Trane International Inc.

Markham G Chatterton

William Burgess Fox

Dwayne L Johnson

To continue operating a compression refrigerant system even while the system's brazed plate heat exchanger contains, in localized areas, water at or below its atmospheric subfreezing water temperature, a penetrating temperature probe senses the water temperature at a strategic intermediate point between the heat exchanger's water inlet and outlet. The brazed plate heat exchanger comprises a series of corrugated plates stacked and brazed together to create an alternating arrangement of water and refrigerant passages in heat transfer relationship with each other. In some examples, the idea is to take advantage of the principle that water has a lower freezing temperature at relatively high pressure and that the relatively small micro-channel passages of intermediate water passages within the brazed plate heat exchanger can withstand appreciably higher pressure than other areas within the heat exchanger, such as the areas at the heat exchanger's water inlet and water outlet.

Water temperature sensor in a brazed plate heat exchanger

A penetrating temperature probe senses the water temperature of a brazed plate heat exchanger at a particularly cold intermediate point between the heat exchanger's water inlet and outlet. The brazed plate heat exchanger has a series of corrugated plates stacked and brazed together to create an alternating arrangement of water and refrigerant passages in heat transfer relationship with each other.

Growing community of inventors

La Crosse, WI, United States of America

Markham G Chatterton