Heatcraft Refrigeration Products LLC

Douglas Cole

Shitong Zha

Steve Pfister

Steven C Pfister

The disclosure provides a method of operating a refrigeration system. The method includes operating a first low-temperature evaporator in a refrigeration mode, where the first low-temperature evaporator receives refrigerant from a flash tank. The method includes operating a second low-temperature evaporator in a refrigeration mode, where the first low-temperature evaporator receives refrigerant from the flash tank. The method includes causing the first low-temperature evaporator to operate in the defrost mode by: closing a first controllable valve in a refrigerant conduit that couples the first low-temperature evaporator to a low-temperature compressor of the refrigeration system, and directing the refrigerant exiting the first low-temperature evaporator to be received by the second low-temperature evaporator.

Refrigeration system and method of defrosting the same

A refrigeration system includes a high-pressure side with a gas cooler configured, while the refrigeration system is powered by a main power supply and is operating to provide refrigeration, to cool refrigerant on the high-pressure side. The refrigeration system includes a low-pressure side with one or more evaporators. The refrigeration system includes an auxiliary compressor coupled to a backup power supply. An input of the auxiliary compressor is coupled to fluid conduit of the low-pressure side, and an output of the auxiliary compressor is coupled to fluid conduit of the high-pressure side. A controller is communicatively coupled to the auxiliary compressor. After determining that the main power supply is unavailable, the controller causes the auxiliary compressor to turn on to move refrigerant from the low-pressure side to the high-pressure side.

Refrigeration system with emergency cooling using dedicated compressor

A cooling system partially floods the low temperature low side heat exchangers (e.g., freezers) in the system. An accumulator is positioned between the low temperature low side heat exchangers and the low temperature compressor. The accumulator collects the refrigerant (both liquid and vapor) from the flooded low temperature low side heat exchangers. Refrigerant discharged by the low temperature compressor is fed through the accumulator so that heat can be transferred to the refrigerant collected in the accumulator. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant discharged by the low temperature compressor drops before that refrigerant reaches the medium temperature compressor.

Cooling system with flooded low side heat exchangers

An apparatus includes a conduit coupled to a suction header that is configured to receive a refrigerant and an oil separator that is configured to separate an oil from the refrigerant received from a compressor. During a first mode of operation, the conduit is configured to remove excess oil from the refrigerant that has collected at the suction header. During a second mode of operation, the oil separator is configured to direct to the conduit the oil separated from the refrigerant received from the compressor. The conduit is configured to direct to an oil reservoir the oil from the oil separator and the excess oil removed from the refrigerant.

Cooling system with supplemental oil extraction from refrigerant

A cooling system is designed to operate in two different modes. Generally, in the first mode, when parallel compression is needed, certain valves are controlled to direct gaseous refrigerant from a tank to a compressor in the system and to direct refrigerant from low side heat exchangers towards other compressors. In this manner, a compressor in the system is transitioned to be generally a parallel compressor. In the second mode, when parallel compression is not needed, the valves are controlled to return the refrigerant flow back to normal.

Cooling system with parallel compression using medium temperature compressors

An apparatus includes a suction header, a drain leg, an oil separator, and an oil reservoir. The suction header is configured to receive a refrigerant and the drain leg is coupled to the suction header. The oil separator is configured to separate an oil from the refrigerant from a compressor. During a first mode of operation, the drain leg is configured to collect an oil from the refrigerant from a compressor at the suction header. During a second mode of operation, the oil separator is configured to direct the oil separated from the refrigerant from the compressor through the drain leg and to the oil reservoir.

In certain embodiments, a refrigeration system comprises an emergency electric power supply configured to supply power to at least one motor drive of the system. The system comprises a power switch coupled to the emergency electric power supply, a tank configured to store a refrigerant, a first compressor configured to compress the refrigerant of the tank, and a controller coupled to the power switch and first compressor. The controller may receive an indication from the power switch that the system is using the emergency electric power supply, and in response to receiving the indication from the power switch that the system is using the emergency electric power supply, operate the system in a first power outage mode. The controller may determine an amount of power to supply to the first compressor based on the first power outage mode and transmit a signal to instruct the first compressor to turn on.

Refrigeration system using emergency electric power

A flood prevention system includes a first load, a second load, a third load, a fourth load, a first compressor, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a controller. The first, second, third, and fourth loads are configured to use a refrigerant to remove heat from a first, second, third, and fourth space, respectively, proximate to the first, second, third, and fourth load, respectively. The first compressor is configured to compress the refrigerant from the fourth load. The first temperature sensor is configured to detect a first temperature of the refrigerant from the first load, the second load, and the third load. The second temperature sensor is configured to detect a second temperature of the refrigerant from the first load, the second load, the third load, and the compressor. The controller is configured to trigger an alarm in response to certain conditions.

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Columbus, GA, United States of America

Douglas Cole