Refrigeration system

A refrigerating system comprising:

• an evaporator (11) in which a heat transfer medium of water or water solution is stored;
• evacuating means (20) for evacuating water vapor provided by evaporation of water from the heat transfer medium inside of the evaporator (11) and for holding the evaporator (11) in a predetermined reduced-pressure condition;
• and
• a condenser (15) formed of a container-like member (55) an inner space of which is divided into a liquid side space (12) and a gas side space (13) by a moisture permeable membrane (14) capable of permeating water vapor, the condenser (15) being arranged to move the water vapor admitted into a gas side space (17) thereof by the evacuating means (20) to a heat transfer medium with which a liquid side space (16) thereof is filled.

A refrigeration system for cooling a heat transfer medium by evaporating water of the heat transfer medium in an evaporator (11), the system comprising:

• the evaporator (11) which is formed of a container-like member (55) having an inner space divided into a liquid side space (12) and a gas side space (13) by a moisture permeable membrane (14) capable of permeating water vapor, the liquid side space (12) being filled with the heat transfer medium which is water or water solution;
• and
• evacuating means (20) for evacuating from the gas side space (13) water vapor which has been provided by evaporation of water from the heat transfer medium in the liquid side space (12) of the evaporator (11) and has moved to the gas side space (13), and for holding the gas side space (13) into a predetermined reduced-pressure condition,
• wherein the evaporator (11) is arranged to cool the heat transfer medium to generate a frozen product slurry.

A refrigeration system for cooling a heat transfer medium by evaporating water of the heat transfer medium in an evaporator (11), the system comprising:

• the evaporator (11) which is formed of a container-like member (55) having an inner space divided into a liquid side space (12) and a gas side space (13) by a moisture permeable membrane (14) capable of permeating water vapor, the liquid side space (12) being filled with the heat transfer medium which is water or water solution;
• and
• evacuating means (20) for evacuating from the gas side space (13) water vapor which has been provided by evaporation of water from the heat transfer medium in the liquid side space (12) of the evaporator (11) and has moved to the gas side space (13), and for holding the gas side space (13) into a predetermined reduced-pressure condition;
• and
• a heat storage tank (67) connected to the evaporator (11) to allow the heat transfer medium to circulate between the evaporator (11) and the heat storage tank (67);
• and heat utilization means (32) to which the heat transfer medium is supplied from the evaporator (11),
• wherein the system is arranged to effect a heat storage operation of storing in the heat storage tank (67) the heat transfer medium cooled by the evaporator (11) and a heat utilization operation of supplying to the evaporator (11) the heat transfer medium stored in the heat storage tank (67) through the heat storage operation and supplying to the heat utilization means (32) a frozen product slurry produced by cooling the heat transfer medium.