Air conditioner with power recovery device having a sound suppression device

An air conditioner comprising:

• an evaporator that evaporates a cold refrigerant to a vapor phase;
• a main compressor connected to the evaporator so that the compressor receives the vapor-phase refrigerant from the evaporator and compresses the vapor-phase refrigerant;
• a heat removal device connected to the compressor so that the heat removal device receives the compressed refrigerant from the compressor and removes heat from the refrigerant;
• an energy recovery device connected to the heat removal device and the evaporator so that the compressed and cooled refrigerant is passed through the energy recovery device;
• and
• a sound suppression device in fluid communication with the heat removal device and the energy recovery device and positioned upstream of the energy recovery device;
• wherein the energy recovery device includes:
• a motor located downstream of the heat removal device and upstream of the evaporator;
• and
• a regulator that passes the compressed and cooled refrigerant into the motor and maintains the refrigerant in the motor in a high cavitation region, while maintaining refrigerant within a predetermined refrigerant pressure range in the motor,
• wherein the regulator releases the refrigerant to the evaporator in a first saturated liquid-vapor phase having a higher vapor content than the refrigerant exiting the heat removal device.

A method of suppressing sound resulting from recovering energy from an air conditioner having an evaporator that evaporates a cold expanded refrigerant, a heat removal device adapted to receive compressed refrigerant from a compressor and remove heat from at least a portion of the compressed refrigerant, and an energy recovery device having a motor, the method comprising:

• providing a sound suppression device in fluid communication with the heat removal device and the energy recovery device and positioned upstream of the energy recovery device;
• passing the cooled refrigerant through the motor;
• regulating the flow of the refrigerant through the motor and maintaining the refrigerant in a high cavitation region within the motor;
• and
• suppressing sounds resulting from the regulation of the flow of the refrigerant.

An air conditioner comprising:

• an evaporator that evaporates a cold refrigerant;
• a heat removal device adapted to receive compressed refrigerant and remove heat from at least a portion of the compressed refrigerant;
• a flow restriction device adapted to abruptly decrease the flow of refrigerant from the heat removal device towards the evaporator at a location between the heat removal device and the evaporator;
• and
• a sound suppression device in fluid communication with the heat removal device and the evaporator and positioned upstream of the flow restriction device and downstream of the heat removal device.