Carrier Corporation

Ian M Shapiro-Baruch

Wayne B Cavanaugh

Robert H Swleczkowski

A refrigerant metering device for a vapor compression refrigeration system. The metering device employs a restrictor fabricated of a porous material to achieve the desired pressure reduction across the device. The porous material is housed in a casing that provides support for the restrictor and enables installation of the device into the system. Any suitable porous material may be used to make the restrictor, but in the preferred embodiments, a porous polyethylene material is used. In the preferred embodiments, a filter is provided upstream in the refrigerant flow path to reduce the possibility of restrictor fouling and resultant system performance degradation. In one embodiment, the filter and restrictor are combined as two sections of an integral filter and restrictor. The device is effective in reducing refrigerant flow noise during both steady state operation and post shutdown transients.

Refrigerant metering device

An air conditioning apparatus having a dehumidifying mode so that the apparatus is able to cool and dehumidify air in a space to be conditioned and also dehumidify air in the space with no sensible cooling of the air. The apparatus has both an evaporator and a heater. A solenoid operated stop valve allows hot refrigerant to flow through the heater when the valve is open. In its cooling mode, the apparatus operates much as a conventional vapor compression air conditioner, with the stop valve shut and no refrigerant flow through the heater. The stop valve opens to align the apparatus for its dehumidifying mode. In that mode, a portion of the hot refrigerant exiting the compressor discharge bypasses the outside condenser and flows through the inside heater. In the dehumidifying mode, air heated by passing over the heater is mixed with air cooled and dehumidified by passing over the evaporator at the air outlet of the air conditioner to produce a stream of dehumidified air at the approximate temperature of the inlet air. The invention is particularly suited to room air conditioner applications but may be used in other types of air conditioning systems.

Air conditioner with dehumidification mode

An air conditioning apparatus having a dehumidifying mode so that the apparatus is able both to cool and dehumidify air in a space to be conditioned and also to dehumidify air in the space with no sensible cooling of the air. The apparatus has two heat exchangers in its indoor section and two heat exchangers in its outdoor section. In its cooling mode, the apparatus operates much as a conventional vapor compression air conditioner, with both outside heat exchangers operating in series as a single evaporator. A four way reversing valve shifts to align the apparatus for its dehumidifying mode. In that mode, hot refrigerant is directed to one of the inside heat exchangers before reaching one of the outside heat exchangers that continues to function as a condenser. The cooled refrigerant bypasses the second outside heat exchanger before passing through the second inside heat exchanger that continues to function as a evaporator. Air to be conditioned flows through the indoor section so that, in the dehumidiying mode, air heated by passing over the one inside heat exchanger is mixed with air cooled and dehumidified by passing over the second inside heat exchanger at the air outlet of the air conditioner to produce a stream of dehumidified air at the approximate temperature of the inlet air. The invention is particularly suited to room air conditioner applications but may be used in other types of air conditioning systems.

Air conditioner with dehumidifying mode

A method and apparatus for defrosting the outside heat exchanger of a reversible vapor compression refrigeration (heat pump) system. The method and apparatus are particularly suited for use with smaller systems that employ a single fan motor to drive both the inside and outside heat exchanger fans. A heat storage apparatus is mounted in heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant piping between the system flow reversing valve and the inside heat exchanger. During operation in the heating mode, heat from the refrigerant is transferred to and stored in the heat storage apparatus. During operation in the defrosting mode, the refrigerant flow in the system is aligned as in the cooling mode but both fans are shut off. Heat stored in the heat storage apparatus is transferred to and used for defrosting the outside heat exchanger. The apparatus has little or no effect on system operation in the cooling mode.

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Syracuse, NY, United States of America

Ian M Shapiro-Baruch