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US 8,739,559 B2Granted
Method for selecting lubricants for heat pumps
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsRaymond H. Thomas, Christopher J. Seeton, David P. Wilson, Samuel F. Yana Motta, Mark W. Spatz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is a method for selecting a lubricant and a refrigerant for use in a vapor-compression refrigeration device such that the combination of the lubricant and refrigerant produces a fluid system having a lubricant-rich phase and a refrigerant-rich phase, yet exhibits miscible-type properties.
Claims20
A method for improving an oil return rate to a heat-transfer circuit comprising:
- cycling through the heat-transfer circuit a composition comprising a refrigerant-rich portion and a lubricant-rich portion, wherein a relative difference between densities of the portions is less than 20%, and wherein at a temperature below a phase inversion temperature of the composition the refrigerant-rich portion and the lubricant-rich portion are immiscible and one of the refrigerant-rich portion and lubricant-rich portion is more dense and at a temperature above the phase inversion temperature the refrigerant-rich portion and the lubricant-rich portion are immiscible and the other one of the refrigerant-rich portion and the lubricant-rich portion is more dense.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.