US20100122540A1 - Thermoelectric cooler for economized refrigerant cycle performance boost - Google Patents
Thermoelectric cooler for economized refrigerant cycle performance boost Download PDFInfo
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- US20100122540A1 US20100122540A1 US12/597,975 US59797507A US2010122540A1 US 20100122540 A1 US20100122540 A1 US 20100122540A1 US 59797507 A US59797507 A US 59797507A US 2010122540 A1 US2010122540 A1 US 2010122540A1
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- refrigerant
- economizer
- thermoelectric cooler
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- heat exchanger
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B25/00—Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B1/00—Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle
- F25B1/10—Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle with multi-stage compression
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B21/00—Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects
- F25B21/02—Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B2309/00—Gas cycle refrigeration machines
- F25B2309/06—Compression machines, plants or systems characterised by the refrigerant being carbon dioxide
- F25B2309/061—Compression machines, plants or systems characterised by the refrigerant being carbon dioxide with cycle highest pressure above the supercritical pressure
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B2400/00—General features or devices for refrigeration machines, plants or systems, combined heating and refrigeration systems or heat-pump systems, i.e. not limited to a particular subgroup of F25B
- F25B2400/13—Economisers
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B2400/00—General features or devices for refrigeration machines, plants or systems, combined heating and refrigeration systems or heat-pump systems, i.e. not limited to a particular subgroup of F25B
- F25B2400/23—Separators
Definitions
- thermoelectric cooler provides additional cooling and a performance boost to assist the conventional economizer circuit.
- Refrigerant compressors circulate a refrigerant through a refrigerant system to condition a secondary fluid.
- a compressor compresses a refrigerant and delivers it to a heat rejection heat exchanger.
- Refrigerant from the heat rejection heat exchanger passes through an expansion device, in which its pressure and temperature are reduced. Downstream of the expansion device, the refrigerant passes through a heat accepting heat exchanger, and then back to the compressor.
- the heat accepting heat exchanger is typically an evaporator.
- the heat rejecting heat exchanger is a condenser, in subcritical applications, and a gas cooler, in transcritical applications.
- a portion of refrigerant is tapped from a main refrigerant stream downstream of the heat rejection heat exchanger.
- this tapped refrigerant is passed through an auxiliary expansion device, to be expanded to an intermediate pressure and temperature, and then this partially expanded tapped refrigerant passes in heat exchange relationship with a main refrigerant flow in an economizer heat exchanger. In this manner, the main refrigerant is cooled such that it will have a greater thermodynamic potential when it reaches the heat accepting heat exchanger.
- thermoelectric cooler essentially takes advantage of specific thermoelectric properties of dissimilar semiconductor materials and is based on two phenomena—the Peltier effect and Seebeck effect concurrently taking place during operation of the thermoelectric device.
- the Peltier effect is associated to the release or absorption of a finite heat flux at the junction of two electrical conductors, made from different materials and kept at constant temperature, at the presence of electric current.
- the Seebeck effect is related to the same arrangement, where the two junctions are maintained at different temperatures, which would create a finite potential difference, and an electromotive force that would drive an electric current in the closed-loop electric circuit.
- the Peltier and Seebeck effects are presented simultaneously in the thermoelectric cooler that is preferably made from the materials that have dissimilar absolute thermoelectric powers.
- the finite electric current passing through the two junctions triggers two heat transfer interactions with two cold and hot reservoirs kept at different temperatures.
- heat fluxes associated with the two junctions should have opposite signs. If the external system maintains potential difference and drives electric current against this difference, the two junction system becomes a thermoelectric cooling device.
- a typical thermoelectric cooler consists of an array of P-type and N-type semiconductor elements that act as the two dissimilar conductors.
- the P-type material has an insufficient number of electrons and the N-type material has extra electrons.
- These electrons in the N-type material and so-called “holes” in the P-type material in addition to carrying an electric current, become a transport media to move the heat from the cold junction to the hot junction.
- the heat transport rate depends on the current passing through the circuit and the number of moving electron-hole couples. As an electric current is passed through one or more pairs of P-N elements, there is a decrease in temperature at the cold junction resulting in the absorption of heat from the object to be cooled.
