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US 6,615,598 B1Granted
Scroll machine with liquid injection
AssigneeCopeland Corporation
InventorsSimon Y. Wang, Wayne R. Berry
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigeration circuit includes a scroll compressor, a condenser and an evaporator connected in a closed loop. A liquid injection system takes liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit and injects it into a suction line leading to the compressor to cool the refrigerant in the refrigeration circuit. An electronic control unit operates a controllable valve based on a temperature reading received from a discharge gas temperature sensor. The controllable valve can be an electronic expansion valve or a solenoid valve.
Claims8
A compressor assembly comprising:
- a shell defining a suction inlet and a discharge outlet;
- a compressor disposed within said shell for receiving a fluid from said suction inlet and compressing said fluid from a suction pressure to a discharge pressure;
- a refrigeration circuit extending between said discharge outlet and said suction inlet, said refrigeration circuit including a suction fluid line in communication with said suction inlet;
- a liquid injection circuit extending between an attachment point in said refrigeration circuit and said suction fluid line for injecting liquid refrigerant into said suction fluid line;
- a temperature sensor for monitoring a temperature of gas supplied to said discharge outlet at said discharge pressure;
- a controllable valve for controlling flow of said liquid refrigerant to said suction fluid line, and
- an electronic control in communication with said temperature sensor and said controllable valve, said electronic control controlling said controllable valve by pulse width modulation based on a temperature reading of said temperature sensor.
4 more elements
A scroll compressor assembly comprising:
- a shell defining a suction inlet and a discharge outlet;
- a first scroll member disposed in said shell and having a first scroll wrap extending from a first end plate;
- a second scroll member disposed in said shell and having a second scroll wrap extending from a second end plate, said second scroll wrap being intermeshed with said first scroll wrap to define a plurality of closed pockets;
- a drive mechanism for causing said second scroll member to orbit with respect to said first scroll member, said plurality of pockets moving from a radially outer position in communication with said suction inlet to a central position in communication with said discharge outlet;
- a refrigeration circuit extending between said discharge outlet and said suction inlet, said refrigeration circuit including a suction fluid line in communication with said suction inlet;
- a liquid injection circuit extending between an attachment point in said refrigeration circuit and said suction fluid line for injecting liquid refrigerant into said suction fluid line;
- a temperature sensor for monitoring a temperature of gas supplied to said discharge outlet at said discharge pressure;
- a controllable valve for controlling flow of said liquid refrigerant to said suction fluid line, and
- an electronic control in communication with said temperature sensor and said controllable valve, said electronic control controlling said controllable valve by pulse width modulation based on a temperature reading of said temperature sensor.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.