Method and apparatus for measuring and improving efficiency in refrigeration systems
AssigneeHudson Technologies, Inc.
InventorsKevin Zugibe, Douglas Schmidt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for optimizing an efficiency of a refrigeration system, comprising means for measuring a refrigeration efficiency of an operating refrigeration system; means for altering a process variable of the refrigeration system during efficiency measurement; and a processor for calculating a process variable level which achieves an optimum efficiency. The process variables may include refrigerant charge and refrigerant oil concentration in evaporator.
Claims37
A method of optimizing an evaporator having a heat exchange surface, for evaporating at least one component of a mixture of components having differing volatilities, comprising:
- (a) determining an optimum range of mixture components based on operating efficiency;
- (b) monitoring changes in mixture components over time;
- (c) determining a cost-effectiveness of remediating a change in mixture components to a composition within the optimum composition range;
- (d) when cost effective, remediating the mixture components to the composition within the optimum composition range by a process which comprises a phase chance of at least one component of the mixture of components.
A method of optimizing an evaporator having a heat exchange surface, for evaporating at least one component of a mixture of components having differing volatilities, comprising:
- (a) determining a relationship between parameters of evaporator operation and evaporator efficiency;
- (b) monitoring changes in evaporator efficiency over time;
- (c) determining a cost-effectiveness of remediating a dimunition in efficiency based on an inferred cause of the dimunition in efficiency;
- and
- (d) when cost effective, remediating the evaporator to a state within an optimal range by a process which comprises a phase change of at least one component of the mixture of components.
A method of optimizing an evaporator having a heat exchange surface, for evaporating at least one component of a mixture of components having differing volatilities, comprising:
- (a) determining a relationship between at least three significant parameters of evaporator operation and evaporator efficiency;
- (b) monitoring changes in evaporator efficiency over time;
- and
- (c) distinctly controlling the at least three significant parameters of evaporator operation to maintain operation within an optimum range,
- wherein the at least three parameters comprise an energy input, a composition of the mixture of components, and a level of the mixture of components, in the evaporator.
An apparatus for optimizing an efficiency of an evaporator system, comprising:
- means for measuring an efficiency of an operating evaporator system under varying load;
- means for distinctly altering at least two significant process variables representing a state internal to a refrigerant space of the evaporator system during efficiency measurement;
- and
- a processor for calculating a range of the at least two significant process variables which achieves optimum efficiency at a given load.
A method of optimizing an evaporator having a heat exchange surface, for evaporating a mixture of components comprising at least one volatile component and at least one nonvolatile component, comprising:
- (a) determining an optimum composition range of the mixture of volatile and nonvolatile components based on efficiency;
- (b) monitoring changes in composition of the mixture of components over time;
- (c) determining a cost-effectiveness of remediating a change in composition of the mixture of components to an optimum composition range, based on consideration of a cost of remediation and a benefit of remediation;
- (d) remediating the composition of the mixture components, only when cost effective, to an operating point within the optimum composition range, by a process which comprises a phase change of at least one component of the mixture of components, to alter at least altering the nonvolatile component of the mixture of components.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.