- thermoelectric cooler The heat is carried through the thermoelectric cooler by electron transport and released at the hot junction as the electrons move from a high to a low energy state.
- thermoelectric devices are inherently irreversible, since heat and electric current must flow through the circuit during their operation, they do not have moving parts that makes them extremely reliable.
- the refrigerant of the conventional vapor compression system is replaced by electrons carrying energy from a cold junction to a hot junction, created by two conductors with dissimilar absolute thermoelectric powers and connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel.
- thermoelectric coolers has only been proposed to be positioned downstream of a heat rejection heat exchanger in a conventional refrigerant cycle. Such thermoelectric coolers have never been proposed for providing an additional performance boost to an economizer cycle.
- Performance enhancement of economized refrigerant systems becomes especially crucial in a view of a limited capability of the economizer cycle in the air conditioning application range and continuously raising efficiency standards.
- alternate refrigerants such as carbon dioxide operating in a transcritical regime, require extra means, in addition to the economizer function, to achieve the performance levels comparable to the performance levels of refrigerant systems charged with conventional refrigerants.
- thermoelectric cooler is operable to provide an additional performance boost to the economized refrigerant system by providing extra cooling either to an economized refrigerant flow or directly to a main refrigerant flow or both.
- a thermoelectric cooler can be positioned upstream or downstream of an economizer, in relation to a respective refrigerant flow.
- the thermoelectric cooler allows for additional cooling of the main refrigerant flow and its temperature reduction upstream of the main expansion device. Therefore, the thermodynamic cooling potential of the refrigerant flow entering an evaporator and the overall performance of the refrigerant system are increased.
- FIG. 1A shows a first schematic
- FIG. 1B shows a second schematic
- FIG. 2A shows a third embodiment.
- FIG. 2B shows a fourth schematic.
- FIG. 3A shows a fifth schematic.
- FIG. 3B shows a sixth schematic.
- FIG. 4A is a P-h diagram for FIGS. 1A , 1 B, 2 A and 2 B.
- FIG. 4B is a P-h diagram for FIGS. 3A and 3B .
- FIG. 1A An economized refrigerant system 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1A .
- a compressor 22 compresses a refrigerant and delivers it downstream to a heat rejection heat exchanger 24 .
- the heat rejection heat exchanger 24 is a gas cooler for a transcritical cycle and a condenser for a subcritical cycle.
- the refrigerant passes through an economizer heat exchanger 26 .
- a main refrigerant flow passes through the economizer heat exchanger 26 , and a tap refrigerant line 30 taps a portion of the refrigerant from a main refrigerant line 28 downstream of the economizer heat exchanger.
- the tap line 30 passes through an economizer expansion device 32 , and then once again through the economizer heat exchanger 26 .
- the tapped refrigerant is expanded to an intermediate pressure and temperature, and therefore can cool the refrigerant in the main refrigerant line 28 during heat transfer interaction in the economizer heat exchanger 26 .
- the refrigerant from the tap refrigerant line 30 passes through an injection refrigerant line 34 back to an intermediate compression point at the compressor 22 .
- Refrigerant in the main refrigerant line 28 downstream of the economizer heat exchanger 26 passes through a main expansion device 40 , and then through a heat accepting heat exchanger (evaporator) 42 . From the heat accepting heat exchanger 42 , the refrigerant passes back to the compressor 22 .
- a heat accepting heat exchanger evaporator
- thermoelectric cooler 38 downstream of the economizer heat exchanger 26 .
- Thermoelectric cooler 38 provides further cooling to the refrigerant in the main refrigerant line 28 by providing a thermal contact between a cold junction of the thermoelectric cooler 38 and a refrigerant in the main refrigerant line 28 .
- thermoelectric cooler 38 also cools the refrigerant which is tapped into the tap refrigerant line 30 , and thus provides even greater thermodynamic cooling potential for the tapped refrigerant and a higher heat transfer rate between the main refrigerant in the main refrigerant line 28 and tapped refrigerant in the tap refrigerant line 30 , in the economizer heat exchanger 26 .
