Carrier Corporation

Edward A Huenniger

Joseph A Catrambone

Jack Leon Esformes

Donald Yannascoli

Mark A Daniels

Gordon L Mount

David N Shaw

Jianping Zhong

Robert H Chiang

Edson H Byrns

Fadi S Maalouf

Wei Zhou

Jarso Mulugeta

Nadine Thompson

George M Case

A vaporizer for boiling off a liquid refrigerant from a combined liquid refrigerant/lubricant mixture tapped from an evaporator utilizes hot compressed gaseous refrigerant tapped from a location upstream of the condenser. In a preferred embodiment, the refrigerant is tapped from a compression chamber within the compressor. The hot refrigerant efficiently boils the liquid refrigerant out of the mixture, ensuring high viscosity lubricant. In further features, a return lubricant line from the compressor passes into a sump to further boil off liquid refrigerant.

Oil recovery and lubrication system for screw compressor refrigeration machine

The gas flow direction and the noise generation direction are in opposite directions in the suction muffler. The flow path in the muffler has a number of changes in direction and the flow path cross section decreases at each change of direction in the direction of flow.

Suction muffler for chiller compressor

A portion of the condensed liquid in a condenser is diverted to a generator where it supplies heat to boil off refrigerant from a refrigerant oil mixture and is thereby subcooled. The subcooled liquid is supplied to the motor for cooling. The boiling off of refrigerant in the generator results in an &ldquo;oil rich&rdquo; liquid which is supplied to the bearings, etc. for lubrication. One, or more, jet or ejector pumps are preferably used to supply the oil rich liquid to the lubrication distribution system.

Lubrication system for screw compressors using an oil still

A two pass heat exchanger is provided. The first pass includes a plurality of tubes located in liquid refrigerant, when employed as an evaporator, whereby the liquid refrigerant draws heat from the water flowing through the tubes causing the water to be cooled and the liquid refrigerant to evaporate. The second pass is a single pipe which need not be located in the liquid refrigerant. The two pass heat exchanger can also be used as a condenser.

Low pressure drop heat exchanger

A vapor compression refrigeration system for cooling a liquid in which there is a spray dispenser for distributing liquid refrigerant over the tubes in a shell-and-tube type evaporator. The differential pressure in the refrigerant flow loop across the evaporator is the sole means of producing a flow through the spray dispenser. The evaporator is operated as a hybrid falling film heat exchanger, that is, in a semi-flooded condition. The lower portion of the evaporator shell is flooded with liquid refrigerant to wet the lower tubes in the tube bundle while the tubes in the upper portion are wetted only by refrigerant spray from the spray dispenser. The system is operated in a steady state condition whereby at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the tubes in the evaporator operate in a flooded heat transfer mode. The system allows a reduction in the amount of refrigerant charge in the system while at the same time avoiding the use of a recirculating system and pump.

Chiller with hybrid falling film evaporator

A refrigerant flow control system for regulating the flow of a refrigerant liquid from a condenser sump to an evaporator wherein the control system regulates the liquid flow as a function of both the level of the liquid in the condenser sump and the system pressure differential between the condenser and evaporator of the refrigeration system. The flow control system includes a stop, biasing means, a guidepost, a standpipe, a generally tubular metering sleeve, and a float member.

Refrigerator flow control apparatus

An oil management system for a refrigeration system having a screw compressor for pressurizing and circulating refrigerant through the system and an evaporator having a shell enclosing a chamber for allowing phase change of the refrigerant. A suction line is provided to fluidly connect the evaporator chamber to the inlet side of the compressor. The suction line is sealed about an opening in the shell and has a distal end projecting into the chamber below the seal. A reservoir is positioned within the chamber, below the suction line. The reservoir is employed for collecting lubrication oil migrating down the suction line during low load operation of the compressor so that when the level of oil in the reservoir reaches a predetermined level, the opening in the distal end of the line will be restricted thereby increasing the flow velocity proximate thereto causing reintroduction of the oil into the compressor.

Oil management system for screw compressor utilized in refrigeration

Loss of oil due to oil feedback is prevented in a screw compressor in a refrigeration application due to low capacity operation. The apparent suction temperature is compared to the temperature of the water exiting the evaporator to determine the apparent superheat and the loading is increased upon the apparent superheat reaching a predetermined level. Upon sensing a predetermined difference, an electronic slide valve block is initiated to prevent further unloading and loading may be initiated in a fixed amount, incrementally or on a pulsed basis.

Electronic slide valve block

A discharge valve and baffle assembly is provided in a refrigeration system having either one or more compressors. The discharge valve and baffle assembly eliminates the effects of an established head upon starting the associated compressor, thereby permitting the compressor to quickly come up to speed for the established head. During compressor operation, the discharge valve and baffle assembly provides a suction force for holding the valve in the open position to prevent bouncing of the valve during part-load conditions and cycling of the valve between the open and closed positions during surge conditions. The assembly prevents backflow of refrigerant through the nonoperating compressor, and also provides a baffle effect to direct the flow of high pressure gaseous refrigerant uniformly into the condenser.

Discharge valve and baffle assembly for a refrigeration system

A control system for controlling the capacity of a lead compressor of a refrigeration system having a lead and lag compressor when the lag compressor is in surge. A microcomputer system receives electrical input signals indicative of the lead and lag motor currents and closes the inlet guide vanes of the lead compressor when the lag compressor percent motor amps are below the lead compressor motor amps by more than a selected percentage for a specified period of time.

Automatic anti-surge control for dual centrifugal compressor system

A condenser purge probe is provided for use with a condenser enclosing a plurality of condenser tubes, wherein the purge probe has a wave-like form comprising a plurality of alternating wave segments having exterior configurations approximating portions of the exterior configurations of the condenser tubes. The purge probe is selectively positionable in conforming and interlocking relationship with selected ones of the condenser tubes, thereby permitting selective placement of the purge probe in the condenser and substantially reducing vibration of the probe during operation of the condenser.

Condenser purge probe

A waterbox for a shell and tube heat exchanger is disclosed. The waterbox is attached at one end of the heat exchanger to a tube sheet through which heat exchange tubes extend. Nozzle connections are made to the waterbox through a top member having an access opening which projects onto an area of the tube sheet through which the heat exchange tubes extend. The openings of the nozzles project onto areas on the tube sheet through which no heat exchange tubes extend. A removable cover is positioned over the access opening in the top member so that, when fluid flow conduits are connected to the nozzles on the top member, the conduits and removable cover are positioned relative to each other to allow removal of the cover without disturbing the connections between the conduits and the nozzles. In an alternative embodiment, the conduit connections are made through the back wall of the tube sheet rather than through the top member. This allows use of a waterbox with a removable top member having no nozzles.

Waterbox for a shell and tube heat exchanger

In a centrifugal gas compressor the capacity and the prewhirl of the entering gas are both controlled by reciprocating a plug which is located in the flow path. The plug coacts with tapering walls of the flow path to vary the minimum cross-sectional area of the flow path. Additionally vanes are provided either in the wall of the flow path or on the plug. The vanes transition from an axial direction to a helical direction and of reducing height in a downstream direction so as to produce increasing prewhirl with decreasing capacity. Alternatively, prewhirl may be provided without capacity control.

Growing community of inventors

Liverpool, NY, United States of America

Edward A Huenniger