Tecumseh Products Company

Sharon Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Robert L Morse

Sharon J Hudson, Jr

Rick L Bunch

Tara C Kandpal

Russell M Hagan

A modular refrigeration system having an evaporator, a condenser, a compressor, and expansion device fluidly connected by a plurality of conduits. The modular refrigeration system includes an integral base plate to which the evaporator, condenser, expansion device, and compressor are mounted. A compressor mount is formed in the base plate and includes at least one integrally formed stud extending from the base plate. The compressor has at least one mounting flange in which the stud is received. A fastener is affixed to the stud to secure the compressor to the base plate. A drain pan is formed in the base plate beneath the compressor to collect condensate. A drain basin is located beneath the evaporator and is fluidly connected to the drain pan via a trough. Condensate from the evaporator drains to the drain pan where it is evaporated.

Modular refrigeration system for refrigeration appliance

The present invention is a crankcase heater for preventing the migration of liquid refrigerant. The heater is located on the compressor housing surface near the oil sump. The heater is positioned within a fence of a terminal assembly, covering substantially all the surface area enclosed by the fence except for the terminal cluster itself. The heater provides heat to the housing and the interior of the compressor, and the gasket insulates the heater and interiorly reflects the heat produced. Liquid refrigerant in the oil sump is boiled off to increase the pressure inside the housing and inhibit migration of refrigerant from the evaporator or accumulator.

Normal direction heater for compressor crankcase heat

A suction accumulator for the compressor of a refrigeration system including a disk-shaped dirt trap baffle member spaced from the wall of the vessel to form a gap through which liquid refrigerant flows from an active zone above the baffle to a quiet zone therebelow. Within the quiet zone, liquid refrigerant flows from a radially outer region to a radially inner region along a tortuous flow path. A bleed-through orifice in a gaseous refrigerant flow conduit siphons liquid refrigerant from the radially inner region into the gaseous flow path. Foreign particles suspended in the liquid refrigerant are isolated within the accumulator at various points along the flow path, particularly within the quiet zone. A cup-shaped porous filter is disposed over the lower end of the conduit for the gaseous refrigerant to filter liquid refrigerant before it flows through the orifice.

Suction accumulator with dirt trap and filter

A pressure relief valve for a hermetically sealed reciprocating piston compressor is made in which a bore in a compressor cylinder head defines the valve body. Valve components are introduced into the bore through a valve opening on the bottom surface of the cylinder head. A discharge pressure chamber in the cylinder head also has a discharge pressure opening on the bottom surface. A path is provided between the valve opening and the discharge pressure opening, when the compressor is assembled, by means of a duct in a valve plate interposed between the cylinder head and a compressor crankcase. Also disclosed is a method for assembling the pressure relief valve in a cylinder head, whereby the valve components are temporarily retained within the bore by a washer-shaped soft metal valve seat that is compressed and expanded into an annular undercut or recess in the bore located adjacent to the bottom surface of the cylinder head. Upon final assembly of the cylinder head to the crankcase, the valve seat and other valve components are positively retained within the bore.

Method of making an integral internal pressure relief valve

A suction accumulator for the compressor of a refrigeration system is disclosed in which a vertical fluid storage vessel comprises a cylindrical central member and a lower end cap. A disk-shaped dirt trap baffle member includes at its outer periphery a plurality of circumferentially spaced tabs that are clamped between the central housing member and lower end cap. Circumferentially intermediate the tabs are gaps through which liquid refrigerant flows from an active zone above the baffle to a quiet zone therebelow. Within the quiet zone, liquid refrigerant flows from a radially outer region to a radially inner region along a tortuous flow path created by a vertically extending wall comprising a portion of the baffle member. A bleed-through orifice in a gaseous refrigerant flow conduit siphons liquid refrigerant from the radially inner region into the gaseous flow path. Foreign particles suspended in the liquid refrigerant are isolated within the accumulator at various points along the flow path, particularly within the quiet zone.

Suction accumulator with dirt trap

A pressure relief valve for a hermetically sealed reciprocating piston compressor is disclosed in which a bore in a compressor cylinder head defines the valve body. Valve components are introduced into the bore through a valve opening on the bottom surface of the cylinder head. A discharge pressure chamber in the cylinder head also has a discharge pressure opening on the bottom surface. A path is provided between the valve opening and the discharge pressure opening, when the compressor is assembled, by means of a duct in a valve plate interposed between the cylinder head and a compressor crankcase. Also disclosed is a method for assembling the pressure relief valve in a cylinder head, whereby the valve components are temporarily retained within the bore by a washer-shaped soft metal valve seat that is compressed and expanded into an annular undercut or recess in the bore located adjacent to the bottom surface of the cylinder head. Upon final assembly of the cylinder head to the crankcase, the valve seat and other valve components are positively retained within the bore.

Integral internal pressure relief valve

A suction accumulator including a casing for defining a liquid storage vessel. The casing includes an upper and lower end cap. A baffle is disposed in an upper portion of the casing adjacent the upper end cap whereby refrigerant flowing into the inlet will be deflected by the baffle from an axial entry direction to flow in a horizontal plane and will be confined by the baffle until the fluid flows generally tangentially to the casing wall. At this point, the fluid leaves the baffle and flows into the liquid storage vessel. An elongated conduit is disposed in the casing whereby gaseous refrigerant flows through a tortuous path to enter the conduit and then flows through the conduit to the fluid outlet of the suction accumulator. The baffle and conduit may be molded or extruded from plastic material.