- the thermoelectric cooler 38 may be of any type or configuration known in the art.
- the hot junction of the thermoelectric cooler 38 may be cooled by an air stream.
- the components may be positioned such that a single air moving device moves air over both the gas cooler 24 and the thermoelectric cooler 38 to reject heat from both components. Alternatively, separate air moving devices can be utilized.
- thermoelectric cooler 38 Obviously, other heat rejection means from the hot junction of the thermoelectric cooler 38 are also feasible.
- the attachment of the cold junction of the thermoelectric cooler 38 to the main refrigerant line to provide sufficient thermal contact can be, for instance, by a mechanical contact, brazing, soldering, welding, gluing, or any other means.
- the tap refrigerant line 30 for the economizer circuit can be positioned upstream of the thermoelectric cooler 38 . Similar benefits can be achieved in this configuration as well.
- FIG. 1B shows an embodiment 50 , which is similar to the embodiment 20 depicted in FIG. 1A , other than in the location of the thermoelectric cooler 52 .
- the thermoelectric cooler 52 is positioned intermediate the economizer expansion device 32 , and the economizer heat exchanger 26 .
- the thermoelectric cooler can be made more compact, since it has to cool only a portion of refrigerant tapped into the tap refrigerant line 30 .
- This embodiment provides higher temperature difference between a refrigerant in the main refrigerant line 28 and a refrigerant in the tap refrigerant line 30 , leading to a higher heat transfer rate in the economizer heat exchanger 26 .
- the thermoelectric cooler can also be positioned between the tap point 33 and the economizer expansion device 32 .
- FIG. 2A shows yet another embodiment 60 .
- a portion of refrigerant is tapped into the refrigerant line 30 upstream of the economizer heat exchanger 26 , and passed through a thermoelectric cooler 62 prior to reaching the economizer expansion device 32 .
- refrigerant in the tap refrigerant line 30 will be colder, and thus will be able to cool the refrigerant in the main refrigerant line 28 to an even greater extent, in the economizer heat exchanger 26 .
- FIG. 2B shows an embodiment 70 that is similar to the embodiment 60 of FIG. 2A , other than locating the thermoelectric cooler 72 downstream of the economizer expansion device 32 .
- FIG. 3A shows still another embodiment 80 where the economizer heat exchanger 26 of previous embodiments is replaced by a flash tank 44 .
- Economized systems with a flash tank are known in the art.
- the flash tank separates liquid and vapor refrigerant phases, with the liquid phase flowing through the main circuit and the vapor phase delivered to an intermediate compression point in the compressor 22 .
- a thermoelectric cooler 46 is placed between the economizer expansion device 32 and the flash tank 44 to provide extra liquid content in the refrigerant mixture flowing into the flash tank 44 and an additional performance boost to the refrigerant system 80 .
- FIG. 3B shows another embodiment 90 , which is similar to the embodiment 80 of FIG. 3A , with the exception that a thermoelectric cooler 48 is positioned between the flash tank 44 and the main expansion device 40 .
- the thermoelectric cooler 48 rather than increasing the liquid content in the two-phase mixture flowing into the flash tank 44 , the thermoelectric cooler 48 further cools the liquid exiting the flash tank 44 , thus enhancing performance of the refrigerant system 90 .
- thermoelectric cooler at the locations as shown in this application can be seen from the P-h diagrams of FIGS. 4A and 4B .
- the P-h diagram depicted in FIG. 4A shows additional capacity provided by a thermoelectric cooler for the refrigerant systems having an economizer circuit containing an economizer heat exchanger, as shown in FIGS. 1A , 1 B, 2 A and 2 B.
- FIG. 4B shows benefits provided by a thermoelectric cooler for the refrigerant systems including a flash tank, as exhibited in FIG. 3B .
