Cooling circuit having a gas discharge unit removing gaseous refrigerant from a compressor feed line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11525605-B2
Application number	US-201615157870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2016
Priority date	Nov 18, 2013
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

A cooling circuit comprises a refrigerant compressor incorporating a suction port and a pressure chamber incorporating a pressure port, a condenser arranged downstream of the pressure port, a fluid collecting chamber in which a reservoir of refrigerant is formed, an evaporator which is located between the condenser and the suction port, a feed unit which is connected at one side to the refrigerant reservoir and to the pressure chamber at the other side and which serves for supplying refrigerant from the refrigerant reservoir to the pressure chamber which incorporates a pumping unit for the refrigerant. It is proposed that in order improve this cooling circuit, the pumping unit comprise a pressure-tight closed housing which is provided with only one inlet and one outlet as access points and a pumping element which is movable for pumping the refrigerant be arranged in the pumping chamber thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooling circuit comprising
a refrigerant compressor incorporating a suction port and a pressure chamber incorporating a pressure port, a condenser which is arranged in the cooling circuit downstream of the pressure port, a fluid collecting chamber in which a refrigerant reservoir of refrigerant is formed, an evaporator located in the cooling circuit between the condenser and the suction port, a feeder comprising a feed line which is connected at one side to the refrigerant reservoir and to the pressure chamber at an other side and which serves for supplying refrigerant from the refrigerant reservoir to the pressure chamber and which incorporates a pump for the refrigerant, and a gas discharge unit is associated with the pump, said gas discharge unit comprises a gas discharge line for conducting away gaseous refrigerant from the feed line of the feeder, and wherein the gas discharge line intersects and branches off of the feed line for removal of gaseous refrigerant within the feed line.

2. The cooling circuit in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the gas discharge line is connected to a refrigerant path of the cooling circuit which is at suction-side pressure.

3. The cooling circuit in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the gas discharge unit is connected to a supply line section of the feeder leading to an inlet of the pump.

4. The cooling circuit in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the gas discharge unit is connected to a discharge line section of the feeder leading from an outlet of the pump to the pressure chamber.

5. The cooling circuit in accordance with claim 1 , wherein an on-off valve is associated with the gas discharge unit for the purposes of activating and deactivating it.

6. The cooling circuit in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a controller controls the on-off valve of the gas discharge unit, namely, in particular in such a way that a gas discharge from the feeder is effected during a time period before starting or when starting the pump.

7. The cooling circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a valve operable to open the gas discharge line if a gas cushion of refrigerant develops in the feed line due to the pump being off and is operable to close when the gas cushion is absent from the feed line.

8. The cooling circuit of claim 7 , wherein the gas discharge line connects to an inlet side of the feed line upstream of the pump such that the valve can opens the gas discharge line when a gas cushion of refrigerant is on an inlet side of the pump.

9. The cooling circuit of claim 7 , wherein the gas discharge line connects to an outlet side of the feed line downstream of the pump such that the valve can opens the gas discharge line when a gas cushion of refrigerant is on a downstream side of the pump.

10. The cooling circuit of claim 1 , wherein the pump comprises a pressure-tight closed housing which is provided with only one inlet and one outlet as access points.

11. The cooling circuit of claim 10 wherein the pump further comprises a rotary pump element which rotates about an axis for pumping the liquid refrigerant, the rotary pump element arranged in a pumping chamber of the pressure-tight closed housing, the pressure tight closed housing having no mechanical access for driving the rotary pump element, and the rotary pump element is driven by an electromagnetic or magnetic force that is effective through the pressure-tight closed housing for driving the rotary pump element by a rotor of a motor arranged coaxially in a space in a motor housing adjacent to the pumping chamber, the rotor being coupled to the pump element by said electromagnetic or magnetic force through said pressure-tight closed housing.

12. The cooling circuit of claim 10 , wherein the pump further comprises a rotary pump element which rotates about an axis for pumping the liquid refrigerant, the rotary pump element arranged in a pumping chamber of the pressure-tight closed housing, the pressure tight closed housing having no mechanical access for driving the rotary pump element, and the rotary pump element is driven by a rotor of a motor arranged coaxially in the pressure tight housing adjacent to the pumping chamber, the rotor being coupled to the pump element.

13. The cooling circuit of claim 10 wherein the pump further comprises an oscillating pump element which is spring loaded for oscillation along an axis for pumping the liquid refrigerant and which is arranged in a pumping chamber of the pressure-tight closed housing, the pressure tight closed housing having no mechanical access for driving the oscillating pump element, and the oscillating pump element is driven by an electromagnetic or magnetic force that is effective through the pressure-tight closed housing and generated by a magnet arranged outside said pressure-tight closed housing.

14. A method of operating a cooling circuit comprising a refrigerant compressor incorporating a suction port and a pressure chamber incorporating a pressure port, a condenser which is arranged in the cooling circuit downstream of the pressure port, a fluid collecting chamber in which a refrigerant reservoir of refrigerant is formed, an evaporator which is located in the cooling circuit between the condenser and the suction port, a feeder comprising a feed line which is connected at one side to the refrigerant reservoir and to the pressure chamber at another side and which serves for supplying refrigerant from the refrigerant reservoir to the pressure chamber which incorporates a pump for the refrigerant, comprising: supplying refrigerant by means of the feeder to the pressure chamber for cooling purposes; and conducting gaseous refrigerant away from the feed line of the feeder by means of a gas discharge unit including a gas discharge line, removing a gas formation of refrigerant from within the feed line if formed in the feed line during off periods of the pump.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the gaseous refrigerant is supplied to a refrigerant path of the cooling circuit which is at suction-side pressure of said refrigerant compressor.

16. The method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the gaseous refrigerant is conducted away from a supply line section of the feed line of the feeder which leads to an inlet of the pump.

17. The method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the gaseous refrigerant is conducted away from a discharge line section of the feed line of the feeder which leads from an outlet of the pump to the pressure chamber.

18. The method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the gaseous refrigerant is sucked out for a time period before starting or when starting the pump.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the removing of the gas cushion of refrigerant occurs at an upstream side of the pump along the feed line.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the removing of the gas cushion of refrigerant occurs at an downstream side of the pump along the feed line.

21. The method of claim 14 , wherein the pump comprises a pressure-tight closed housing which is provided with only one inlet and one outlet as access points.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the pump further comprises a rotary pump element which rotates about an axis for pumping the liquid refrigerant, the rotary pump element arranged in a pumping chamber of the pressure-tight closed housing, the pressure tight closed housing having no mechanical access for driving the rotary pump element, and the rotary pump element is driven by an electromagnetic or m

Assignees

• Bitzer Kuehlmaschinenbau Gmbh

Inventors

• Pfaffl Julian
• Ohser Klaus

Classifications

• F25B1/005 Primary

  of the single unit type (F25B1/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B2600/13

  Pump speed control · CPC title

• F25B31/008

  by injecting a liquid · CPC title

• F04B17/046

  the fluid flowing through the moving part of the motor · CPC title

• F25B1/02 Primary

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