Rocky Research

Lance D Kirol

Uwe Rockenfeller

Paul Sarkisian

Kaveh Khalili

William T Dooley

James W Langeliers

Terry A Zeigler

Travis Chandler

William G Guo

Larry L Peiffer

Paul Sarkasian

An aqua-ammonia absorption cooling and/or heating system actively controls the flow of weak liquor from the generator to the absorber, using one or more valves operated in response to weak liquor temperature, and/or pressure and/or concentration.

Apparatus and method for weak liquor flow control in aqua-ammonia absorption cycles

An aqua-ammonia absorption cooling and/or heating system having a variable speed burner which uses active flow control of weak liquor and/or active control of refrigerant flow to the evaporator.

Aqua-ammonia absorption system with variable speed burner

A sorber heat exchanger is provided with a substrate material incorporating a sorbent for reacting with a polar gas refrigerant or hydrogen. A preferred sorbent is a metal salt capable of reacting with the polar gas refrigerant to form a complex compound. The sorbent incorporating substrate is loaded into the reactor space between the heat transfer surfaces. Incorporating the sorbent into the substrate reduces sorbent migration thereby improving performance and life expectancy of the heat exchanger.

Heat and mass transfer apparatus and method for solid-vapor sorption systems

An improved process for operating an aqua-ammonia absorption cooling system or heating and/or cooling system for supplying cooling to an indoor space, the system including a heat exchange assembly having a first heat exchanger exterior to the indoor space to be heated and/or cooled and a second heat exchanger using a phase-change refrigerant other than ammonia in heat transfer exposure with the interior of the indoor space, comprises pumping more liquid phase-change refrigerant from the refrigerant condensing heat exchanger to the refrigerant vaporizing heat exchanger than is required to meet the heat load transfer in the heat exchanger for vaporizing the phase-change refrigerant alone. The invention includes an apparatus for carrying out the process.

Phase-change heat transfer coupling for aqua-ammonia absorption systems

An aqua-ammonia absorption heating and/or cooling apparatus uses a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) and a temperature-sensing bulb for controlling refrigerant flow to the evaporator having a bulb charge composition comprising a mixture of propane and butane, or an ammonia-water mixture having over 70% ammonia, by weight.

Apparatus and method for improved performance of aqua-ammonia absorption cycles

An aqua-ammonia absorption apparatus comprising an absorber assembly, a generator assembly, a condenser and an evaporator, the generator assembly comprising a boiler section, a solution-heated-desorber section, an adiabatic desorber or GAX desorber section, and a rectifier section, the interior space of at least one of said sections of said generator being substantially filled with structured packing material inert to an aqueous ammonia solution at generator temperatures.

Aqua-ammonia absorption system generator utilizing structured packing

An aqua-ammonia absorption apparatus comprising an absorber assembly, a generator assembly, a condenser and an evaporator, wherein the absorber assembly comprises an absorber and a GAX absorber heat exchanger and wherein a strong liquor absorption solution is partially vaporized in the GAX absorber heat exchanger to form a two-phase vapor/liquor mixture, the apparatus including piping for directing separate vapor and liquid streams from the absorber assembly into the generator assembly and introducing the vapor stream into the generator assembly at a location where the composition is substantially the same as the vapor stream.

Aqua-ammonia absorption system generator with split vapor/liquid feed

An auxiliary active heating and air conditioning system for a passenger area of a motor vehicle comprising a heat exchanger in the passenger area piped to receive conditioned heat transfer fluid, a sorption cooling system located outside the passenger area and having first and second reactors, each reactor containing a metal salt or a complex compound formed by absorbing a polar gas on a metal salt comprising a halide, nitrate, nitrite, oxalate, perchlorate, sulfate or sulfite of an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, transition metal, zinc, cadmium, tin or aluminum, or sodium borofluoride or a double metal halide, the reactors having a heat transfer section for thermally exposing a heat transfer fluid and/or condensed polar gas refrigerant in heat exchange communication with the metal salt or said complex compound, a refrigerant loop including an evaporator piped to deliver conditioned heat transfer fluid to the heat exchanger during air conditioning, a heater for heating heat transfer fluid, and a valve assembly comprising one or more valves for directing heat transfer fluid heated by the heater. In a preferred embodiment each reactor contains a sorbent/substrate composition comprising a substrate material inert to the polar gas and incorporating the salt or the complex compound.