- thermoelectric coolers disclosed in this invention can be used in both conventional subcritical applications, as shown in FIG. 4A , and transcritical applications, as exhibited in FIG. 4B . Since transcritical applications, such as those employing carbon dioxide as a refrigerant, are inherently less efficient, the thermoelectric cooler would be the most advantageous in those applications. Also, since the augmentation provided by an economizer cycle for air conditioning applications is limited by a reduced pressure ratio, the thermoelectric cooler integration would provide additional benefits for air conditioning applications, especially in a view of continuously raising efficiency standards and diminishing returns of standard performance enhancement methods.
- thermoelectric cooler can provide additional flexibility in unloading economized refrigerant systems. Turning the thermoelectric device on will supply additional capacity to compensate for thermal load demand in the conditioned space. On the other hand, switching the thermoelectric device off will allow for unloading of the refrigerant system when only part-load capacity is required to meet the space demand.
- compressors could be used in this invention.
- scroll, screw, rotary, or reciprocating compressors can be employed.
- the refrigerant systems that utilize this invention may have various options and enhancement features, such as, for instance, tandem components, reheat circuits, intercooler heat exchangers, etc., and can be used in many different applications, including, but not limited to, air conditioning systems, heat pump systems, marine container units, refrigeration truck-trailer units, and supermarket refrigeration systems.
Abstract
A refrigerant system incorporates an economizer circuit, and a thermoelectric cooler to provide a performance boost to the conventional economized refrigerant system. A thermoelectric cooler cools the refrigerant either directly in a main refrigerant circuit, or in an economized circuit, or both.
Description
- This application relates to a refrigerant system having an economizer circuit, wherein a thermoelectric cooler provides additional cooling and a performance boost to assist the conventional economizer circuit.
- Refrigerant compressors circulate a refrigerant through a refrigerant system to condition a secondary fluid. Typically, in a basic refrigerant cycle, a compressor compresses a refrigerant and delivers it to a heat rejection heat exchanger.
- Refrigerant from the heat rejection heat exchanger passes through an expansion device, in which its pressure and temperature are reduced. Downstream of the expansion device, the refrigerant passes through a heat accepting heat exchanger, and then back to the compressor. As known, the heat accepting heat exchanger is typically an evaporator. The heat rejecting heat exchanger is a condenser, in subcritical applications, and a gas cooler, in transcritical applications.
- One option in a refrigerant system design to enhance performance is the use of an economizer, or so-called vapor injection function. When an economizer function is activated, a portion of refrigerant is tapped from a main refrigerant stream downstream of the heat rejection heat exchanger. In one configuration, this tapped refrigerant is passed through an auxiliary expansion device, to be expanded to an intermediate pressure and temperature, and then this partially expanded tapped refrigerant passes in heat exchange relationship with a main refrigerant flow in an economizer heat exchanger. In this manner, the main refrigerant is cooled such that it will have a greater thermodynamic potential when it reaches the heat accepting heat exchanger. The tapped refrigerant, typically in a superheated thermodynamic state, is returned to an intermediate compression point in the compressor downstream of the economizer heat exchanger. As known, there are other arrangements involving economizer heat exchangers as well as flash tanks that provide similar functionality. One other option which has been recently proposed for incorporation into refrigerant systems is the use of a thermoelectric cooler. The thermoelectric cooler essentially takes advantage of specific thermoelectric properties of dissimilar semiconductor materials and is based on two phenomena—the Peltier effect and Seebeck effect concurrently taking place during operation of the thermoelectric device. The Peltier effect is associated to the release or absorption of a finite heat flux at the junction of two electrical conductors, made from different materials and kept at constant temperature, at the presence of electric current. Similarly, the Seebeck effect is related to the same arrangement, where the two junctions are maintained at different temperatures, which would create a finite potential difference, and an electromotive force that would drive an electric current in the closed-loop electric circuit. The Peltier and Seebeck effects are presented simultaneously in the thermoelectric cooler that is preferably made from the materials that have dissimilar absolute thermoelectric powers. The finite electric current passing through the two junctions triggers two heat transfer interactions with two cold and hot reservoirs kept at different temperatures. For steady thermoelectric cooler operation, heat fluxes associated with the two junctions should have opposite signs. If the external system maintains potential difference and drives electric current against this difference, the two junction system becomes a thermoelectric cooling device.
