor stream into substantially a liquid;
• a pressure reducer in fluid communication with the condenser for reducing the temperature of the liquid refrigerant stream output of the condenser by expanding it to a lower temperature;
• an evaporator in fluid communication with the pressure reducer and said space to be cooled for transferring energy from said space to substantially evaporate the refrigerant;
• an absorber for recombining the vaporized refrigerant from the evaporator and the concentrated absorbent/refrigerant solution from the membrane separator;
• pressure regulating means connected between the absorber, the membrane separator and the evaporator for substantially equalizing the pressures of the concentrated absorbent/refrigerant solution and the vapor refrigerant entering the absorber;
• and
• a pump in fluid communication with the absorber and the membrane separator for supplying the recombined refrigerant and absorbent from the absorber to the membrane separator under pressure.

A refrigeration cycle using as a working fluid a solution of refrigerant and an absorbent dissolvable in the refrigerant comprising:

• a) separating a portion of liquid-rich refrigerant from an absorbent/refrigerant solution in a first pervaporation membrane separator at a first pressure, the membrane separator assembly providing as one output stream a vapor comprising primarily the refrigerant and as another output stream a liquid comprising primarily the absorbent solution;
• b) condensing the vapor stream from the separator into a liquid-rich refrigerant;
• c) expanding the liquid-rich refrigerant stream from the condenser to a low pressure into an evaporator where it is evaporated at low temperature with heat added to provide a substantially low pressure vapor;
• d) adjusting the pressure of the vaporized refrigerant to substantially a second pressure;
• e) adjusting the pressure of the concentrated absorbent/refrigerant solution from the separator to substantially said second pressure;
• f) combining the concentrated absorbent/refrigerant solution and the substantially vaporized refrigerant in an absorber at said second pressure while extracting heat to provide a liquid-rich refrigerant in solution with the absorbent;
• f) increasing the pressure of the solution to the first pressure;
• and
• g) returning the pressurized solution to the separator.