Gas Research Institute

Emerson Electric Company

Joseph G Murray

William Thompson Hanna

Rodney L Osborne

John H Faught

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.

Method and apparatus for recovering and purging refrigerant

An absorption refrigeration system having an absorber, a generator, and a refrigeration solution pump which flows relatively dilute refrigeration solution received from the absorber to the generator includes a novel purge subsystem which purges un-wanted, non-condensed gases along with some refrigerant vapor from the absorber and flows such gases to the pump inlet for subsequent flow to the generator at system operating pressures substantially greater than atmospheric pressure. The so-flowed gases are separated from the refrigerant in the generator, are isolated in a collector unit, and afterwards periodically either manually or automatically vented from the collector unit to the atmosphere at the system high side operating pressure.

Absorption refrigeration system purge subsystem

An absorption refrigeration system having absorber and generator elements and a solution pump flowing relatively dilute refrigeration solution from a system absorber sub-atmospheric operating pressure to a system generator operating pressure is provided with novel low-pressure-differential, positive-displacement purge pump apparatus that is driven by bleed relatively dilute refrigeration solution taken from the solution pump high-pressure side, flowed through a coiled tube flow restrictor device to substantially reduce bleed solution operating pressure, and then through an inverted vertical U-tube that includes a V-shaped entrapment zone that receives un-wanted, non-condensed gases purged from the system absorber element. The entrapped un-wanted gases are composed by gravitational forces and then flowed through the system solution pump to the generator element for re-separation and for subsequent accumulation and venting to the atmosphere without requiring system shut-down for purging purposes or the use of a separate mechanical vacuum pump.

Absorption refrigeration system purge pump apparatus

A refrigeration fluid flow control device for application to absorption refrigeration systems for either cooling or heating air is comprised of an inverted, generally U-shaped, dripper tube having a non-siphon bend which joins on inlet leg and an outlet leg. The inlet leg projects into a refrigeration liquid pool; the outlet leg directs liquid flowed by pumping and surface tension effects, and not by a siphon effect, to the active heat transfer surface of an absorption refrigeration system absorber, evaporator, or desorber assembly.

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Worthington, OH, United States of America

Joseph G Murray