Optimizing liquid temperature and liquid pressure in a modular outdoor refrigeration system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10323870-B2
Application number	US-201615205477-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 6, 2016
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A refrigeration system includes a valve and a controller. The valve is configured to control the flow of refrigerant into an evaporator, the refrigerant having an associated liquid setting comprising a temperature and a pressure at which the refrigerant flows through the valve. The controller is operable to adjust the liquid setting, the adjusted liquid setting comprising a temperature and a pressure selected to improve energy efficiency under conditions currently being experienced by the refrigeration system, wherein the controller is operable to adjust the temperature and the pressure simultaneously such that the adjustment does not interfere with operation of the valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigeration system, the refrigeration system comprising:
one or more compressors configured to compress refrigerant circulating through the refrigeration system;
a condenser comprising at least one fan, the at least one fan configured to provide cooling to the refrigerant;
a valve configured to control the flow of the refrigerant into an evaporator, wherein:
the refrigerant has an associated liquid setting comprising a first temperature and a first pressure at which the refrigerant flows through the valve, and the initial liquid setting satisfies a load of the refrigeration system;
a controller operable to:
determine an adjusted liquid setting that satisfies the load of the refrigeration system, the adjusted liquid setting comprising a second temperature and a second pressure selected to improve energy efficiency under conditions currently being experienced by the refrigeration system, wherein the adjusted liquid setting is determined by determining a speed of the at least one fan and a discharge pressure of the one or more compressors that results in a decrease in power usage of the refrigeration system relative to the power usage of the refrigeration system operating according to the initial liquid setting; and
operate the at least one fan at the determined speed and the one or more compressors at the determined discharge pressure to realize the second temperature and second pressure of the adjusted liquid setting, wherein operation of the at least one fan at the determined speed and operation of the one or more compressors at the determined discharge pressure does not change the openness of the valve.

2. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the conditions currently being experienced by the refrigeration system comprise an outdoor temperature.

3. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the refrigerant and the pressure of the refrigerant are adjusted by the same proportion.

4. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , the controller further operable to save the adjusted liquid setting as an optimal liquid setting for the conditions currently being experienced by the refrigeration system in response to feedback indicating that the adjusted liquid setting is more energy efficient than the original liquid setting.

5. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein:
the controller comprises a storage device; and
the controller is further operable to:
save, to the storage device, the adjusted liquid setting as an optimal liquid setting for the conditions currently being experienced by the refrigeration system; and
subsequently, in response to a detection of the saved conditions, obtain the adjusted liquid setting from the storage device and operate the refrigeration system according to the adjusted liquid setting.

6. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure associated with the adjusted liquid setting is selected such that the valve maintains its same amount of openness when the temperature associated with the adjusted liquid setting is lower than the temperature associated with the original liquid setting.

7. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further operable to select the adjusted liquid setting in response to receiving data indicative of an outdoor temperature.

Assignees

• Heatcraft Refrigeration Products Llc

Inventors

• Douglas Jonathan
• Gokhale Umesh

Classifications

• F25B2700/1931

  Discharge pressures · CPC title

• F25B2600/19

  Refrigerant outlet condenser temperature · CPC title

• F25B2400/075

  with parallel compressors · CPC title

• F25B2700/195

  of the condenser · CPC title

• F25B2700/21152

  at the discharge side of the compressor · CPC title