Emerson Electric Company

John H Faught

William Thompson Hanna

Joseph G Murray

Rodney L Osborne

Apparatus for recovering refrigerant from a refrigeration system having a high pressure liquid side and a low pressure vapor side comprises a storage receptacle for receiving recovered refrigerant, a liquid flow circuit for recovering liquid from the high pressure side of the system, a vapor flow circuit for recovering vapor from the low pressure side of the system, and a vapor feedback flow circuit from the receptacle to the inlet side of a vapor reducing section of the vapor flow circuit. The apparatus is operable in a liquid recovery mode and in a vapor recovery mode, and an arrangement for automatically purging non-compressible gases from liquid refrigerant is provided in the vapor flow circuit on the downstream side of the vapor reducing section thereof. During a liquid recovery operation, vapor is fed back from the storage receptacle to the inlet side of the vapor reducing section and non-condensable gas in the liquid refrigerant flowing therefrom is separated from the liquid prior to return of the liquid refrigerant to the storage receptacle. During a vapor recovery operation, the apparatus is operable to shift back to the liquid recovery mode in response to a high pressure in the storage receptacle, whereby vapor in the receptacle is fed back and reduced to a liquid from which non-condensable gas is removed prior to return of the liquid to the receptacle. Gas removed from the liquid refrigerant is accumulated and periodically exhausted to atmosphere.

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Grove City, OH, United States of America

John H Faught