Suction accumulator including an entrance baffle

A suction accumulator including a tubular housing defining a liquid storage vessel. A conduit is arranged in the vessel and includes a divider plate for forming two fluid flow passageways. A plastic transition cap is secured to one end of the conduit to form a connection passage between the two fluid flow passageways. A tubular conduit extends from the liquid storage volume through the transition cap member and into the upflow passageway whereby liquid refrigerant is aspirated from the liquid storage volume into the upflow passageway. A screen member is provided in the transition cap member to prevent impurities from flowing through the tubular conduit into the upflow passageway. In one embodiment, a pair of pressure equalizing vents are integrally molded with the conduit to equalize pressures in the accumulator when the compressor is turned off. In another embodiment, a pressure equalizing vent directly connects the outlet of the accumulator to the liquid storage vessel.

Suction accumulator

A hermetic compressor discharge line thermal block is hermetically coupled in the discharge line between a condenser and compressor adjacent to the discharge outlet of the compressor. The device is formed to define a well for removably receiving a heating element, and has a hermetically sealed chamber substantially surrounding the heater well and electric heating element. Upon compressor shutdown, liquid refrigerant migrating from the condenser partially fills the chamber, thereby decreasing the temperature of the heating element below a predetermined temperature, thereby causing the heating element to become electrically conductive to supply heat to the chamber to evaporate the liquid refrigerant therein and to prevent further accumulation of liquid. If a positive temperature coefficient heater is used, after thermal stabilization and during compressor operation, the heat generated either by the compressor or by the heating element itself raises the temperature of the element, thereby causing the heating element to become substantially less electrically conductive to reduce the supply of heat to the chamber. The discharge line thermal block device prevents the migration of liquid refrigerant from the condenser to the compressor to thereby prevent slugging during compressor start-up.

Hermetic compressor discharge line thermal block

A heat exchanger in a suction accumulator for the compressor of a refrigeration system wherein the suction accumulator comprises a storage vessel having a liquid and gaseous refrigerant inlet, and means within the vessel defining a fluid passageway for separating the gaseous and liquid components and conducting the gaseous component and a controlled amount of liquid out of the storage vessel to the inlet of the compressor. This fluid passageway may comprise a generally U-shaped conduit or, alternatively, a U-shaped flume formed by a vertical weir member. The heat exchanger comprises a jacket disposed over at least a portion of the surface of the gaseous refrigerant conduit or weir member and is spaced therefrom so as to form a second fluid passageway, which is sealed from the gaseous refrigerant passageway and the interior of the vessel. An inlet and outlet lead from the second fluid passageway out of the storage vessel.

Suction accumulator having heat exchanger

A mechanical refrigeration system and method of operating the same with a combined hermetic compressor and suction accumulator unit. The compressor includes an electric motor and gas pump driven thereby enclosed within a hermetically sealed first casing having a top wall disposed thereabove in the normal operational orientation of said motor and pump. The accumulator comprises a second casing superimposed on the first casing, of inverted cup shape with the lower edge thereof joined to the first casing such that said first casing top wall closes the lower end of said second casing. Refrigerant fluid from the system suction return line enters the second casing via inlet means oriented to induce a whirling flow of refrigerant fluid in the accumulator casing generally concentric with the upright axis thereof, and a gas liquid-separating standpipe means is disposed within said second casing having a gas outlet extending through said first casing top wall and communicating with an inlet to said gas pump. In the refrigeration system and method, the aforementioned suction accumulator is combined with the hermetic compressor so as to cause heat exchange between the usual compressor components disposed within the first casing and the gaseous and/or liquid phases of refrigerant disposed within the accumulator during flow thereof from the evaporator to the compressor during both the running and shutdown phases of the refrigeration cycle to thereby augment compressor cooling, improve the efficiency of the system and absorb or muffle compressor running noises.

Accumulator for refrigeration system

Refrigeration system with compressor mounted accumulator

A suction accumulator for the compressor of a refrigeration system comprising a storage vessel having an inlet and an outlet located within the upper portion thereof, a generally rounded peripheral side wall and a U-shaped conduit extending downwardly into the lower portion of the vessel. One end of the conduit is connected to the outlet and the other end is open to the interior of the vessel. A generally funnel-shaped bleed-through orifice in the lowermost portion of the conduit causes liquid refrigerant and oil to be drawn into the stream of gaseous refrigerant flowing through the conduit. A baffle interposed between the inlet and outlet of the vessel has a peripheral portion positioned below the inlet which is spaced slightly from the side wall so as to cause swirling movement of the incoming refrigerant in close proximity to the side wall of the vessel.

Refrigeration system and method with compressor mounted accumulator

A suction accumulator for use in a refrigerant compressing - evaporating system to accumulate in a reservoir the liquid phase of an incoming refrigerant fluid flowing into the accumulator and to control the return of the liquid to the gaseous refrigerant stream flowing out of the accumulator. A weir member located between an inlet and outlet of the accumulator vessel is utilized in conjunction with the vessel wall to form an outlet passageway or flume on one side of the weir end and a reservoir on the other side of the weir.

Growing community of inventors

Adrian, MI, United States of America

Robert L Morse