Vapor compression system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017191713-A1
Application number	US-201715399601-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 5, 2017
Priority date	Jan 6, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system that includes a refrigerant loop, a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to circulate refrigerant through the refrigerant loop, a heat exchanger disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid flowing through tubes of a tube bundle within the heat exchanger, an inlet of the heat exchanger configured to direct the refrigerant into the heat exchanger, a trough of the heat exchanger configured to receive the refrigerant from the inlet, and a perforated baffle of the heat exchanger disposed downstream of the trough and configured to direct the refrigerant from the trough over the tubes of the tube bundle.

First claim

1 . A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system comprising:
a refrigerant loop; a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to circulate refrigerant through the refrigerant loop; a heat exchanger dispose along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid flowing through tubes of a tube bundle within the heat exchanger; an inlet of the heat exchanger configured to direct the refrigerant into the heat exchanger; a trough of the heat exchanger configured to receive the refrigerant from the inlet; and a perforated baffle of the heat exchanger disposed downstream of the trough and configured to direct the refrigerant from the trough over the tubes of the tube bundle.

2 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the perforated baffle is a corrugated perforated baffle.

3 . The HVAC&R system of claim 2 , wherein the corrugated perforated baffle comprises a plurality of uniform corrugations, spaced substantially equally apart from one another.

4 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein trough extends along an entire axial length of the heat exchanger.

5 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the trough comprises sidewalls and is configured to direct the refrigerant to the perforated baffle when the refrigerant accumulates within the trough and overflows from the sidewalls of the trough and onto the perforated baffle.

6 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet comprises a fitting having a flow splitting device configured to direct the refrigerant to opposing ends of the trough.

7 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet extends through a shell of the heat exchanger and into a sidewall of the trough.

8 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the trough comprises a flow splitting device configured to direct the refrigerant the refrigerant to opposing ends of the trough.

9 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , comprising the refrigerant, and wherein the refrigerant is a low pressure refrigerant.

10 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein a base plate of the trough comprises one or more openings configured to direct the refrigerant onto the tubes of the tube bundle.

11 . A heating, ventilation, air condition, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
a refrigerant loop; a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to circulate refrigerant through the refrigerant loop; a heat exchanger disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid flowing through tubes of a tube bundle within the heat exchanger; an inlet of the heat exchanger configured to direct the refrigerant into the heat exchanger; and a corrugated perforated baffle of the heat exchanger downstream of the inlet, wherein the corrugated perforated baffle comprises one or more openings in a plurality of corrugations, and wherein the corrugated perforated baffle is configured to direct the refrigerant through the openings and over the tubes of the tube bundle.

12 . The HVAC&R system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of corrugations are uniform relative to one another and spaced substantially equally from one another.

13 . The HVAC&R system of claim 11 , wherein the corrugated perforated baffle extends along a width of the tube bundle to provide a uniform distribution of the refrigerant over the tubes of the tube bundle.

14 . The HVAC&R system of claim 11 , wherein trough comprises edges, and wherein an edge of the edges includes a height that decreases as a distance from an inlet of the heat exchanger increases.

15 . The HVAC&R system of claim 11 , wherein the trough comprises sidewalls and is configured to direct the refrigerant to the corrugated perforated baffle when the refrigerant accumulates within the trough and overflows from the sidewalls of the trough and onto the corrugated perforated baffle.

16 . The HVAC&R system of claim 11 , wherein a base plate of the trough comprises one or more openings configured to direct the refrigerant to the tubes of the tube bundle.

17 . A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
a heat exchanger disposed along a refrigerant loop and configured to place a refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid flowing through tubes of a tube bundle within the heat exchanger; an inlet of the heat exchanger configured to direct the refrigerant into the heat exchanger; and a distribution system of the heat exchanger, wherein the distribution system, comprises:
a trough configured to receive the refrigerant from the inlet;
a first base portion comprising one or more openings, wherein the first base portion is radially aligned with the trough relative to a central axis of a shell of the heat exchanger, such that the refrigerant in the trough is configured to flow through the openings and onto the tubes of the tube bundle; and
a second base portion comprising one or more additional openings, wherein the second base portion is radially offset from the trough, such that a portion of the refrigerant that overflows from the trough flows through the additional openings and onto the tubes of the tube bundle.

18 . The HVAC&R system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more openings comprise low flow nozzles and wherein the one or more additional openings comprise high flow nozzles.

19 . The HVAC&R system of claim 17 , comprising the inlet of the heat exchanger, wherein the inlet extends through a shell of the heat exchanger and into a sidewall of the trough.

20 . The HVAC&R system of claim 17 , wherein the trough extends along an entire axial length of the heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Kohler Jay A
• Marks Patrick Christian
• Casper Ian Michael
• Devlin Kurt

Classifications

• F28F19/002

  by using inserts or attachments · CPC title

• F25B2339/0242

  having tubular elements · CPC title

• F25B2700/21162

  of the refrigerant at the inlet of the condenser · CPC title

• F25B2339/047

  Water-cooled condensers · CPC title

• F28D2021/0063

  Condensers · CPC title