- A typical thermoelectric cooler consists of an array of P-type and N-type semiconductor elements that act as the two dissimilar conductors. The P-type material has an insufficient number of electrons and the N-type material has extra electrons. These electrons in the N-type material and so-called “holes” in the P-type material, in addition to carrying an electric current, become a transport media to move the heat from the cold junction to the hot junction. The heat transport rate depends on the current passing through the circuit and the number of moving electron-hole couples. As an electric current is passed through one or more pairs of P-N elements, there is a decrease in temperature at the cold junction resulting in the absorption of heat from the object to be cooled. The heat is carried through the thermoelectric cooler by electron transport and released at the hot junction as the electrons move from a high to a low energy state. Although the thermoelectric devices are inherently irreversible, since heat and electric current must flow through the circuit during their operation, they do not have moving parts that makes them extremely reliable. Further, the refrigerant of the conventional vapor compression system is replaced by electrons carrying energy from a cold junction to a hot junction, created by two conductors with dissimilar absolute thermoelectric powers and connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. To date, the use of thermoelectric coolers has only been proposed to be positioned downstream of a heat rejection heat exchanger in a conventional refrigerant cycle. Such thermoelectric coolers have never been proposed for providing an additional performance boost to an economizer cycle. Performance enhancement of economized refrigerant systems becomes especially crucial in a view of a limited capability of the economizer cycle in the air conditioning application range and continuously raising efficiency standards. Furthermore, alternate refrigerants, such as carbon dioxide operating in a transcritical regime, require extra means, in addition to the economizer function, to achieve the performance levels comparable to the performance levels of refrigerant systems charged with conventional refrigerants.
- In disclosed embodiments of this invention, refrigerant systems are provided with economizer circuits. A thermoelectric cooler is operable to provide an additional performance boost to the economized refrigerant system by providing extra cooling either to an economized refrigerant flow or directly to a main refrigerant flow or both. In either case, a thermoelectric cooler can be positioned upstream or downstream of an economizer, in relation to a respective refrigerant flow. In all disclosed refrigerant system configurations, the thermoelectric cooler allows for additional cooling of the main refrigerant flow and its temperature reduction upstream of the main expansion device. Therefore, the thermodynamic cooling potential of the refrigerant flow entering an evaporator and the overall performance of the refrigerant system are increased.
- These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
-
FIG. 1A shows a first schematic. -
FIG. 1B shows a second schematic. -
FIG. 2A shows a third embodiment. -
FIG. 2B shows a fourth schematic. -
FIG. 3A shows a fifth schematic. -
FIG. 3B shows a sixth schematic. -
FIG. 4A is a P-h diagram forFIGS. 1A , 1B, 2A and 2B. -
FIG. 4B is a P-h diagram forFIGS. 3A and 3B . - An economized
refrigerant system 20 is illustrated inFIG. 1A . As known, acompressor 22 compresses a refrigerant and delivers it downstream to a heatrejection heat exchanger 24. As also known, the heatrejection heat exchanger 24 is a gas cooler for a transcritical cycle and a condenser for a subcritical cycle. From the heatrejection heat exchanger 24, the refrigerant passes through aneconomizer heat exchanger 26. In this embodiment, a main refrigerant flow passes through theeconomizer heat exchanger 26, and a taprefrigerant line 30 taps a portion of the refrigerant from a mainrefrigerant line 28 downstream of the economizer heat exchanger. Thetap line 30 passes through aneconomizer expansion device 32, and then once again through theeconomizer heat exchanger 26. In theexpansion device 32, the tapped refrigerant is expanded to an intermediate pressure and temperature, and therefore can cool the refrigerant in the mainrefrigerant line 28 during heat transfer interaction in theeconomizer heat exchanger 26. The refrigerant from the taprefrigerant line 30 passes through an injectionrefrigerant line 34 back to an intermediate compression point at thecompressor 22. - Refrigerant in the main
