Indoor and outdoor ambient condition driven system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9939185-B2
Application number	US-201414269542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2014
Priority date	May 3, 2013
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A refrigeration system includes a compressor, a condenser, a receiver, an expansion device, and an evaporator in fluid communication with one another. An electronic condenser pressure control valve is in fluid communication with an outlet of the condenser and operative to control a condition at the outlet of the condenser. A controller is operatively coupled to the electronic condenser pressure control valve, the controller including logic configured to operate the electronic condenser pressure control valve to dynamically float the discharge pressure at the condenser outlet based on at least one of one or more system conditions or one or more ambient condition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigeration system, comprising:
a compressor, a condenser, a receiver, an electronic expansion valve, and an evaporator in fluid communication with one another;
an electronic condenser pressure control valve in fluid communication with an outlet of the condenser and operative to control a discharge pressure at the condenser outlet;
the electronic expansion valve in fluid communication with an inlet of the evaporator; and
a controller operatively coupled to the electronic condenser pressure control valve and to the electronic expansion valve, the controller including first logic configured to operate the electronic condenser pressure control valve based on a compressor operating envelope, and use a position of the electronic expansion valve as communication data to control the operation of the electronic condenser pressure control valve through a data communication path.

2. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , wherein the first logic configured to operate the electronic condenser pressure control valve includes logic configured to operate the condenser pressure control valve based upon at least one of an outdoor ambient temperature, or minimum expansion valve inlet pressure and desired liquid refrigerant subcooling measured at the condenser outlet.

3. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , wherein the first logic that operates the electronic condenser pressure control valve includes logic that operates the electronic condenser pressure control valve to regulate a condenser outlet condition to a lowest desired level.

4. The refrigeration system according to claim 3 , wherein the condenser outlet condition comprises a condensate pressure or a condensate temperature.

5. The refrigeration system according to claim 3 , wherein the first logic configured to operate the electronic condenser pressure control valve to regulate the condenser outlet condition to a lowest desired level includes logic configured to regulate a refrigerant subcooling at the condenser outlet through control of Saturated Condensing Pressure (SCP).

6. The refrigeration system according to claim 3 , wherein the first logic configured to operate the electronic condenser pressure control valve to regulate the condenser outlet condition to a lowest desired level includes logic configured to regulate the condenser outlet pressure to be greater than a pressure at the receiver.

7. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a condenser pressure sensor operative to measure a pressure at the condenser outlet or a condenser temperature sensor operative to measure a temperature at the condenser outlet, the condenser pressure sensor or condenser temperature sensor communicatively coupled to the controller.

8. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , further comprising an electronic receiver pressure regulating valve in fluid communication with an outlet of the compressor and an inlet of the receiver and operative to control a pressure at the receiver, wherein the controller includes second logic configured to operate the electronic receiver pressure regulating valve to regulate a minimum pressure in the receiver.

9. The refrigeration system according to claim 8 , wherein the second logic configured to operate the electronic receiver pressure regulating valve to regulate a minimum pressure in the receiver includes logic configured to control the receiver pressure regulating valve to regulate receiver pressure below condenser outlet pressure.

10. The refrigeration system according to claim 8 , wherein the second logic configured to operate the electronic receiver pressure regulating valve to regulate a minimum pressure in the receiver includes logic configured to control the receiver pressure regulating valve to regulate a pressure differential across the receiver pressure regulating valve.

11. The refrigeration system according to claim 8 , wherein the second logic configured to operate the electronic receiver pressure regulating valve to regulate a minimum pressure in the receiver includes logic configured to control the receiver pressure regulating valve to regulate an outlet pressure of the receiver pressure regulating valve.

12. The refrigeration system according to claim 8 , further comprising a receiver pressure sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, the receiver pressure sensor operative to measure a pressure at an outlet of the electronic receiver pressure regulating valve.

13. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , further comprising an electronic liquid pressure regulating valve arranged between and in fluid communication with the receiver and the expansion device, the electronic liquid pressure regulating valve operative to control a pressure at an inlet of the expansion device.

14. The refrigeration system according to claim 13 , wherein the controller includes third logic configured to operate the electronic liquid pressure regulating valve to regulate the pressure at the inlet of the expansion device based on at least one of a temperature or pressure of a refrigerant exiting the electronic liquid pressure regulating valve.

15. The refrigeration system according to claim 13 , further comprising at least one of a liquid pressure sensor operative to measure a pressure at an outlet of the liquid pressure regulating valve or a liquid temperature sensor operative to measure a temperature at the liquid pressure regulating valve, the liquid pressure sensor or liquid temperature sensor communicatively coupled to the controller.

16. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller includes fourth logic configured to operate the electronic expansion valve to regulate refrigerant superheat based on at least one of evaporator outlet temperature, evaporator outlet pressure, expansion valve outlet temperature, expansion valve inlet temperature, expansion valve inlet pressure, expansion valve flow profile, expansion valve percentage open or calculated refrigerant superheat.

17. The refrigeration system according to claim 16 , further comprising at least one of an evaporator pressure sensor operative to measure a pressure at an outlet of the evaporator or an evaporator temperature sensor operative to measure a temperature at the outlet of the evaporator, the evaporator pressure sensor or evaporator temperature sensor communicatively coupled to the controller.

18. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , further comprising an electronic evaporator pressure regulating valve in fluid communication with an outlet of the evaporator.

19. The refrigeration system according to claim 18 , wherein the controller includes fifth logic configured to operate the electronic evaporator pressure regulating valve to regulate refrigerant saturated suction temperature (SST) in the evaporator or refrigerated space temperature based on evaporator outlet pressure or refrigerated medium temperature.

20. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second electronic expansion valve and a second evaporator in fluid communication with the compressor, the condenser, and the receiver, wherein the second electronic expansion valve and the second evaporator are in parallel with the electronic expansion valve and the evaporator.

21. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional compressor in parallel with the compressor.

22. The refrigeration system according to

Assignees

• Parker Hannifin Corp

Inventors

• Sunderland Ted W
• Searcy Dustin B
• Parker Christian D
• Wrocklage Dave P
• Dorton Kevin E

Classifications

• F25B5/02

  arranged in parallel · CPC title

• F25B2400/075

  with parallel compressors · CPC title

• F25B49/027 Primary

  Condenser control arrangements · CPC title