Multiple evaporator control using PWM valve/compressor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9605884-B2
Application number	US-201313780967-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2013
Priority date	Oct 24, 2011
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A refrigeration system including a condenser; a (single) linear compressor that is activated and deactivated by a pulse width modulation switching device; a pulse width modulation refrigerant flow switch; at least two evaporators operably connected in parallel with one another with at least one evaporator associated with the refrigerator compartment that operates at a first refrigerant fluid pressure and with at least one other evaporator associated with the freezer compartment that operates at a second refrigerant fluid pressure; and a plurality of refrigerant fluid conduits operably connecting the condenser, the linear compressor and the evaporators into a refrigerant fluid flow circuit and such that the evaporators are capable of running simultaneously at different pressure levels and refrigerant flows from the evaporators, to the pulse width modulation refrigerant flow switch and through the pulse width modulation refrigerant flow switch.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigeration system comprising:
a compressor having an outlet and an inlet,
a condenser operably coupled to the compressor outlet and configured to receive refrigerant fluid from the compressor;
a plurality of evaporators each operating and coupled in parallel to the condenser and each having an inlet pressure side and an outlet pressure side and each receiving refrigerant fluid from the condenser via the inlet pressure side and each outputting refrigerant fluid at different evaporator outlet pressures;
refrigerant fluid conduits operably coupling the compressor, the condenser and the plurality of evaporators thereby forming a refrigerant fluid circuit for the transmission of the refrigerant fluid between the compressor, the condenser, and the plurality of evaporators; and
a switch valve operably coupled to the outlet pressure side of each of the plurality of evaporators using the refrigerant fluid conduits, wherein the switch valve is configured to switch between any one evaporator of the plurality of evaporators such that the switch valve provides an inlet pressure of refrigerant fluid to the compressor at a pressure between a highest evaporator outlet pressure and a lowest evaporator outlet pressure of the different outlet pressures of the plurality of evaporators.

2. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the compressor is the only compressor operably connected to the refrigeration system.

3. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the condenser is the only condenser operably connected to the refrigeration system.

4. The refrigeration system of claim 3 , wherein the compressor is the only compressor operably connected to the refrigeration system.

5. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the switch valve is a pulse width modulation switch valve.

6. The refrigeration system of claim 5 , wherein the compressor further comprises a pulse width modulation switch that activates and deactivates the compressor.

7. The refrigeration system of claim 6 , wherein the compressor is a linear compressor and the switch valve is configured to switch between refrigerant flow lines at a rate of at least 30 seconds or faster such that the overall system operates in a non-sequential manner.

8. The refrigeration system of claim 7 , wherein the switch valve is configured to switch between refrigerant flow lines at a rate of at least about 10 milliseconds or faster and wherein the linear compressor is an oil-less compressor and wherein the system further comprises a plurality of valves, wherein at least one valve is associated with the inlet pressure side of each of the plurality of evaporators and each valve being moveable between an open position and closed position in response to a demand signal, and wherein each valve can be simultaneously or individually opened to supply one or more of the plurality of evaporators with refrigerant fluid such that refrigerant fluid is capable of being supplied to one evaporator at a given time or multiple evaporators of the plurality of evaporators at a given time.

9. The refrigeration system of claim 7 , wherein the linear compressor is an orientation flexible compressor.

10. The refrigeration system of claim 2 , wherein the compressor is a linear compressor and wherein the switch valve is configured to switch between refrigerant flow lines at a rate of at least about 30 seconds or faster and cause the refrigerant flow lines to operate in a sequential manner.

11. The refrigeration system of claim 10 , wherein the linear compressor is activated and deactivated by a pulse width modulation switching device.

12. The refrigeration system of claim 11 , wherein the linear compressor is an orientation flexible and oil-less compressor.

13. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of evaporators comprises a first evaporator associated with a fresh food compartment, a second evaporator associated with a freezer compartment, and a third evaporator associated with at least one of a powered component or an appliance drawer compartment.

14. The refrigeration system of claim 13 , wherein the third evaporator is associated with a powered component and the powered component is an ice maker.

15. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of evaporators consists of a first evaporator and a second evaporator configured in parallel in the system and the compressor has a single inlet that receives refrigerant from the first and second evaporator after refrigerant passes through the switch valve, wherein the switch valve is a pulse width modulation valve operably and fluidly connected to both the first evaporator and the second evaporator.

16. An appliance comprising the refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the refrigeration system is spaced within an appliance cabinet and a first evaporator is associated with a fresh food compartment of the appliance and operates at a first refrigerant fluid pressure level and a second evaporator is associated with a freezer compartment and operates at a second refrigerant fluid pressure level; and
wherein the switch valve of the refrigeration system is a pulse width modulation switch valve positioned without or within the compressor and the compressor is a linear compressor.

17. An appliance comprising:
a cabinet comprising a fresh food compartment having an interior and a freezer compartment having an interior;
at least one door operably connected to the cabinet to allow a user to access the interior of the fresh food compartment, the interior of the freezer compartment or both the interior of the fresh food compartment and the interior of the freezer compartment; and
a refrigeration system spaced within the cabinet for cooling the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment comprising:
a condenser;
a linear compressor that is activated and deactivated by a pulse width modulation switching device;
a pulse width modulation refrigerant flow switch;
at least two evaporators operably connected in parallel with one another with at least one evaporator associated with the refrigerator compartment that operates at a first refrigerant fluid pressure and with at least one other evaporator associated with the freezer compartment that operates at a second refrigerant fluid pressure; and
a plurality of refrigerant fluid conduits operably connecting the condenser, the linear compressor and the evaporators into a refrigerant fluid flow circuit and such that the evaporators are capable of running simultaneously at different pressure levels and refrigerant flows from the evaporators, to the pulse width modulation refrigerant flow switch and through the pulse width modulation refrigerant flow switch such that the output fluid pressure from the pulse width modulation refrigerant flow switch that is delivered to a compressor chamber is between the first refrigerant fluid pressure and the second refrigerant fluid pressure.

18. The appliance of claim 17 , wherein refrigerant is received from the pulse width modulation refrigerant flow switch into the compressor through a single inlet of the compressor.

19. The appliance of claim 17 , wherein the compressor is an oil-less compressor and the refrigeration system further comprises at least one by-pass valve positioned within the refrigerant fluid circuit prior to fluid entering each evaporator to regulate flow of refrigerant into the evaporators.

20. The appliance of claim 17 , wherein the pulse width modulation refrigerant control switch is configured to s

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Gomes Alberto Regio
• Paganini Raffale

Classifications

• F25B2600/2507

  Flow-diverting valves · CPC title

• F25B39/028

  having distributing means · CPC title

• F25B2600/2521

  On-off valves controlled by pulse signals · CPC title

• F25B41/043

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F25D11/022

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title