Cooling apparatus employing carbon dioxide

A refrigeration apparatus comprising:

• a liquid carbon dioxide reservoir, the liquid carbon dioxide reservoir containing a quantity of carbon dioxide in a liquified state, the liquid carbon dioxide reservoir having a reservoir outlet, and the carbon dioxide releasable through the reservoir outlet;
• a regulator having a regulator inlet and a regulator outlet, the reservoir outlet of the liquid carbon dioxide reservoir connected to the regulator inlet, the carbon dioxide flowable through the regulator, the regulator for reducing the pressure of the carbon dioxide flowing through the regulator;
• a bleeder tube, the bleeder tube having a tube inlet end and a tube discharge end, the valve outlet of the regulator connected to the tube inlet end, and the tube discharge end open to an atmosphere;
• a flow of carbon dioxide established by a movement of the carbon dioxide from the liquid carbon dioxide reservoir, through the regulator, into the bleeder tube, and to the atmosphere;
• and
• a plurality of solid carbon dioxide particles formed by a freezing of the carbon dioxide within the bleeder tube, and the flow of the carbon dioxide into the bleeder tube substantially blocked by the plurality of solid carbon dioxide particles within the bleeder tube, the plurality of solid carbon dioxide particles sublimate-able to allow a re-establishment of the flow of carbon dioxide.

A method for a refrigeration system utilizing a liquid carbon dioxide, including the steps of:

• a) establishing a supply of the liquid carbon dioxide through a regulator to a cooling coil, the liquid carbon dioxide supplied from a carbon dioxide source, the regulator set to only allow flow below an initial cooling coil pressure;
• b) forming a carbon dioxide snow by metering the liquid carbon dioxide through the regulator;
• c) charging the cooling coil with the carbon dioxide snow;
• d) plugging the cooling coil with the carbon dioxide snow by raising the pressure in the cooling coil above the initial cooling coil pressure to stop the supply of carbon dioxide into the cooling coil;
• e) melting the carbon dioxide snow within the cooling coil with a cooling load external to the cooling coil to unplug the cooling coil and lower the pressure in the cooling coil below the initial cooling coil pressure;
• and
• f) re-establishing the supply of liquid carbon dioxide through the regulator.