Solar driven refrigeration system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9829223-B2
Application number	US-201715487961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2017
Priority date	Apr 12, 2016
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure provide a system and method for thermal-compression refrigeration. The refrigeration system includes a storage tank that stores a refrigerant condensate from a condenser, a mixing chamber that receives a refrigerant vapor from an evaporator and a portion of the refrigerant condensate from the storage tank, and produces a refrigerant mixture of the refrigerant vapor and the portion of the refrigerant condensate, and a first and second refrigerant compressors between the mixing chamber and condenser. The first and second refrigerant compressors each receives the refrigerant mixture from the mixing chamber, compresses the refrigerant mixture to produce a compressed refrigerant using thermal energy, and is capable of operating in a heater mode or a cooler mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solar driven refrigeration system, comprising:
a condenser that receives a compressed refrigerant, and condenses the compressed refrigerant to produce a refrigerant condensate;
a storage tank that stores the refrigerant condensate;
an evaporator that receives a first portion of the refrigerant condensate from the storage tank, and evaporates the first portion of the refrigerant condensate to produce a refrigerant vapor;
a mixing chamber that receives the refrigerant vapor from the evaporator, and a second portion of the refrigerant condensate from the storage tank, and produce a refrigerant mixture of the refrigerant vapor and the second portion of the refrigerant condensate;
a first refrigerant compressor between the mixing chamber and condenser, having a constant volume, and capable of operating in a heater mode or a cooler mode, the first refrigerant compressor receiving the refrigerant mixture from the mixing chamber, and compressing the refrigerant mixture to produce the compressed refrigerant using solar energy;
a second refrigerant compressor in parallel with the first refrigerant compressor between the mixing chamber and condenser, having a constant volume, and capable of operating in a heater mode or a cooler mode, the second refrigerant compressor receiving the refrigerant mixture from the mixing chamber and compressing the refrigerant mixture to produce the compressed refrigerant using solar energy; and
one or more flow control valves between the mixing chamber and the first and second refrigerant compressors that are configured to cause the first and second refrigerant compressors to be disconnected from the mixing chamber at a same time, cause the first and second refrigerant compressors to be connected with the mixing chamber at a same time, and cause one of the first and second refrigerant compressors to discharge to the mixing chamber without passing through the condenser while the other one of the first and second refrigerant compressors is fed from the mixing chamber.

2. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the storage tank includes a control device configured to control a proportion of the first portion of the refrigerant condensate to the second portion of the refrigerant condensate according to a preconfigured extraction ratio.

3. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the first refrigerant compressor and the second refrigerant compressor operates according to the following steps:
the first refrigerant compressor heats a first portion of the refrigerant mixture contained in the first refrigerant compressor to produce a compressed refrigerant, and the second refrigerant compressor cools a second portion of the refrigerant mixture contained in the second refrigerant compressor;
the first refrigerant compressor feeds the compressed refrigerant to the condenser, and the second refrigerant compressor is connected to the mixing chamber;
the first refrigerant compressor is connected to the mixing chamber while the second refrigerant compressor keeps being connected to the mixing chamber, wherein the first refrigerant compressor discharges to the mixing chamber and the second refrigerant compressor is fed from the mixing chamber;
the first and second refrigerant compressors are disconnected from the mixing chamber; and
the first refrigerant compressor cools a third portion of the refrigerant mixture contained in the first refrigerant compressor, and the second refrigerant compressor heats a fourth portion of the refrigerant mixture contained in the second refrigerant compressor to produce a compressed refrigerant.

4. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the solar energy generated from a flat-plate solar collector.

5. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , further comprising a directional control
valve between the evaporator and the mixing chamber that is closed when the first or the second refrigeration compressor is connected to the mixing chamber.

6. The refrigeration system of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant is one of R410a, R500, R134a, and R717.

7. A method for operating a solar driven thermal-compression refrigeration system, comprising:
condensing, at a condenser, a compressed refrigerant to produce a refrigerant condensate;
storing, at a storage tank, the refrigerant condensate;
receiving, at an evaporator, a first portion of the refrigerant condensate from the storage tank;
evaporating at the evaporator, the first portion of the refrigerant condensate to produce a refrigerant vapor;
receiving, at a mixing chamber, the refrigerant vapor;
receiving, at the mixing chamber, a second portion of the refrigerant condensate from the storage tank;
mixing, at the mixing chamber, the refrigerant vapor and the second portion of the refrigerant condensate to produce a refrigerant mixture; and
compressing the refrigerant mixture to produce the compressed refrigerant using solar energy with a first refrigerant compressor and a second refrigerant compressor wherein the step of compressing the refrigerant mixture to produce the compressed refrigerant using solar energy includes discharging the refrigerant mixture from one of the first and second refrigerant compressors to the mixing chamber without passing through the condenser while feeding the other one of the first and second refrigerant compressors from the mixing chamber.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of compressing the refrigerant mixture to produce the compressed refrigerant using solar energy further includes:
heating a first portion of the refrigerant mixture contained in the first refrigerant compressor to produce a first portion of the compressed refrigerant, and cooling a second portion of the refrigerant mixture contained in the second refrigerant compressor, the first and second refrigerant compressors each having a constant volume, and capable of operating in a heater mode or a cooler mode;
feeding the first portion of the compressed refrigerant to the condenser at the first refrigerant compressor, and connecting the second refrigerant compressor to the mixing chamber;
connecting the first refrigerant compressor to the mixing chamber, and keeping the second refrigerant compressor being connected to the mixing chamber, wherein the first refrigerant compressor discharges to the mixing chamber and the second refrigerant compressor is fed from the mixing chamber;
cooling a third portion of the refrigerant mixture contained in the first refrigerant compressor, and heating a fourth portion of the refrigerant mixture contained in the second refrigerant compressor to produce a second portion of the compressed refrigerant;
connecting the first refrigerant compressor to the mixing chamber, and feeding the second portion of the compressed refrigerant to the condenser at the second refrigerant compressor; and
connecting the second refrigerant compressor to the mixing chamber and keeping the first refrigerant compressor being connected to the mixing chamber.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
controlling a proportion of the first portion of the refrigerant condensate to the second portion of the refrigerant condensate according to a preconfigured extraction ratio.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
closing a directional control valve between the evaporator and the mixing chamber when the first or the second refrigeration compressor is connected to the mixing chamber.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the solar energy generated from a flat-plate solar collector.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the refrigerant is one of R410a, R500, R134a, and R717.

13. The refrigeration syste

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• El-Shaarawi Maged Ahmed

Classifications

• F25B2400/06

  Several compression cycles arranged in parallel · CPC title

• F25B2400/16

  Receivers · CPC title

• F25B2400/0409

  for evaporators · CPC title

• F25B27/005 Primary

  in compression type systems · CPC title

• F25B41/385

  Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in parallel on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator · CPC title