Purdue Research Foundation

Bechtel Energy Technologies & Solutions, Inc.

Eckhard Achim Groll

James Edward Braun

Davide Ziviani

Orkan Kurtulus

David Ladd

Vatsal Manilal Shah

Riley Barta

Jason J Hugenroth

William Travis Horton

Parveen Dhillon

Galen B King

Riley B Barta

Florian Simon

Brandon Jay Woodland

Xinye Zhang

Changkuan Liang

W Travis Horton

Akash Patil

System and methods for oil circulation ratio (OCR) sensing with a suction-line accumulator are provided. The accumulator may include a sensor configured to detect the level of oil. The accumulator may further include a valve which opens when oil is at a high-level and closes when oil is at a low-level. The accumulator may measure a mass flow rate of oil in the vapor compression cycle system based on an amount of time taken to fill a portion of the accumulator. The accumulator may further determine an oil circulation ratio based on the measured time taken to fill the portion of the accumulator. The smart accumulator may output the oil circulation ratio.

Smart accumulator with oil circulation ratio sensing

A system for measuring oil circulation ratio in a vapor-compression refrigeration system (VCRS) is provided. The system may include an oil separator configured to receive the refrigerant and oil flow from the low-pressure line of the VCRS and output a oil flow and a refrigerant flow. The system may further include an oil collector configured to receive the separated oil flow provided by the oil separator. A valve may control an oil flow from the oil collector to the low-pressure line. A level sensor may measure oil level in the oil collector. The system may close, in response to the oil being at or less than a first level, the valve to collect oil in the oil collector. The system may open, in response to the oil being at or greater than a second level, the valve to release oil from the oil collector to the low-pressure line.

In-situ oil circulation ratio measurement system for vapor compression cycle systems

Systems and methods for implementing ejector refrigeration cycles with cascaded evaporation stages that utilize a pump to optimize operation of the ejector and eliminate the need for a compressor between the evaporation stages.

Systems and methods for implementing ejector refrigeration cycles with cascaded evaporation stages

An apparatus for providing an optimized amount of refrigerant to a refrigeration system includes three valves coupled with a fluid coupling, the first valve being coupled between the fluid coupling and an inlet of a refrigerant source, the second valve being coupled between the fluid coupling and an outlet of the refrigerant source, the third valve being coupled between the fluid coupling and the refrigeration system, the fluid coupling having a refrigerant chamber operable to store a volume of refrigerant to selectively provide the volume of refrigerant to the refrigeration system upon operation of the first, second, and third valves.

Portable automatic refrigerant charging device and method

A method for operating and controlling a vapor-compression cycle includes providing a system comprising an evaporator with a fan, a compressor, a condenser with a fan, an integrated expander, and a flash tank device with a vapor/liquid two-phase inlet and two outlets wherein a first outlet is a vapor outlet and a second outlet is a liquid outlet, and a metering valve; bringing a vapor-compression cycle up to steady-state at a fixed operating condition; opening the metering valve until the desired compressor suction superheat is achieved; and maintaining the desired degree of superheat by selectively increasing and decreasing superheat by reducing and increasing metering valve flow rate respectively.

Control method for vapor compression cycle

The present disclosure relates to a novel vapor compression refrigeration system, and the methods of making and using the vapor compression refrigeration system.

Vapor compression refrigeration system

A heat engine system configured to extract thermal energy from a heat source, convert a first portion of the thermal energy to work using an expansion device, and reject a second portion of the thermal energy to a heat sink. The system utilizes a second fluid to inhibit a temperature drop of the first fluid within the expansion device.

Organic rankine cycle with flooded expansion and internal regeneration

A thermodynamic system that can approximate the Ericsson or Brayton cycles and operated in reverse or forward modes to implement a cooler or engine, respectively. The thermodynamic system includes a device for compressing a first fluid stream containing a first gas-liquid mixture having a sufficient liquid content so that compression of the gas within the first gas-liquid mixture by the compressing device is nearly isothermal, and a device for expanding a second fluid stream containing a second gas-liquid mixture having a sufficient liquid content so that expansion of the gas within the second gas-liquid mixture by the expanding device is nearly isothermal. A heat sink is in thermal communication with at least the liquid of the first gas-liquid mixture for transferring heat therefrom, and a heat source is in thermal communication with at least the liquid of the second gas-liquid mixture for transferring heat thereto. A device is provided for transferring heat between at least the gas of the first gas-liquid mixture after the first fluid stream exits the compressing device and at least the gas of the second gas-liquid mixture after the second fluid stream exits the expanding device. The compressing and expanding devices are not liquid-ring compressors or expanders, but instead are devices that tolerate liquid flooding, such as scroll-type compressors and expanders.

Growing community of inventors

West Lafayette, IN, United States of America

Eckhard Achim Groll