Scroll compressor with integrated refrigerant pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10962011-B2
Application number	US-201816215706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A cooling system is configured to operate in one of three modes, a DX mode of operation when outdoor air is too hot or too humid and the cooling system operates as a normal closed circuit system, a hybrid mode of operation when outside temperatures cool down and the cooling system operates as a partial reduced normal closed circuit system and a free cooling system, and a thermosiphon mode of operation when the outside temperature is below a predetermined temperature and the cooling system operates without the normal closed circuit system. The cooling system includes a scroll compressor unit having a main casing, a scroll compressor supported by the main casing, and a refrigerant pump supported by the main casing. The scroll compressor unit is configured to selectively engage the scroll compressor and the refrigerant pump to achieve one of the DX mode, the hybrid mode, and the thermosiphon mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling system configured to operate in one of three modes, a DX mode of operation when outdoor air is too hot or too humid, a hybrid mode of operation when outside temperatures cool down, and a thermosiphon mode of operation when the outside temperature is below a predetermined temperature, the cooling system comprising:
a scroll compressor unit including
a main casing,
a compressor supported by the main casing,
a refrigerant pump supported by the main casing; and
a motor supported by the main casing and configured to drive a rotation of the compressor and the refrigerant pump, the motor including a drive shaft that is connected at one end thereof to the compressor to selectively drive the rotation of the compressor and connected at an opposite end thereof to the refrigerant pump to selectively drive the rotation of the refrigerant pump,
wherein the drive shaft is connected to the compressor by a first electromagnetic clutch and connected to the refrigerant pump by a second electromagnetic clutch,

wherein the scroll compressor unit is configured to selectively engage the compressor and the refrigerant pump to achieve one of the DX mode, the hybrid mode, and the thermosiphon mode,
wherein if the DX mode is selected among the three modes of the cooling system such that the cooling system selectively engages the DX mode, the first electromagnetic clutch is engaged and the second electromagnetic clutch is disengaged, and
wherein if the hybrid mode is selected among the three modes of the cooling system such that the cooling system selectively engages the hybrid mode, the first electromagnetic clutch is engaged and the second electromagnetic clutch is engaged.

2. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the main casing of the scroll compressor unit includes several ports, including an inlet compressor port, an outlet compressor port, an inlet refrigerant pump port, and an outlet refrigerant pump port.

3. The cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the motor, when selectively driving the rotation of the compressor, drives the movement of fluid injected into the compressor through the inlet compressor port to and through the outlet compressor port.

4. The cooling system of claim 3 , wherein the motor when selectively driving the rotation of the refrigerant pump drives the movement of fluid injected into the refrigerant pump through the inlet refrigerant pump port to and through the outlet refrigerant pump port.

5. The cooling system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller to control operational components of the cooling system, including the scroll compressor unit.

6. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein if the thermosiphon mode is selected among the three modes of the cooling system such that the cooling system selectively engages the thermosiphon mode, the first electromagnetic clutch is disengaged and the second electromagnetic clutch is engaged.

7. A scroll compressor unit for use in a cooling system configured to operate in one of three modes, a DX mode of operation when outdoor air is too hot or too humid, a hybrid mode of operation when outside temperatures cool down, and a thermosiphon mode of operation when the outside temperature is below a predetermined temperature, the scroll compressor unit comprising:
a main casing;
a scroll compressor supported by the main casing;
a refrigerant pump supported by the main casing; and
a motor supported by the main casing and configured to drive a rotation of the compressor and the refrigerant pump, the motor including a drive shaft that is connected at one end thereof to the compressor to selectively drive the rotation of the compressor and connected at an opposite end thereof to the refrigerant pump to selectively drive the rotation of the refrigerant pump,
wherein the drive shaft is connected to the compressor by a first electromagnetic clutch and connected to the refrigerant pump by a second electromagnetic clutch,
wherein the scroll compressor unit is configured to selectively engage the scroll compressor and the refrigerant pump to achieve one of the DX mode, the hybrid mode, and the thermosiphon mode,
wherein if the DX mode is selected among the three modes of the cooling system such that the cooling system selectively engages the DX mode, the first electromagnetic clutch is engaged and the second electromagnetic clutch is disengaged, and
wherein if the hybrid mode is selected among the three modes of the cooling system such that the cooling system selectively engages the hybrid mode, the first electromagnetic clutch is engaged and the second electromagnetic clutch is engaged.

8. The scroll compressor unit of claim 7 , wherein the main casing includes several ports, including an inlet compressor port, an outlet compressor port, an inlet refrigerant pump port, and an outlet refrigerant pump port.

9. The scroll compressor unit of claim 8 , wherein the motor, when selectively driving the rotation of the compressor, drives the movement of fluid injected into the compressor through the inlet compressor port to and through the outlet compressor port, and when selectively driving the rotation of the refrigerant pump, drives the movement of fluid injected into the refrigerant pump through the inlet refrigerant pump port to and through the outlet refrigerant pump port.

10. The scroll compressor unit of claim 7 , further comprising a controller to control the operational components of the cooling system, including the scroll compressor unit.

11. The scroll compressor unit of claim 7 , wherein if the thermosiphon mode is selected among the three modes of the cooling system such that the cooling system selectively engages the thermosiphon mode, the first electromagnetic clutch is disengaged and the second electromagnetic clutch is engaged.

Assignees

• Schneider Electric It Corp

Inventors

• Lupi Raffaele Giovanni

Classifications

• F04C28/06

  specially adapted for stopping, starting, idling or no-load operation · CPC title

• F04C29/005

  Means for transmitting movement from the prime mover to driven parts of the pump, e.g. clutches, couplings, transmissions · CPC title

• F04C18/0215 Primary

  where only one member is moving · CPC title

• F25B1/04

  with compressor of rotary type ({F25B1/005,} F25B1/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• F04C23/008

  Hermetic pumps · CPC title