Vapor compression system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017191714-A1
Application number	US-201715399602-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, and an evaporator disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid, where the refrigerant surrounds a tube bundle disposed in the evaporator, the tube bundle is configured to flow the cooling fluid, and the evaporator has a height based at least on a target height of a liquid level of refrigerant in the evaporator, the evaporator includes a discharge configured to direct the vapor refrigerant from the evaporator to an inlet of the compressor, and an interface between the discharge and the inlet is without a bend.

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; and an evaporator disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid, wherein the refrigerant surrounds a tube bundle disposed in the evaporator, the tube bundle is configured to flow the cooling fluid, the evaporator comprises a height based at least on a target height of a liquid level of refrigerant in the evaporator, the evaporator comprises a discharge configured to direct the vapor refrigerant from the evaporator to an inlet of the compressor, and an interface between the discharge and the inlet is without a bend.

2 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the target height of the liquid level of refrigerant in the evaporator is determined based on a target heating or cooling capacity of the HVAC&R system.

3 . The HVAC&R system of claim 2 , wherein the height of the evaporator is less than a typical evaporator configured to operate at the target heating or cooling capacity of the HVAC&R system.

4 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the evaporator comprises a width and a length, and wherein the height of the evaporator is based on the width, the length, or both.

5 . The HVAC&R system of claim 4 , wherein the height of the evaporator is between 10% and 50% of the length of the evaporator.

6 . The HVAC&R system of claim 4 , wherein the height of the evaporator is between 25% and 75% of the width of the evaporator.

7 . The HVAC&R system of claim 4 , comprising the tube bundle of the evaporator, wherein the tube bundle is configured to direct the cooling fluid through multiple passes of the length of the evaporator.

8 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the discharge and of the inlet are coaxial with one another.

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

10 . The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the evaporator comprises an economizer configured to receive and preheat the refrigerant before the refrigerant surrounds the tube bundle.

11 . 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; and an evaporator disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid to evaporate the refrigerant into vapor refrigerant, wherein the evaporator comprises a discharge configured to direct the vapor refrigerant from the evaporator to an inlet of the compressor, and wherein a first central axis of the discharge and a second central axis of the inlet are axially aligned such that the vapor refrigerant travels in substantially one direction from the evaporator to the compressor.

12 . The HVAC&R system of claim 11 , wherein the compressor is driven by a hermetically sealed, in-line permanent magnet motor.

13 . The HVAC&R system of claim 11 , wherein the refrigerant is a low pressure refrigerant.

14 . The HVAC&R system of claim 13 , wherein the low pressure refrigerant is R-123.

15 . The HVAC&R system of claim 11 , comprising a condenser configured to receive the vapor refrigerant from the compressor and condense the vapor refrigerant to the refrigerant.

16 . The HVAC&R system of claim 15 , comprising a subcooler and an economizer disposed between the condenser and the evaporator, wherein the subcooler is configured to subcool the refrigerant exiting the condenser, and wherein the economizer is configured to preheat the refrigerant before the refrigerant is placed in thermal communication with the cooling fluid in the evaporator.

17 . 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; and an evaporator disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid to evaporate the refrigerant to a vapor refrigerant, wherein the refrigerant surrounds a tube bundle disposed in the evaporator, the tube bundle is configured to flow the cooling fluid, the evaporator comprises a height based at least on a target height of a liquid level of refrigerant in the evaporator, the evaporator comprises a discharge configured to direct the vapor refrigerant from the evaporator to an inlet of the compressor, and the discharge and the inlet are coaxially aligned such that the vapor refrigerant travels in a substantially vertical direction from the evaporator to the compressor.

18 . The HVAC&R system of claim 17 , wherein the refrigerant is a low pressure refrigerant.

19 . The HVAC&R system of claim 17 , comprising the inlet of the compressor, wherein the inlet of the compressor is configured to have a uniform size.

20 . The HVAC&R system of claim 17 , wherein the target height of the liquid level of refrigerant in the evaporator is determined based on a target heating or cooling capacity of the HVAC&R system.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

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

Classifications

• F25B2339/0242

  having tubular elements · CPC title

• F25B40/02

  Subcoolers · CPC title

• F28D2021/0071

  Evaporators · CPC title

• F25B2400/13

  Economisers · CPC title

• F28F9/005

  Other auxiliary members within casings, e.g. internal filling means or sealing means · CPC title