Auxiliary active motor vehicle heating and air conditioning system

An aqua-ammonia absorption apparatus generator assembly comprising a boiler section, a solution-heated-desorber section, and adiabatic desorber or GAX desorber section, and a rectifier section, incorporates a plurality of columns, each column comprising one or more of the sections, with the columns arranged so that the lowest end of a first column is lower than the top end of a second column, and uses one or more eductors driven by a feed stream from the absorber for pumping liquid refrigerant from the bottom of a lower temperature column to the top of the next hotter column.

Multiple column generator for aqua-ammonia absorption system

An auxiliary thermal storage heating and air conditioning system having an output for selectively delivering warm and cool air to the passenger area of a motor vehicle incorporates a reactor containing a metal salt or a complex compound formed by absorbing a polar gas refrigerant on a metal salt comprising a halide, nitrate, nitrite, oxalate, perchlorate, sulfate or sulfite of an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, transition metal, zinc, cadmium, tin or aluminum, or sodium borofluoride or a double metal halide. In a preferred embodiment, the reactor contains a sorbent/substrate composition comprising a substrate material inert to the polar gas and incorporating the salt or the complex compound. One embodiment utilizes apparatus having a heat exchanger which selectively functions as an evaporator for a cooling mode and a condenser for a heating mode, and inside and outside coils for transferring system generated thermal energy. Another embodiment of the system uses a refrigerant circulatory system having a circuitous refrigerant line and an evaporator and condenser serially disposed within the circuitous line and a multi-channel ventilation system having a blower for forcing air through the channels of the system and to the output, the channels communicating with the evaporator, the condenser, and the reactor.

Auxiliary thermal storage heating and air conditioning system for a motor vehicle

An auxiliary active heating and air conditioning system which uses a fuel fired heater as an energy source for both heating and air conditioning a passenger area of a motor vehicle. The system also utilizes a single heat exchanger to supply both heated and cooled air to the passenger area. The system includes a fuel fired heater for heating heat transfer fluid and a two bed sorber cooling system. The system being operable in a heating mode and a cooling mode. In the heating mode, the heated heat transfer fluid from the fuel fired heater is directed to heat exchanger in order to heat the passenger compartment. In the cooling mode, the heat transfer fluid from the heater is alternately directed to the two sorber beds such that one sorber bed is heated while the other bed cools. The alternate heating and cooling of the sorber beds in the cooling mode causes the sorber cooling system to operate and thereby deliver cooled heat transfer fluid to the heat exchanger in the passenger area.

Auxiliary active heating and air conditioning system for motor vehicle

A valve assembly includes a refrigerant inlet port and a refrigerant outlet port having a restricted opening, with the inlet port opening at least 2 times larger than the restricted outlet port opening. The valve includes components for opening and closing the inlet port in response to valve cavity pressure between the inlet and outlet ports. The larger inlet port relative to the restricted outlet port provides for rapid pressure buildup in the valve cavity when the inlet port is open which, in turn, causes rapid closing of the inlet port. The valve is capable of rapid cycling rates, highly effective for small refrigeration or cooling apparatus, as well as for controlling pressure in other applications requiring pressure regulation.

Pulsed operation control valve

An apparatus capable of providing rapid cooling and/or freezing comprises a cabinet or container having a cooling chamber, one or more reactors each containing a complex compound formed by adsorbing a polar gas on a metal salt, in which the polar gas is alternately adsorbed and desorbed on the complex compound, and in which the complex compound is formed by restricting the volumetric expansion and controlling the density during adsorption of the polar gas on the metal salt, whereby the complex compound is capable of adsorbing said polar gas at a rate of greater than 15 moles per mole hour of the complex compound in about 20 minutes or less, a condenser for condensing the polar gas, an evaporator thermally exposed to the cooling chamber for providing cooling therein, and conduits and one or more valves for directing said polar gas from the one or more reactors to the condenser, from the condenser to the evaporator and from the evaporator to the one or more reactors.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder City, NV, United States of America

Lance D Kirol