American Standard Inc.

The Trane Company

Duane F Sanborn

Jon Phillip Hartfield

Chester D Ware

Mark O Bergman

John W Leary

John L Holman

A liquid refrigerant distributor for use within a heat exchanger having a body of heat exchange tubes. The distributor comprises a mesh screen and a liquid refrigerant sprayer. The liquid refrigerant sprayer is adapted to spray refrigerant on the mesh screen. The mesh screen being adapted to pass liquid and vaporous refrigerant but also to direct liquid refrigerant onto the heat exchange tubes.

Falling film evaporator with refrigerant distribution system

Compression refrigeration apparatus for removing heat from a heat load using a falling film evaporator, operated with an azeotropic refrigerant and utilizing a spray tree distribution system that distributes a refrigerant film on a heat exchange surface by spraying liquid refrigerant onto a surface and allowing the refrigerant to drip onto the primary heat exchange surface. The apparatus allows for efficient recovery of lubricant deposited in the evaporator without redistributing the lubricant within the evaporator. In an alternative embodiment, liquid refrigerant is sprayed onto a mesh screen where it drips onto the primary heat exchange surface.

Compression refrigeration apparatus for removing heat from a heat load using a falling film evaporator, operated with an azeotropic refrigerant and utilizing a vapor-liquid separator, preferably inside the evaporator vessel. In one embodiment, two types of heat exchange surfaces are utilized--one for maximizing the axial distribution of refrigerant film on a heat exchange surface, the other for encouraging liquid refrigerant in contact with a heat exchange surface to boil and evaporate. The apparatus allows for efficient recovery of lubricant deposited in the evaporator without redistributing the lubricant within the evaporator.

Falling film evaporator with vapor-liquid separator

A heat exchange surface having nucleate boiling cavities defined by subsurface cavities in combination with a thin porous coating. A preferred embodiment of the heat exchange surface includes a plurality of helical fins formed on the outer surface of a metallic tube, the tips of which are deformed by rolling to define gaps opening into fin cavities between adjacent fins. A porous open-celled coating flame-sprayed on the deformed portion of the fins substantially bridges these gaps, except at random open points caused by the inherent porosity of the coating. These openings in the porous coating in combination with the fin cavities provide nucleate boiling sites which promote efficient heat transfer for boiling a liquid.

Heat exchange surface with porous coating and subsurface cavities

An air cooled centrifugal water chiller is disclosed which may be operable (1) under conditions of low outdoor ambient temperature, requiring flooding of the air cooled condenser in order to reduce its capacity and maintain proper system operation; or (2) in a heat recovery mode through the provision of a liquid cooled heat recovery condenser which thereby accommodates a portion of or all the condensing load, also requiring reduction in the capacity of the air cooled condenser through flooding. In order to provide sufficient refrigerant within the system to accommodate flooding under the conditions enumerated above, a refrigerant storage vessel is provided in communication with the shell of the evaporator of the system for receiving and storing excess liquid refrigerant during those operating conditions when it is not required in order to flood the air cooled condenser. An added feature lies in the provision of suitable service valves for isolating the air cooled condenser and the refrigerant storage vessel from the evaporator and centrifugal compressor such that liquid refrigerant from the evaporator may be pumped into the refrigerant storage vessel in order to allow servicing of the compressor or evaporator. In a preferred embodiment, the refrigerant storage vessel comprises an elongated pipe member connected at one end to the evaporator shell and extending therefrom along an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal extent of the air cooled condenser.

Air cooled centrifugal water chiller with refrigerant storage means

A refrigeration system is disclosed which includes evaporator means of the type for producing chilled liquid and wherein a compressor of the centrifugal type is provided for compressing refrigerant which has been vaporized in the evaporator means. Both air cooled and liquid cooled condenser means are connected in parallel flow relationship to the compressor, whereby the heat of condensation and compression may be rejected either to a source of ambient air or recovered through heat exchange with a source of liquid, whereby a heated liquid is produced for use as desired. Conduit means which are provided for passing condensed refrigerant from the air cooled and liquid cooled condenser means to the evaporator means include valve means for selectively varying the flow of condensed refrigerant from each, whereby the flow of condensed refrigerant from the air cooled condenser means may be reduced so as to cause at least partial flooding thereof and thereby reduce its capacity, while the flow of condensed refrigerant from said liquid cooled condenser means may be increased so as to increase the production of heated liquid. Control means are also disclosed for operating the aforesaid valve means in response to a sensed demand for heated liquid.

Growing community of inventors

La Crosse, WI, United States of America

Duane F Sanborn