refrigerant line 28 downstream of theeconomizer heat exchanger 26 passes through amain expansion device 40, and then through a heat accepting heat exchanger (evaporator) 42. From the heat acceptingheat exchanger 42, the refrigerant passes back to thecompressor 22. - The economized refrigerant system described above is generally known in the art. The present invention enhances performance of this known economized refrigerant system by including a thermoelectric cooler 38 downstream of the
economizer heat exchanger 26.Thermoelectric cooler 38 provides further cooling to the refrigerant in the mainrefrigerant line 28 by providing a thermal contact between a cold junction of thethermoelectric cooler 38 and a refrigerant in the mainrefrigerant line 28. Moreover, thethermoelectric cooler 38 also cools the refrigerant which is tapped into the taprefrigerant line 30, and thus provides even greater thermodynamic cooling potential for the tapped refrigerant and a higher heat transfer rate between the main refrigerant in the mainrefrigerant line 28 and tapped refrigerant in the taprefrigerant line 30, in theeconomizer heat exchanger 26. Thethermoelectric cooler 38 may be of any type or configuration known in the art. For instance, the hot junction of thethermoelectric cooler 38 may be cooled by an air stream. In embodiments, the components may be positioned such that a single air moving device moves air over both thegas cooler 24 and the thermoelectric cooler 38 to reject heat from both components. Alternatively, separate air moving devices can be utilized. Obviously, other heat rejection means from the hot junction of thethermoelectric cooler 38 are also feasible. The attachment of the cold junction of the thermoelectric cooler 38 to the main refrigerant line to provide sufficient thermal contact can be, for instance, by a mechanical contact, brazing, soldering, welding, gluing, or any other means. - Analogously to the
FIG. 1A embodiment 20, the taprefrigerant line 30 for the economizer circuit can be positioned upstream of thethermoelectric cooler 38. Similar benefits can be achieved in this configuration as well. -
FIG. 1B shows an embodiment 50, which is similar to theembodiment 20 depicted inFIG. 1A , other than in the location of the thermoelectric cooler 52. Here, the thermoelectric cooler 52 is positioned intermediate theeconomizer expansion device 32, and theeconomizer heat exchanger 26. In this case, the thermoelectric cooler can be made more compact, since it has to cool only a portion of refrigerant tapped into the taprefrigerant line 30. This embodiment provides higher temperature difference between a refrigerant in the mainrefrigerant line 28 and a refrigerant in the taprefrigerant line 30, leading to a higher heat transfer rate in theeconomizer heat exchanger 26. Obviously, the thermoelectric cooler can also be positioned between the tap point 33 and theeconomizer expansion device 32. -
FIG. 2A shows yet anotherembodiment 60. In theembodiment 60, a portion of refrigerant is tapped into therefrigerant line 30 upstream of theeconomizer heat exchanger 26, and passed through athermoelectric cooler 62 prior to reaching theeconomizer expansion device 32. Again, refrigerant in the taprefrigerant line 30 will be colder, and thus will be able to cool the refrigerant in the mainrefrigerant line 28 to an even greater extent, in theeconomizer heat exchanger 26. -
FIG. 2B shows anembodiment 70 that is similar to theembodiment 60 ofFIG. 2A , other than locating thethermoelectric cooler 72 downstream of theeconomizer expansion device 32. -
FIG. 3A shows still anotherembodiment 80 where theeconomizer heat exchanger 26 of previous embodiments is replaced by aflash tank 44. Economized systems with a flash tank are known in the art. The flash tank separates liquid and vapor refrigerant phases, with the liquid phase flowing through the main circuit and the vapor phase delivered to an intermediate compression point in thecompressor 22. Athermoelectric cooler 46 is placed between theeconomizer expansion device 32 and theflash tank 44 to provide extra liquid content in the refrigerant mixture flowing into theflash tank 44 and an additional performance boost to therefrigerant system 80. -
FIG. 3B shows anotherembodiment 90, which is similar to theembodiment 80 ofFIG. 3A , with the exception that athermoelectric cooler 48 is positioned between theflash tank 44 and themain expansion device 40. In this case, rather than increasing the liquid content in the two-phase mixture flowing into theflash tank 44, thethermoelectric cooler 48 further cools the liquid exiting theflash tank 44, thus enhancing performance of therefrigerant system 90. - The benefits of providing a thermoelectric cooler at the locations as shown in this application can be seen from the P-h diagrams of
