Free-cooling capacity control for air conditioning systems
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorsPhilippe Rigal, Pierre Delpech, Batung Pham
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An air conditioning system having a free-cooling mode. The system includes a refrigeration circuit have a compressor, a pump, an expansion device having a variable opening, and a controller. The controller selectively operates the system in the free-cooling mode by circulating the refrigerant through the refrigeration circuit via the pump. The system includes a free-cooling capacity control sequence resident on the controller. The free-cooling capacity control sequence adjusts the cooling capacity of the system at least by adjusting the variable opening based on the temperature difference between a working fluid temperature and a set point temperature.
Claims16
An air conditioning system having a free-cooling mode, the system comprising:
- a refrigeration circuit having a pump, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and an expansion device with a variable opening;
- a controller for selectively operating said refrigeration circuit in the free-cooling mode by circulating a refrigerant through said refrigeration circuit via said pump and bypassing said compressor;
- and
- a free-cooling capacity control sequence resident on said controller, said free-cooling capacity control sequence adjusting a cooling capacity of said refrigeration circuit at least by adjusting said variable opening based on a temperature difference between a working fluid temperature exiting said evaporator and a set point temperature.
A method of controlling an air conditioning system having a refrigeration circuit and a free-cooling mode, the method comprising:
- operating the air conditioning system in the free cooling mode by circulating refrigerant through said refrigeration circuit via a pump and bypassing a compressor;
- determining a temperature of a conditioned working fluid;
- increasing an opening of a refrigerant expansion device when said temperature is above a set point;
- and
- decreasing said opening of said refrigerant expansion device when said temperature is below a set point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.