FIGS. 4A and 4B . In general, the P-h diagram depicted inFIG. 4A shows additional capacity provided by a thermoelectric cooler for the refrigerant systems having an economizer circuit containing an economizer heat exchanger, as shown inFIGS. 1A , 1B, 2A and 2B. Similarly,FIG. 4B shows benefits provided by a thermoelectric cooler for the refrigerant systems including a flash tank, as exhibited inFIG. 3B . - The economized refrigerant systems incorporating thermoelectric coolers disclosed in this invention can be used in both conventional subcritical applications, as shown in
FIG. 4A , and transcritical applications, as exhibited inFIG. 4B . Since transcritical applications, such as those employing carbon dioxide as a refrigerant, are inherently less efficient, the thermoelectric cooler would be the most advantageous in those applications. Also, since the augmentation provided by an economizer cycle for air conditioning applications is limited by a reduced pressure ratio, the thermoelectric cooler integration would provide additional benefits for air conditioning applications, especially in a view of continuously raising efficiency standards and diminishing returns of standard performance enhancement methods. - Furthermore, the thermoelectric cooler can provide additional flexibility in unloading economized refrigerant systems. Turning the thermoelectric device on will supply additional capacity to compensate for thermal load demand in the conditioned space. On the other hand, switching the thermoelectric device off will allow for unloading of the refrigerant system when only part-load capacity is required to meet the space demand.
- It should be pointed out that many different compressor types could be used in this invention. For example, scroll, screw, rotary, or reciprocating compressors can be employed. The refrigerant systems that utilize this invention may have various options and enhancement features, such as, for instance, tandem components, reheat circuits, intercooler heat exchangers, etc., and can be used in many different applications, including, but not limited to, air conditioning systems, heat pump systems, marine container units, refrigeration truck-trailer units, and supermarket refrigeration systems.
- While embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
Claims (22)
1. A refrigerant system comprising:
a compressor for compressing refrigerant and delivering it downstream to a heat rejection heat exchanger, the refrigerant from the heat rejection heat exchanger passing through a main expansion device, and then to a heat accepting heat exchanger before being returned to said compressor;
an economizer circuit incorporated between the heat rejection heat exchanger and the main expansion device, said economizer circuit including an economizer and an economizer expansion device; and
a thermoelectric cooler provided to enhance performance of the economized refrigerant system.
2. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is associated with the economizer circuit.
3. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said refrigerant system operates at least for a portion of the time in a subcritical cycle.
4. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said refrigerant system operates at least for a portion of the time in a transcritical cycle.
5. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said refrigerant system utilizes carbon dioxide as a refrigerant.
6. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler comprises two semiconductor materials having dissimilar absolute thermoelectric powers.
7. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler comprises at least one pair of P-type and N-type semiconductor materials.
8. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is associated with the main refrigerant circuit.
9. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said economizer is a heat exchanger type economizer.
10. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is associated with the main refrigerant circuit and positioned downstream of the economizer heat exchanger.
11. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 10 , wherein a tap refrigerant line for tapping a portion of refrigerant to an economizer circuit is positioned downstream of the thermoelectric cooler, and then passed through the economizer heat exchanger.
12. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 10 , wherein a tap refrigerant line for tapping a portion of refrigerant to an economizer circuit is positioned upstream of the thermoelectric cooler, and then passed through the economizer heat exchanger.
13. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 9 , wherein a tap refrigerant line for tapping a portion of refrigerant to an economizer circuit is positioned downstream of the economizer heat exchanger, and then passed through the thermoelectric cooler that is associated with the economizer circuit and positioned between the economizer expansion device and economizer heat exchanger.
14. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 9 , wherein a tap refrigerant line for tapping a portion of refrigerant to an economizer circuit is positioned downstream of the economizer heat exchanger, and then passed through the thermoelectric cooler that is associated with the economizer circuit and positioned between a tap point and the economizer expansion device.
15. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 9 , wherein a tap refrigerant line for tapping a portion of refrigerant to an economizer circuit is positioned upstream of the economizer heat exchanger, and then passed through the thermoelectric cooler on its way to the economizer heat exchanger.
16. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is positioned upstream of an economizer expansion device and downstream of a tap point.
17. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is positioned downstream of an economizer expansion device and upstream of the economizer heat exchanger.
18-20. (canceled)
21. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a hot junction of the thermoelectric cooler is cooled by one of air, water or glycol solution.
22. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein an air moving device for moving air over the hot junction of the thermoelectric cooler is positioned such that it also moves air over the heat rejection heat exchanger.
23. The refrigerant system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is used for unloading of the refrigerant system.
24-46. (canceled)
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2007/071537 WO2008156482A1 (en) | 2007-06-19 | 2007-06-19 | Thermoelectric cooler for economized refrigerant cycle performance boost |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/733,363 Division US9359594B2 (en) | 2004-06-01 | 2013-01-03 | Artificial blood vessel and method of manufacturing thereof |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20100122540A1 true US20100122540A1 (en) | 2010-05-20 |
Family
ID=40156488
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/597,975 Abandoned US20100122540A1 (en) | 2007-06-19 | 2007-06-19 | Thermoelectric cooler for economized refrigerant cycle performance boost |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20100122540A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2156110A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101688706B (en) |
HK (1) | HK1142387A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2008156482A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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JP2011202939A (en) * | 2010-03-01 | 2011-10-13 | Daikin Industries Ltd | Refrigeration device |
US20120180512A1 (en) * | 2011-01-13 | 2012-07-19 | General Electric Company | Water recovery system for a cooling tower |
DE102013211177A1 (en) * | 2013-06-14 | 2014-12-18 | Airbus Operations Gmbh | An aircraft cooling system and method for operating an aircraft cooling system |
US20180031253A1 (en) * | 2016-07-27 | 2018-02-01 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | System and method for capture of waste heat in an hvac unit |
US10054994B2 (en) | 2015-04-04 | 2018-08-21 | Indian Institute Of Technology Bombay | Non-uniform intensity mapping using high performance enterprise computing system |
US10343781B2 (en) | 2013-04-03 | 2019-07-09 | Airbus Operations Gmb | Aircraft cooling system |
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- 2007-06-19 EP EP07784476A patent/EP2156110A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2007-06-19 CN CN2007800534488A patent/CN101688706B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2007-06-19 US US12/597,975 patent/US20100122540A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2007-06-19 WO PCT/US2007/071537 patent/WO2008156482A1/en active Application Filing
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- 2010-09-15 HK HK10108761.8A patent/HK1142387A1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
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US6833341B2 (en) * | 1997-05-23 | 2004-12-21 | Huntsman Petrochemical Corporation | Paint stripping compositions |
US6351950B1 (en) * | 1997-09-05 | 2002-03-05 | Fisher & Paykel Limited | Refrigeration system with variable sub-cooling |
US6385981B1 (en) * | 2000-03-16 | 2002-05-14 | Mobile Climate Control Industries Inc. | Capacity control of refrigeration systems |
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US20120180512A1 (en) * | 2011-01-13 | 2012-07-19 | General Electric Company | Water recovery system for a cooling tower |
US10343781B2 (en) | 2013-04-03 | 2019-07-09 | Airbus Operations Gmb | Aircraft cooling system |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
HK1142387A1 (en) | 2010-12-03 |
CN101688706B (en) | 2013-04-10 |
EP2156110A1 (en) | 2010-02-24 |
WO2008156482A1 (en) | 2008-12-24 |
CN101688706A (en) | 2010-03-31 |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: CARRIER CORPORATION,CONNECTICUT Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:TARAS, MICHAEL F.;LIFSON, ALEXANDER;REEL/FRAME:023436/0639 Effective date: 20070618 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |