Climate control system with injector coolers for use with medium to high slip working fluids and method for operating climate control system

Abstract

A climate control system, such as a reversible heat pump, circulates a working fluid having medium to high slip wherein the boiling point difference between a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10 DEG F (1 atm). The system comprises a gas-liquid separation container; a compressor; a first heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor and generating a first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream; an expansion device; a second heat exchanger receiving the reduced pressure stream from the expansion device and at least partially vaporizing the reduced pressure stream to produce a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream; an ejector component disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and receiving and mixing the first flow and the second flow to produce a third multiphase fluid flow directed to the gas-liquid separation vessel; and a fluid conduit for circulating a working fluid. Methods for operating such climate control systems are also provided.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 989,271, filed on November 17, 2022. The entire disclosure of the above - mentioned application is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a climate control system, such as a heat pump, having an ejector component and a gas - liquid separator for use with a medium - to - high - slip working fluid, and a method of operating the climate control system. Background Art

[0004] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.

[0005] Conventional thermodynamic climate control systems, such as for example heat pump systems, refrigeration systems, or air - conditioning systems, can include a fluid circuit having: a first heat exchanger (e.g., a condenser that promotes the phase change of refrigerant from the gas / vapor phase to the liquid phase), which is typically located outdoors; a second heat exchanger (e.g., an evaporator that promotes the phase change of refrigerant from the liquid phase to the gas / vapor phase), which is typically located indoors or within the environment to be cooled; an expansion device disposed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger; and a compressor that operates via a vapor compression cycle (VCC) to circulate the gas / vapor phase refrigerant (and optionally lubricating oil) between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger (e.g., between the condenser and the evaporator) and pressurize the gas / vapor phase refrigerant. The compressor is typically a mechanical compressor for pressurizing the refrigerant, which can then be condensed and evaporated to transfer heat into or out of the system as the refrigerant cycles through the system. In a heat pump system, the roles of the first heat exchanger (e.g., the condenser) and the second heat exchanger (e.g., the evaporator) can change based on whether heating or cooling of a space is being performed.

[0006] Efficient and reliable operation of heating and cooling climate control systems can contribute to reducing energy consumption and potential greenhouse gas emissions associated with the use and leakage of certain refrigerants. Refrigeration, air conditioning, and heating applications face increasing regulatory pressure to reduce the global warming potential of the refrigerants they use. For example, in the United States, targets have been set to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent emissions by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050, such that the direct use of fossil fuels for heating buildings (e.g., furnaces, boilers, etc.) has been given a phase-out date. Heat pumps are the leading technology capturing the market. Although more heat pumps are needed, the global warming potential (GWP) of refrigerants allowed by certain government agencies and regulators (e.g., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.E.P.A.), the California Air Resources Board (CARB), etc.) is decreasing. For example, future restrictions on refrigerants are predicted to be below 150 GWP.

[0007] Refrigerants with a GWP value below 150 have a high slip, which means they are typically refrigerant blends that may undergo fractionation and high slip, which have traditionally been considered problems to avoid in climate control systems. Many refrigerant blends exhibit a temperature slip when they undergo a phase change in the evaporator and condenser. As described above, in the evaporator, the refrigerant can evaporate or undergo a phase change from liquid to vapor. In the condenser, the refrigerant can condense or undergo a phase change from vapor to liquid. Refrigerant blends exhibit a temperature slip because there are multiple refrigerant molecules with different properties. When these refrigerant blends change phase (evaporate and condense), changes in the refrigerant blend composition are observed due to the preferential evaporation or condensation of the more volatile or less volatile refrigerant components (also known as the high-pressure refrigerant and low-pressure refrigerant) in the refrigerant blend. This process is called blend fractionation.

[0008] Accordingly, it would be desirable to employ a climate control system, including a heat pump, that can successfully utilize such environmentally friendly refrigerants with a low global warming potential, including those with medium to high slip or blend fractionation properties. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] This section provides a general overview of the disclosure and not a full disclosure of its entire scope or all of its features.

[0010] In some aspects, the present disclosure relates to a climate control system that circulates a working fluid, the working fluid including a refrigerant blend having medium to high slip. In some variations, the climate control system includes a working fluid that includes a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, wherein the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure. The climate control system further includes a gas-liquid separation vessel that receives the working fluid and produces a vapor stream and a liquid stream. The climate control system further includes a compressor that receives the vapor stream from the gas-liquid separation vessel and produces a pressurized vapor stream. A first heat exchanger is disposed downstream of the compressor and receives the pressurized vapor stream to produce a first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream. An expansion device receives the liquid stream from the gas-liquid separation vessel and produces a depressurized stream. The climate control system includes a second heat exchanger that receives the depressurized stream from the expansion device and at least partially evaporates the depressurized stream to produce a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream. A ejector assembly is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and receives the first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream and the second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream to produce a third multiphase fluid stream that is directed to the gas-liquid separation vessel. The climate control system further includes fluid conduits for circulating the working fluid and establishing fluid communication between the gas-liquid separation vessel, the compressor, the first heat exchanger, the expansion device, the second heat exchanger, and the ejector assembly, and the working fluid is circulated through the fluid communication.

[0011] In one aspect, the climate control system further includes a third heat exchanger disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, the third heat exchanger configured to receive the working fluid from the first heat exchanger along a first flow direction at a first side and direct it to the ejector assembly, and configured to receive the working fluid from the second heat exchanger along a second flow direction opposite the first flow direction at a second side and direct it to the ejector assembly.

[0012] In one aspect, the gas-liquid separation vessel has a volume with excess capacity and is configured to selectively store at least a portion of the working fluid.

[0013] In one aspect, the first refrigerant includes a refrigerant of the A1 or A2L classification of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

[0014] In one aspect, the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are independently selected from the group consisting of: carbon dioxide (R-744), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (a near-azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (R-290), 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234yf), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ye), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234ze), 3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HFO-1234zf), trifluorochloropropene (HFO-1233), trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(E)), cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(Z)), 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233xf), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(E)), pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225), 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225zc), 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225yez), hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (R1336mzz(E)), trans-1,2-difluoroethylene (R-1132(E)), and any isomers or combinations thereof.

[0015] In one aspect, the working fluid further includes a lubricant that is preferentially miscible with the first refrigerant, and the climate control system further includes an oil storage container or sump that stores at least a portion of the lubricant in the working fluid.

[0016] In one aspect, the climate control system further includes a reversing valve or a pair of four-way valves to enable the climate control system to perform both heating and cooling.

[0017] In one aspect, the ejector component includes a main inlet that receives a first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream and a secondary inlet that receives a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream, and the ejector component produces a third multiphase fluid stream that is directed to a gas-liquid separation container.

[0018] In another aspect, the ejector component further includes a converging nozzle, a mixing zone downstream of the converging nozzle, and a diverging nozzle downstream of the mixing zone.

[0019] In some other aspects, the present disclosure relates to a climate control reversible heat pump system that circulates a working fluid, the working fluid including a refrigerant blend having medium to high glide. In some variations, the climate control reversible heat pump system includes a working fluid that includes a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, wherein the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure. The climate control reversible heat pump system further includes a gas-liquid separation vessel that receives the working fluid and produces a vapor stream and a liquid stream. A compressor receives the vapor stream from the gas-liquid separation vessel and produces a pressurized vapor stream. The climate control reversible heat pump system further includes an expansion device that receives the liquid stream from the gas-liquid separation vessel and produces a depressurized stream. The climate control reversible heat pump system further includes a reversible heat exchange assembly disposed downstream of the compressor, the reversible heat exchange assembly receiving the pressurized vapor stream from the compressor and the depressurized stream from the expansion device and producing a first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream and a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream. The reversible heat exchange assembly includes: a first heat exchanger, a first four-way valve disposed between the compressor and the first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a second four-way valve disposed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. The climate control reversible heat pump system further includes an ejector assembly that includes a primary inlet and a secondary inlet and is disposed downstream of the reversible heat exchange assembly, the ejector assembly receiving the first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream at the primary inlet and the second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream at the secondary inlet to produce a third multiphase fluid stream that is directed to the gas-liquid separation vessel. Fluid conduits are used to circulate the working fluid and establish fluid communication between the gas-liquid separation vessel, the compressor, the reversible heat exchange assembly, the expansion device, and the ejector assembly, and the working fluid is circulated through the fluid communication.

[0020] In one aspect, in a first operating mode, the first heat exchanger is configured to receive the pressurized vapor stream to produce a first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream, and the second heat exchanger is configured to receive the depressurized stream from the expansion device and at least partially evaporate the depressurized stream to produce a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream. In a second operating mode, the first heat exchanger is configured to receive the depressurized stream from the expansion device and at least partially evaporate the depressurized stream to produce a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream, and the second heat exchanger is configured to receive the pressurized vapor stream to produce a first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream.

[0021] In one aspect, the reversible heat exchange assembly further includes a third heat exchanger disposed downstream of the first and second heat exchangers. The third heat exchanger is configured to receive, at a first side, the working fluid from the first heat exchanger along a first flow direction and direct it to the second four-way valve and the ejector assembly. The third heat exchanger is configured to receive, at a second side, the working fluid from the second heat exchanger along a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction and direct it to the second four-way valve and the ejector assembly.

[0022] In one aspect, the gas-liquid separation vessel has a volume with excess capacity and is configured to selectively store at least a portion of the working fluid.

[0023] In one aspect, the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are independently selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide (R-744), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (near-azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (R-290), 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234yf), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ye), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234ze), 3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HFO-1234zf), trifluorochloropropene (HFO-1233), trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(E)), cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(Z)), 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233xf), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(E)), pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225), 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225zc), 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225yez), hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (R1336mzz(E)), trans-1,2-difluoroethylene (R-1132(E)), and any isomers or combinations thereof.

[0024] In some aspects, the present disclosure also relates to a method for operating a climate control system that circulates a working fluid, the working fluid including a refrigerant blend having medium to high glide. The method optionally includes pressurizing the working fluid vapor by passing it through a compressor in a fluid conduit. The working fluid includes a refrigerant blend that includes a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, wherein the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure. The method further includes condensing at least a portion of the working fluid in a first heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor to form a condensed stream that is delivered to a main inlet of an ejector component. Evaporating at least a portion of the working fluid in a second heat exchanger to form an evaporated stream that is delivered to a secondary inlet of the ejector component. Mixing the condensed stream and the evaporated stream in the ejector component to form a mixed stream that exits the ejector component. The method further includes introducing the mixed stream into a gas-liquid separation vessel disposed downstream of the ejector component and upstream of the compressor and an expansion device, the gas-liquid separation vessel separating the working fluid into a vapor stream that is directed to the compressor and a liquid stream that is directed to the expansion device. Reducing the pressure of the working fluid by passing it through the expansion device and delivering it to the second heat exchanger.

[0025] In one aspect, the method further includes storing a portion of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant in the gas-liquid separation vessel to adjust the cooling capacity of the climate control system.

[0026] In one aspect, the first temperature range of the refrigerant blend in the first heat exchanger is operated to be greater than or equal to about 66% of the second temperature range of the air in the first heat exchanger or the second heat exchanger and less than or equal to about 150% of the second temperature range.

[0027] In one aspect, the fluid conduit further includes a third heat exchanger disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and downstream of the second heat exchanger. The method further includes passing the working fluid from the first heat exchanger along a first flow direction over a first side of the third heat exchanger and directing it to the ejector component, and passing the working fluid from the second heat exchanger along a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction to transfer heat between the working fluids and directing it to the ejector component.

[0028] In one aspect, the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are independently selected from the group consisting of: carbon dioxide (R-744), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (near azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (R-290), 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234yf), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ye), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234ze), 3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HFO-1234zf), trifluorochloropropene (HFO-1233), trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(E)), cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(Z)), 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233xf), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(E)), pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225), 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225zc), 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225yez), hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (R1336mzz(E)), trans-1,2-difluoroethylene (R-1132(E)), and any isomers or combinations thereof.

[0029] In one aspect, condensation includes partially condensing a portion of the working fluid in a first heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor to form a condensing stream as a multiphase condensing flow, which is directed to the main inlet of the ejector component. Additionally, evaporation includes partially evaporating a portion of the working fluid in a second heat exchanger disposed downstream of the expansion device to form an evaporating stream as a multiphase evaporating flow, which is directed to the secondary inlet of the ejector component. The working fluid includes a refrigerant blend having medium to high slip, the refrigerant blend including a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, wherein the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 25°F at atmospheric pressure.

[0030] Based on the description provided herein, other application areas will become apparent. The description and specific examples in this summary of the invention are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of a climate control system prepared in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the climate control system being for circulating a working fluid having a blended refrigerant presenting medium to high glide, the climate control system including a gas-liquid separation vessel and an ejector component.

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing another exemplary embodiment of a climate control system prepared in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the climate control system being in the form of a reversible heat pump system, which is for circulating a working fluid having a blended refrigerant presenting medium to high glide. The reversible heat pump system includes a reversible heat exchanger assembly having a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and two four-way reversing valves. The reversible heat pump system also includes a gas-liquid separation vessel and an ejector component. Figure 2 Shows the reversible heat pump system in a first operating mode, in which the first heat exchanger operates as a condenser and the second heat exchanger operates as an evaporator.

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing yet another exemplary embodiment of a climate control system prepared in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the climate control system being in the form of a reversible heat pump system, which is for circulating a working fluid having a blended refrigerant presenting medium to high glide. The reversible heat pump system includes a reversible heat exchanger assembly having a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, and two four-way reversing valves. The reversible heat pump system also includes a gas-liquid separation vessel and an ejector component. Figure 3 Shows the reversible heat pump system in a first operating mode, in which the first heat exchanger operates as a condenser and the second heat exchanger operates as an evaporator.

[0035] Throughout several views of the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts. Detailed Description

[0036] Providing these exemplary embodiments makes the present disclosure thorough and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples of specific compositions, components, devices, and methods, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed and that the example embodiments may be implemented in many different forms, and none of these should be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In some exemplary embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0037] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" may also be intended to include the plural forms. The terms "comprising," "comprising of," "including," and "having" are inclusive and thus specify the presence of the stated features, elements, compositions, steps, wholes, operations, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Although the open-ended term "comprising of" should be understood as a non-limiting term used to describe and claim the various embodiments herein, in some instances, this term may alternatively be understood to be a more limiting and restrictive term, such as "consisting of" or "consisting essentially of." Thus, for any given embodiment reciting components, materials, parts, elements, features, wholes, operations, and / or process steps, the present disclosure also specifically includes embodiments consisting of such recited components, materials, parts, elements, features, wholes, operations, and / or process steps, or consisting essentially of such recited components, materials, parts, elements, features, wholes, operations, and / or process steps. In the case of "consisting of," alternative embodiments exclude any additional components, materials, parts, elements, features, wholes, operations, and / or process steps, while in the case of "consisting essentially of," any additional components, materials, parts, elements, features, wholes, operations, and / or process steps that substantially affect the basic and novel characteristics are excluded from such embodiments, but any components, materials, parts, elements, features, wholes, operations, and / or process steps that do not substantially affect the basic and novel characteristics may be included in the embodiments.

[0038] Unless specifically identified as the order of execution, any method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the particular order discussed or shown. It should also be understood that, unless otherwise stated, additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0039] When a component, element, or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on the other component, element, or layer, engaged, connected, or coupled to the other component, element, or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in the same manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0040] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe different steps, elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these steps, elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts are not to be limited by these terms unless otherwise specified. These terms may be used only to distinguish one step, element, component, region, layer, or part from another step, element, component, region, layer, or part. Unless clearly indicated by the context, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms do not imply an order or sequence when used herein. Thus, a first step, first element, first component, first region, first layer, or first part discussed below may be referred to as a second step, second element, second component, second region, second layer, or second part without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0041] Spatial or temporal relative terms, such as "before," "after," "inside," "outside," "beneath," "below," "under," "above," "over," etc., may be used herein to simplify the description of the relationship between one element or feature and another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. In addition to the orientation depicted in the figures, spatial or temporal relative terms may be intended to cover different orientations of the device or system in use or operation.

[0042] Throughout this disclosure, numerical values represent approximate measurements or limitations of ranges to encompass minor deviations from a given value and embodiments that are approximately the recited value and embodiments that precisely are the recited value. Except in the working examples provided at the end of the detailed description, all numerical values of parameters (e.g., quantities or conditions) in this specification, including the appended claims, should be understood to be modified in all instances by the term "about," whether or not the term "about" actually appears before the numerical value. "About" indicates that the recited numerical value allows some slight imprecision (to the extent of the accuracy of the value in some way; approximately or reasonably approaching the value; nearly equal to the value). If the imprecision provided by "about" cannot be understood as such common meaning in the art, then "about" as used herein at least indicates variations that may be caused by ordinary methods of measuring and using such parameters. For example, "about" can include variations of less than or equal to 5%, optionally less than or equal to 4%, optionally less than or equal to 3%, optionally less than or equal to 2%, optionally less than or equal to 1%, optionally less than or equal to 0.5%, and in some aspects optionally less than or equal to 0.1%.

[0043] Additionally, the disclosure of a range includes the disclosure of all values within the entire range and further divided ranges, including the endpoints and sub-ranges given for the range.

[0044] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] In various aspects, the present disclosure relates to climate control systems and methods of operating such systems that provide the ability to use a working fluid having a refrigerant blend that includes environmentally friendly refrigerants that also exhibit extreme glide during operation. In utilizing such extreme glide, the climate control system can advantageously perform capacity modulation. In certain aspects of the present disclosure, the "working fluid" composition for a refrigeration system, such as for a heat transfer device like a compressor, includes a blend of at least two refrigerants. The working fluid can be modified in operation by further adding a lubricant having a preferential affinity for at least one refrigerant to change the concentration of the refrigerant blend circulating in the system. The working fluid for a refrigeration system typically includes a small amount of a lubricant composition, wherein the lubricant and the refrigerant are combined in an amount such that the refrigerant in the lubricant-refrigerant composition is relatively more than the lubricant. Based on the combined weight of the lubricant and the refrigerant, by weight, the refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 50% of the combined weight, and by weight, the lubricant is less than or equal to about 50% of the combined weight. In various embodiments, by weight, the lubricating oil is greater than or equal to about 1% to less than or equal to about 30% of the combined weight of the lubricant and the high-energy refrigerant, and by weight, is greater than or equal to about 5% to less than or equal to about 20% of the combined weight of the working fluid. Typically, the working fluid includes greater than or equal to about 5 wt% to less than or equal to about 20 wt%, or optionally greater than or equal to about 5 wt% to less than or equal to about 15 wt% of the lubricant, and the balance is the refrigerant. In the context of the present disclosure, the working fluid can include at least two different refrigerants that form a blend of the refrigerant composition.

[0046] As described above, certain refrigerant blends can undergo fractionation and medium to high glide, which have traditionally been considered problems to avoid in climate control systems. Many refrigerant blends exhibit a temperature glide when they undergo a phase change in both an evaporator (where the refrigerant undergoes a phase change from liquid to vapor) and a condenser (where the refrigerant undergoes a phase change from vapor to liquid). When these refrigerant blends change phase (evaporate and condense), a change in the refrigerant blend composition is observed due to the preferential evaporation or condensation of the more volatile or less volatile refrigerant components (also referred to as the high-pressure refrigerant and the low-pressure refrigerant) in the refrigerant blend. This process is called blend fractionation.

[0047] Accordingly, the total temperature glide of a refrigerant blend can be defined as the temperature difference between the saturated vapor temperature and the saturated liquid temperature at a constant pressure. In other words, glide can be considered the temperature difference between the start temperature and the end temperature of a refrigerant phase change within the system at a constant pressure.

[0048] In the context of certain aspects of the current technology, counterintuitively, a working fluid with a medium-slip or high-slip refrigerant blend is intentionally selected. In some aspects, the refrigerant blend can include a first refrigerant having a relatively low standard boiling point (also referred to herein as a high-pressure refrigerant) and a second refrigerant having a relatively high standard boiling point (also referred to herein as a low-pressure refrigerant). In some aspects, the first refrigerant can have a first (low) boiling point greater than or equal to about -270 °C to less than or equal to about 8 °C. Thus, the low-boiling refrigerant can have a boiling point in the range from -267 °C of hydrogen to 7.5 °C of R1336mzz(E). In some aspects, the second refrigerant can have a second (high) boiling point greater than or equal to about -55 °C to less than or equal to about 100 °C. For example, the boiling point range of the high-boiling refrigerant can be from about -52 °C of difluoromethane (R32) to 100 °C of water (H2O). As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the refrigerant components are selected to form a blend that meets the objectives of the system in the application. Different blends can be selected for cryogenic applications, cryogenic refrigeration, medium-temperature refrigeration, air conditioning, and cooling applications for different processes, etc.

[0049] Thus, the working fluid can include a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, and the standard boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant (e.g., ΔT = boiling point of the first refrigerant (BP1) - boiling point of the second refrigerant (BP2)) is greater than or equal to about 10 °F (about 5.6 °C) at atmospheric pressure, which can be considered a medium-slip refrigerant blend. The first refrigerant and the second refrigerant can be selected for various properties including the respective standard boiling points, slip efficiency, global warming potential, environmental impact, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) impact, capacity, pressure, safety, etc. In some aspects, the standard boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant provides a high-slip refrigerant blend, where the difference is greater than or equal to about 25 °F (about 14 °C) at atmospheric pressure, optionally greater than or equal to about 50 °F (28 °C), optionally greater than or equal to about 75 °F (42 °C), optionally greater than or equal to about 100 °F (55 °C), optionally greater than or equal to about 125 °F (69 °C), and in some aspects, optionally greater than or equal to about 150 °F (83 °C).

[0050] By way of example, the present disclosure contemplates refrigerant blends that include at least one refrigerant having a low global warming potential, such as A1 (no flame propagation / low toxicity level) refrigerants and A2L (slightly flammable / less flammable than A2 and A3 refrigerants and having low toxicity) refrigerants as classified by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). Examples of A2L refrigerants include difluoromethane (CH2F2 or R-32—refrigerants can be described interchangeably herein by the conventional nomenclature “R” for refrigerants or their specific chemical class code, such as HFC-32) having a global warming potential of about 677, and hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), such as 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (HFO-1234yf or R-1234yf), trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (HFO-1234ze or R-1234ze).

[0051] In particular, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC / R) industry has been seeking A1 (non-toxic and non-flammable) refrigerants, including blends with such A1 refrigerants, that have high cooling capacity per charge while desirably avoiding supercritical operation and sub-atmospheric pressures to enable low-cost compression and piping, while protecting the safety of equipment operators and users. In some aspects, the refrigerant blend includes an A1 refrigerant. As noted above, examples of A1 refrigerants include: carbon dioxide (R-744); chlorodifluoromethane (R-22 or CHClF2); 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A); and R410A (a near-azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)); and trifluoro, monochloropropene (R-1233), which includes cis- and trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd) isomers (HFO-1233zd(Z) and HFO-1233zd(E)); and hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336, including HFO-1336mzz(Z), 1336mzz(E)). A2L refrigerants include difluoromethane (R-32) and hydrofluoroolefins (HFO). Many suitable HFO refrigerants are described in Smutny's U.S. Patent No. 4,788,352 and Singh et al.'s U.S. Patent No. 8,444,874, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference. HFO can include 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (HFO-1234yf) and trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (HFO-1234ze).Non-limiting suitable examples of specific HFO refrigerants include: 3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1234zf); HFO-1234 refrigerants such as 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf), 1,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ze), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ye); pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225), such as 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225zc); hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336), such as cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz-Z) and trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (R1336mzz(E)); or those having hydrogen on the terminal unsaturated carbon, such as 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225yez); chlorofluoropropene, such as trifluoro, monochloropropene (HFO-1233), such as CF3CCl=CH2 (HFO-1233xf) and CF3CH=CHCl (HFO-1233zd) (including trans (E) and cis (Z) isomers (HFO-1233zd(E) and HFO-1233zd(Z))), (E)-1,2-difluoroethylene (R-1132(E)); and any combination thereof. In certain aspects, the HFO refrigerant can be selected from the group consisting of: R-1234yf, R-1234ze, R1233zd(E), R1233zd(Z), R1336mzz(Z), R1336mzz(E), R-1132(E), and combinations thereof.

[0052] According to certain variations, at least one refrigerant in the working fluid refrigerant blend used with the present technology can include a refrigerant selected from the group consisting of: R-744, R-32, R134A, R410A, R-1234yf, R-1234ze, R1233zd(E), R1233zd(Z), R1336mzz(Z), R1336mzz(E), and combinations thereof.

[0053] In certain aspects, the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are independently selected from the group consisting of: carbon dioxide (R-744), difluoromethane (R-32), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (a near-azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), hydrofluoroolefin (HFO), dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (R-290), and combinations thereof.

[0054] The refrigerant can be used in combination with other A1 or A2L refrigerants or some other refrigerants, such as A3 or B1 or B2 refrigerants, including natural or flammable refrigerants (e.g., dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (C3H8 or R-290)).

[0055] In certain variations, the first refrigerant is selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide (R-744), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (a near-azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), difluoromethane (R-32), hydrofluoroolefins (HFO), and combinations thereof, and the second refrigerant is selected from the group consisting of 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234yf), 1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234ze), 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(E)), 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(Z)), HFO-1233zd(Z)), 1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz), and combinations thereof.

[0056] In certain aspects, the refrigerant blend includes an A1 refrigerant, such as carbon dioxide (R-744), mixed with at least one other refrigerant. Carbon dioxide refrigerant is ideally used in subcritical system designs. An example of a suitable non-limiting refrigerant blend includes CO2 (R-744), which is a more volatile high-pressure refrigerant, mixed with R-1234ze, which is a less volatile low-pressure fluid. In such an example, the refrigerant blend has a first refrigerant including CO2 and a second refrigerant including R-1234ze. The standard boiling point or triple point / sublimation point of CO2 (at a pressure of 1 atmosphere (atm)) is approximately -78°C, and the standard boiling point of R1234yf at a pressure of 1 atm is approximately -2°C, resulting in a boiling point difference of approximately 76°C.

[0057] In another variation, the refrigerant blend can include an A1 refrigerant, such as CO2 (R-744), mixed with a flammable refrigerant (ASHRAE 34 A3 class), such as propane (C3H8 or R-290) or dimethyl ether (R-E170). In this example, the refrigerant blend has a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant. The first refrigerant includes CO2, which sublimates at approximately -78°C, and the second refrigerant includes R-E170, whose standard boiling point is approximately -24°C, resulting in a boiling point difference of approximately 54°C or 97°F.

[0058] Although the amount of refrigerant present in the working fluid may vary at different points in the system and may be based on specific system requirements, in some variations, the working fluid charged into the system can include a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant. The first refrigerant can be a more volatile high-pressure refrigerant present in an amount greater than or equal to about 5 wt% to less than or equal to about 95 wt%, and the second refrigerant can be a less volatile low-pressure refrigerant present in an amount greater than or equal to about 5 wt% to less than or equal to about 95 wt% based on the combined weight of all refrigerants. In one example, the working fluid does not need to have a large amount of a fluid with a higher critical temperature, i.e., the second refrigerant, blended with the first refrigerant, such as CO2 (R-744)), to advantageously keep the CO2 outside the transcritical operating state. In some variations, the first refrigerant can be a more volatile high-pressure refrigerant present in an amount greater than or equal to about 50 wt%, and the second refrigerant can be a less volatile low-pressure refrigerant present in an amount less than or equal to about 50 wt% based on the combined weight of all refrigerants.

[0059] In this way, fractionation can be a phenomenon that enables variable blend refrigerants, such that fractionation can be used in a climate control system, for example, by using heat exchangers (e.g., evaporators and condensers) and / or storage containers to separate a stream into different concentrations. Thus, only a small portion of the phase change may be allowed to occur in each heat exchanger. Only a portion of the total slip is experienced during the partial phase change. For example, the less volatile liquid can flow out of the evaporator and be drawn into the ejector with the vapor by the driving flow, thereby being stored in the flash tank and recycled back to the evaporator. In another variation, a high concentration of the more volatile high-pressure gas is formed from the uncondensed refrigerant and is released into the evaporator inlet. In this way, as will be described in further detail below, the head is reduced and slip is generated from a portion of the two-phase region.

[0060] As will be described in more detail below, refrigeration lubricating oils known to be suitable for use with such refrigerants can be contemplated. The working fluid can include synthetic oils. In certain variations, the lubricating oil can include polyethylene ether (PVE) oil, polyalphaolefin (PAO), polyalkylene glycol (PAG), alkylbenzene, mineral oil, or ester-based oils such as polyol ester (POE) oil. In certain variations, for example, the lubricating oil can include a polyol ester (POE) compound formed from a carboxylic acid and a polyol. In certain variations, such POE can be formed from a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of n-valeric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, n-caproic acid, n-heptanoic acid, 3,3,5-trimethylhexanoic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, n-octanoic acid, n-nonanoic acid, and isononanoic acid and combinations thereof and a polyol selected from the group consisting of pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, neopentyl glycol, trimethylolpropane, and combinations thereof. In the presence of carbon dioxide (R-744) in the refrigerant blend, in certain variations, the lubricant can include polyol ester (POE) oil. For example, a particularly suitable lubricating oil is a polyol ester oil designated 3MAF, which is a reaction product of a polyol of pentaerythritol (nominal of about 78% to 91%) and dipentaerythritol (nominal of about 9% to 22%) with carboxylic acids (nominal of 29% to 34% valeric acid, nominal of 34% to 44% heptanoic acid, and nominal of 22% to 37% 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoic acid).

[0061] In various aspects, the climate control systems contemplated by the present disclosure provide the ability to use the extreme slip characteristics of refrigerant blends during operation, which allows the components to be isolated and stored in a concentrated state and then the blend concentration at the compressor suction inlet can be varied to enable, for example, high-density gas compression for capacity enhancement and variable-density gas compression for system capacity modulation. Additionally, capacity modulation can be achieved by reducing the amount of refrigerant undergoing a phase change.

[0062] In certain aspects, a method of operating a climate control system can include using such a working fluid that includes at least a first refrigerant and a different second refrigerant, wherein the evaporation and condensation of the refrigerant blend / working fluid are only partial, thus resulting in a specialized vapor compression cooling cycle / vapor compression heating cycle. For example, using an ejector cycle with a medium or high-slip refrigerant blend allows the evaporator and condenser to operate with different mixtures (by the concentration of the refrigerants in the working fluid) fractionated in a flash tank.

[0063] Certain aspects of the present disclosure contemplate a conventional thermodynamic climate control system configured to use a high-slip refrigerant blend, such as, for example, a heat pump system, a refrigeration system, or an air conditioning system. In various aspects, the present disclosure relates to climate control systems for a variety of refrigeration and thermal energy transfer applications, and in some cases, to industrial or commercial air conditioning units or refrigeration units, such as those for factories, office buildings, apartment buildings, warehouses, and ice rinks, or air conditioning units or refrigeration units for retail.

[0064] By way of example, Figure 1 FIG. 20 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a simplified climate control system, such as a refrigeration system, that processes and circulates a working fluid, the composition of which includes at least a first refrigerant (A) and a second refrigerant (B) that exhibit medium or high slip. The capacity of the climate control system 20 can be adjusted by varying the relative proportions of the first refrigerant (A) and the second refrigerant (B) in the working fluid blend at different points in the system. Thus, the compressor suction density generated can be changed by preferentially storing a certain concentration of the first refrigerant (A) or the second refrigerant (B) in one or more selected regions of the system. In various aspects, the present disclosure provides a vapor compression system configured to incompletely evaporate and incompletely condense the refrigerant in the working fluid.

[0065] As noted above, more than two refrigerants may be present in the working fluid, but for simplicity, two refrigerants are used in this example, and the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant (A) and the second refrigerant (B) is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure. As will be described in more detail below, at certain points in the system, the working fluid may also include oil. As used herein, the term “fluid” encompasses liquids, gases, and any combination thereof, including vapor (e.g., a gas phase with atomized droplets). As used herein, the term “gas” or “gas phase” is intended to encompass both the vapor phase and the pure gas phase.

[0066] The climate control system 20 has fluid flow paths or fluid conduits 22 that establish fluid communication between various components, enabling a working fluid to circulate in a loop as further discussed herein. First, a working fluid including a first refrigerant (A) and a second refrigerant (B) can enter a first heat exchanger that, in a cooling operation mode used as an example, is in the form of an evaporator 40. When the first refrigerant (A) and / or the second refrigerant (B) leaves the evaporator 40, the evaporator 40 causes it to change from a part of the liquid phase to a gas or vapor phase, where a cooling effect of endothermic energy absorption occurs. Refrigerants typically evaporate at a lower pressure and draw heat from the surrounding area. As shown by the arrows, air can, for example, be driven by a fan 46 to flow through the evaporator 40 for heat exchange, and the air is then cooled here. As shown, the air flows in a countercurrent arrangement, but a co-current configuration or other air flow configurations can also be used. The heat exchangers (the evaporator 40 and the second heat exchanger in the form of a condenser 70 discussed below) can include concentric finned tubes, brazed plates, plate and frame, microchannels, or other heat exchangers. There can be a single evaporator and condenser, or there can be multiple evaporators or condensers in a parallel configuration or a series configuration. The refrigerant flow therein can be controlled by a capillary tube, a thermal expansion valve, an electronic expansion valve, or other methods. In a heat pump system, as will be further discussed below, the roles of the evaporator 40 and the condenser 70 can change based on whether heating or cooling of a space is being performed.

[0067] The evaporator 40 can be located in the room or space to be cooled by the climate control system 20, or can be used to cool the air flowing into the room or space to be cooled. Thus, the evaporator 40 receives a low-pressure multiphase working fluid at point 30 and causes it to evaporate at least partially, and directs the working fluid to the downstream ejector component 50. At point 30 in the fluid conduit 22, the working fluid comprises a combination of both a first refrigerant (A) and a second refrigerant (B) that is partially or fully in the gas phase when the climate control system 20 is operating in the cooling mode. The working fluid at point 30 can be a multiphase composition. As described above, in one aspect of the present technology, the working fluid comprising a refrigerant blend having a first refrigerant (A) and a second refrigerant (B) is only partially evaporated to form a mixture of both gas / vapor and liquid. For example, the first refrigerant (A) can have a lower boiling point and thus be more volatile, such that a large amount of the first refrigerant (A) volatilizes or evaporates, while the second refrigerant (B) has a higher boiling point, and thus a smaller proportion of the second refrigerant (B) evaporates or volatilizes in the working fluid, and thus a larger proportion of the second refrigerant remains in liquid form. In some aspects, a portion of the first refrigerant (A) can be in the form of gas or vapor, e.g., from about 75% to about 100% by mass of the first refrigerant is in the form of gas or vapor, while the remaining percentage of the first refrigerant (A) can be in the liquid phase. The presence of the gas-liquid separator 42 (e.g., a flash tank as will be further described herein) in the climate control system provides the ability to control the temperature range of the refrigerant blend being used. By way of example, depending on the amount of liquid evaporated, the vapor quality or vapor quality fraction of the working fluid at point 30 leaving the evaporator can be pre-determined to be any amount, by way of non-limiting example, e.g., from about 15% to about 100% vapor quality, optionally from about 80% to about 100% vapor quality.

[0068] Thus, the low-pressure multiphase working fluid containing vapor enters the secondary inlet 52 of the ejector component 50. The ejector component 50 also has a primary inlet 54 that receives the high-pressure multiphase working fluid containing liquid leaving the condenser 70, which will be described in more detail below. In this way, the ejector component 50 receives two different streams that are blended together. The ejector component 50 can also be referred to as an ejector, a venturi tube, or an ejector pump. In some aspects, the primary inlet 54 of the ejector component 50 serves as the driving or motive stream, while the secondary inlet 52 serves as the entrained flowing stream.

[0069] Injectors typically use the kinetic energy of one fluid, such as a liquid, a mixture of liquid and vapor, vapor, or gas, to cause the flow of another fluid. The injector component 50 includes at least one nozzle, such as a drive nozzle or a converging nozzle 55, and has a mixing region 56 and a diverging nozzle or diffuser nozzle 58. The converging nozzle 55 converts the pressure energy of the motive flow into a high speed, for example, exceeding the speed of sound. Then, this high speed flow can entrain the suction flow or the entrainment flow into the mixing region 56 with a reduced diameter. In the mixing region 56 of the body of the injector component 50, the motive fluid and the suction fluid are sufficiently mixed. The mixed fluid then changes back from the high speed mixed flow to a medium pressure flow after passing through the diffuser nozzle 58. More specifically, the velocity of the mixed flow decreases as the mixed flow passes through the diffuser nozzle 58, and the pressure of the mixed flow increases before leaving the outlet 59. In this way, the injector component 50 can reduce or eliminate the need for a liquid pump in the system. In addition, as will be described below, the injector component 50 used in combination with a working fluid of a refrigerant blend having a high slip can be used to increase the efficiency of the system during operation. For example, compared with a conventional system, it reduces the work required by the compressor.

[0070] The injector component 50 may also include a diverging diffuser nozzle 58 to convert the velocity back into pressure after the drive flow from the main inlet 54 and the entrainment flow from the secondary inlet 52 are mixed. The injector component 50 may have the following configuration: where the flow areas of each inlet (the main inlet 54 and the secondary inlet 52) are selected to minimize the loss of pressure and velocity from their sources, and the flow area of the outlet 59 is selected to minimize the loss of pressure and velocity when it is supplied to the next component in the system. In some aspects, the injector component 50 may have a minimum flow area of the nozzle determined by calculation, which is the maximum area that achieves the highest nozzle velocity under the isentropic expansion of the inlet fluid under the full range of operating conditions of its application. In some aspects, the manufactured injector component 50 may be a separately formed component, such as an assembly composed of a housing that can define the body, a converging nozzle 55, and a diffuser nozzle 58. For example, each nozzle (e.g., the converging nozzle 55 or the diffuser nozzle 58) can be formed by casting, forging, molding, sintering, or additive printing with a metal material, etc. The housing is formed by drawing, extruding, rolling and connecting, casting, forging, machining, or additive printing with a metal material, etc. Since the converging nozzle 55 and the diffuser nozzle 58 are separate components, the housing can be incorporated into one or both of these components. In other variants, the entire injector component 50 and its various sub-components can be made by a single additive manufacturing / printing process to form an integral or one-piece component.

[0071] Assume that at least a portion of the working fluid at point 30 in conduit 22 exits the ejector member 50 at outlet 59 and includes a second refrigerant (B) in liquid form. The working fluid enters a gas-liquid separation vessel or flash tank 42, which receives the working fluid and produces a vapor stream 32 and a liquid stream 34. Thus, the working fluid at point 30 is processed into the ejector member 50 and then into the flash tank 42, where the working fluid is separated into two different streams, namely a first vapor stream at point 32 and a second liquid stream at point 34. The vapor stream 32 may include a gaseous refrigerant or a vapor-phase refrigerant, which, depending on the desired operating conditions, includes a generally more volatile first refrigerant (A) and a portion of the less volatile second refrigerant (B). The liquid stream 34 may include the second refrigerant (B) in the liquid phase. For example, in some variants, most of the liquid stream in the liquid stream 34 may be the second refrigerant (B).

[0072] The vapor stream 32 enters a compressor 60, where the vapor stream 32 is compressed to increase the pressure and form a high-pressure vapor stream or high-pressure gas stream 36 that exits the compressor 60. The compressor 60 can be various different compressors known in the art. The types of compressors for the above applications can be divided into two main categories, namely positive displacement compressors and dynamic compressors. Positive displacement compressors increase the refrigerant vapor pressure by doing work on the mechanism of the compressor to reduce the volume of the compression chamber. Positive displacement compressors include various types of compressors currently in use, such as reciprocating compressors, rotary (rolling piston, rotary vane, single screw, twin screw) compressors, and kinematic (scroll or trochoidal) compressors. Dynamic compressors increase the refrigerant vapor pressure by continuously transferring kinetic energy to the vapor in a compression mechanism in the form of a rotating member and then converting this energy into a pressure rise. Centrifugal compressors operate based on these principles. Details of the design and function of these compressors for refrigeration applications can be found in Chapter 37 of the 2010 ASHRAE Handbook, HVAC systems and Equipment, which is incorporated herein by reference. In some variants, by way of example, the compressor 60 can be a scroll compressor or a reciprocating compressor.

[0073] The pressure of the high-pressure or pressurized gas stream 36 that exits the compressor 60 is significantly greater than the pressure of the incoming vapor stream 32. The mechanical energy required to compress the vapor and pump the fluid in the compression mechanism of the compressor is provided by, for example, an electric motor or an internal combustion engine. It is worth noting that in some aspects, the climate control system 20 provides the adjustment ability by changing the density of the refrigerant in the working fluid at the inlet of the compressor 60, without the need for traditional compressor adjustment techniques.

[0074] As described above, the condenser 70 is disposed downstream of the compressor 60 and the flash tank 42, and thus receives the pressurized gas stream 36 and cools the pressurized gas stream 36 to produce a predominantly liquid multiphase working fluid stream 37, which is then directed to the main inlet 54 of the ejector assembly 50. Thus, the stream entering the condenser 70 at the condenser inlet 72 can be 100% vapor, or can be a blend of high-pressure vapor and high-pressure liquid. The fluid stream entering the condenser 70 at the condenser inlet 72 is processed by the compressor 60, and thus enters the condenser 70 as superheated vapor.

[0075] In the condenser 70, the pressurized gas stream 36 is transformed from a high-pressure vapor phase to a predominantly liquid phase (e.g., the first refrigerant (A) is transformed from vapor to liquid). In the condenser 70, the working fluid is cooled by condensation, which removes heat from the climate control system 20, as indicated by the arrows reflecting the air flow driven by the fan 74. The condenser 70 can be located in a space where heat can be discharged, such as outdoors. As described above, in one aspect of the present technology, a working fluid including a refrigerant blend having a first refrigerant (A) and a second refrigerant (B) can be only partially condensed to form a multiphase mixture of both liquid and optional gas / vapor.

[0076] Thus, the working fluid at point 37 exiting the condenser 70 can include both the first refrigerant (A) and the second refrigerant (B) that are partially or fully in the liquid phase. The working fluid condensate at point 37 then circulates in the fluid conduit 22 to the main inlet 54 of the ejector assembly 50 and serves as a high-pressure motive or drive fluid stream that draws in the multiphase gas stream 30 from the evaporator 40 and mixes them together when these multiphase streams exit the outlet 59 of the ejector assembly 50. The multiphase stream is then conveyed to the flash tank 42, where the multiphase stream can be separated into a predominantly vapor / gas stream 32 and a liquid stream 34, as described above.

[0077] The liquid stream 34 from the flash tank 42 enters an expansion device, such as an expansion valve 80. At the expansion valve 80, the pressure of the working fluid is reduced at point 38. The predominantly liquid depressurized fluid then enters the inlet 44 of the evaporator 40, thus completing the refrigerant cycle. Thus, the stream entering the evaporator 40 at the inlet 44 can be 100% liquid, or can be a mixture of low-pressure liquid and low-pressure vapor. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, conventional components used in conjunction with the climate control system 20 may not be shown, and these components include flow rate, temperature, and pressure monitors, actuators, valves, controllers, computer processing units, etc.

[0078] Figure 2Another embodiment of a climate control system in the form of a reversible heat pump system 100 is shown. In a first operating mode, the flow in selected components of the system is directed such that the heat pump system 100 is used to cool a target environment (e.g., an indoor environment). In a second operating mode, the flow in the selected components of the system is reversed such that the heat pump system 100 is used to heat the target environment (e.g., an indoor environment). Thus, some parts of the heat pump system 100 may be located indoors or in a restricted space such as a room corresponding to the target environment, while the remaining parts of the heat pump system 100 may be located outdoors.

[0079] The reversible heat pump system 100 includes a reversible heat exchange assembly 102. The reversible heat exchange assembly 102 may include a first heat exchanger 110, a second heat exchanger 120, a first four-way valve 130, and a second four-way valve 132, which cooperate with each other and provide the ability to reverse the flow of the working fluid in the reversible heat exchange assembly 102, thus transitioning from the first operating mode (cooling mode) to the second operating mode (heating mode). In this configuration, the dual four-way valves 130, 132 are capable of keeping the direction of the working fluid flowing through all components in the climate control system / reversible heat pump system 100 the same in the heating mode and the cooling mode, which is an important advantage for countercurrent flow in the heat exchangers when the working fluid includes a refrigerant with medium to high slip.

[0080] The first heat exchanger 110 is disposed outdoors and may operate as a condenser in the first operating mode (achieving internal environment cooling) or as an evaporator in the second operating mode or heating mode (heating the internal environment). The first heat exchanger 110 disposed outdoors includes a fan 112 and a coil 114. The first heat exchanger 110 is generally referred to as the outdoor unit of the heat pump 100 and circulates ambient air (driven by the fan 112) through the internal coil 114 as shown by the arrows by way of example and generates exhaust gas.

[0081] The second heat exchanger 120 is generally referred to as the air handling unit of the heat pump 100 and is provided with a supply side and a return side to process the air for the indoor environment. The second heat exchanger 120 may also include a fan 122 and a coil 124. The second heat exchanger 120 is disposed indoors and may operate as an evaporator in the first operating mode or cooling mode, or may operate as a condenser in the second operating mode or heating mode. Depending on the operating mode, the supply air is driven by the fan and thus passes through the coil 124 (shown by the arrows in the countercurrent direction, but co-current flow may also occur), where the supply air may be heated or cooled.

[0082] The reversible heat pump system 100 includes a gas-liquid / liquid-vapor separation vessel or flash tank 140. An ejector component 150 is provided upstream of the flash tank 140. Both the flash tank 140 and the ejector component 150 can have a design similar to the flash tank 42 and the ejector component 50 described in the context above Figure 1 and operate in a similar manner. Before entering the flash tank 140 and after leaving the ejector component 150, the working fluid can be a multiphase composition that includes a combination of both a first refrigerant (A) (e.g., CO2) and a second refrigerant (B) (e.g., R1233zd) that are partially or fully in the gas phase. As described above, one aspect of the present technology is that the working fluid, which includes a refrigerant blend having a first refrigerant (A) and a second refrigerant (B), is only partially evaporated to form a mixture of gas / vapor and liquid. The presence of a gas-liquid separator (e.g., flash tank 140) in the heat pump system 100 provides the ability to control the temperature range of the refrigerant blend being used. Additionally, as needed, the flash tank 140 also provides an excess storage capacity for the refrigerant / working fluid.

[0083] By way of example, depending on the amount of liquid evaporated, the vapor quality or vapor mass fraction of the working fluid leaving the ejector component 150 can be pre-determined to be any amount, by way of non-limiting example, such as greater than or equal to about 15% to about 65% vapor mass. In some aspects, similar to the embodiments described above, the flash tank 140 can have an excess capacity for storing additional refrigerant, or can be associated with an auxiliary storage tank. Thus, the flash tank 140 can store the blend of the fractionated working fluid. Before entering the flash tank 140, in one non-limiting example, the amount of CO2 in the working fluid can be about 10%. A relatively small amount of the first refrigerant (e.g., CO2) can help optimize the efficiency of the ejector cycle.

[0084] After the working fluid enters the gas-liquid separation vessel or flash tank 140, the gas-liquid separation vessel or flash tank 140 receives the working fluid and generates a vapor stream 170 and a liquid stream 171 as previously described above. The vapor stream 170 can have about 15% CO2. The vapor stream 170 enters a compressor 180, and the vapor stream 170 is compressed in the compressor 180 to increase the pressure and form a high-pressure vapor stream or high-pressure gas stream 172 that leaves the compressor 180. The pressure of the high-pressure gas stream 172 leaving the compressor 180 is significantly greater than the pressure of the vapor stream 170. Additionally, the high-pressure gas stream 172 can have about 25% CO2.

[0085] The liquid stream 171 from the flash tank 140 may have about 1% CO2. The liquid stream 171 from the flash tank 140 enters the expansion valve 182, where the pressure of the liquid stream 358 is reduced. This forms a first stream of the working fluid with a low vapor quality / liquid-dominated at point 173, and this first stream enters the reversible heat exchange assembly 102. More specifically, the working fluid passes through the first double four-way valve 130 and enters the reversible heat exchange assembly 102.

[0086] In the first operating mode, the working fluid delivered from the expansion valve 182 at point 173 mainly comprises liquid, which enters the inlet 126 of the second heat exchanger 120 at the inlet of the second heat exchanger 120 through one side of the first double four-way valve 130. The second heat exchanger 120 serves as an evaporator in the first operating mode. The working fluid circulates through the second heat exchanger 120 and leaves the evaporator 120 at the outlet 128. At the outlet 128, the working fluid changes from the liquid phase (or low-quality gas phase) to the gas phase or vapor phase at point 174, where a cooling effect of endothermic energy absorption occurs. As shown by the arrow, the fan 122 promotes the air flow through the second heat exchanger / evaporator 120, and the air passing through is cooled here. It is noted that in one non-limiting example, the ambient air may enter the second heat exchanger 120 at about 35°F and leave at about 20°F after passing through the coil 124. At the same time, the working fluid circulating in the coil 124 may be about 17°F at the inlet 126 of the second heat exchanger 120 and about 24°F when it leaves the outlet 128 of the second heat exchanger 120. The amount of CO2 in the working fluid may be about 1%.

[0087] Next, the working fluid passes through one side of the second double four-way valve 132 and is guided to the secondary inlet 152 of the ejector member 150.

[0088] Referring again to the high-pressure gas stream 172 leaving the compressor 180, it enters the reversible heat exchange assembly 102 and is guided to the second side of the first double four-way valve 130, and then the working fluid is guided to the inlet 116 of the first heat exchanger 110. Therefore, the first heat exchanger 110 is located downstream of the compressor 180 and thus receives the pressurized stream 172 and cools the pressurized stream 172 to produce a condensed multiphase working fluid stream at point 175. By way of example, the vapor quality or vapor quality fraction of the working fluid entering the first heat exchanger / condenser 110 may be superheated steam. After leaving the outlet 118 of the first heat exchanger 110, the working fluid passes through the second side of the second double four-way valve 132 and is guided to the main inlet 152 of the ejector member 150.

[0089] The high-pressure condensed working fluid stream at point 175 leaving the first heat exchanger 110 and the working fluid stream with a high vapor quality at point 174 leaving the second heat exchanger 120 are combined and processed in the ejector component 150. After leaving the ejector component 150, the working fluid enters the flash tank 140. As described above, before entering the flash tank 140, the working fluid can be a multiphase composition that includes a combination of both a first refrigerant (A) (e.g., CO2) and a second refrigerant (B) (e.g., R1233zd) that is partially in the gas phase. The gas-liquid separator (e.g., flash tank 140) provided in the heat pump system 100 provides the ability to control the temperature range of the refrigerant blend being used. By way of example, depending on the amount of liquid evaporated, the vapor quality or vapor mass fraction of the working fluid at point 174 leaving the second heat exchanger 120 that is being used as an evaporator can be pre-determined to be any amount, by way of non-limiting example, such as a vapor mass of greater than or equal to about 15% to about 100%. In some aspects, similar to the embodiments described above, the flash tank 140 can have an excess capacity for storing additional refrigerant, or can be associated with an auxiliary storage tank. Thus, the flash tank 140 can store the fractionated blend of the working fluid. Before entering the flash tank 140, in one non-limiting example, the amount of CO2 in the working fluid can be about 10%.

[0090] The concentrations of the first refrigerant (A) and the second refrigerant (B) can be changed by injecting different amounts of low-pressure refrigerant (refrigerant (B), here R1233zd) stored in the liquid stream at injection point 171 and combining it with the vapor stream 170 / high-pressure gas stream 172, which ultimately combine in the ejector component 150 and can be separated and / or stored in the flash tank 140.

[0091] The reversible heat exchange assembly 102 is configured to receive the same input / supply stream and provide the same output stream regardless of which operating mode is selected, while providing the ability for the working fluid to flow reversely internally according to the operating mode of the reversible heat pump system 100. In this way, the first heat exchanger is located in the target environment, and when the flow in the reversible heat exchange assembly 102 reverses, the first heat exchanger can be cooled in the first operating mode or heated in the second operating mode.

[0092] Accordingly, the reversible heat exchange assembly 102 is located downstream of the compressor 180. Thus, the reversible heat exchange assembly 102 receives a pressurized high-pressure gas stream / vapor stream 172 from the compressor 180 and a depressurized liquid stream 173 from the expansion device 182. After being processed in the reversible heat exchange assembly 102 as described above, a first multiphase or liquid-condensed working fluid stream 175 and a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream 174 leave the reversible heat exchange assembly 102. These are supplied to the ejector member 150.

[0093] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, in the second operation (heating) mode, the flow of the working fluid in each part of the fluid conduit 332 within the reversible heat exchange assembly 102 is changed (e.g., reversed) such that the first heat exchanger 110 instead operates as an evaporator and the second heat exchanger 120 operates as a condenser. Thus, the depressurized liquid stream 173 leaving the expansion valve 182 passes through the first double four-way valve 130 and enters the reversible heat exchange assembly 102, but now enters the first heat exchanger 110 where it is evaporated. This forms a working fluid stream with a high vapor quality, which passes through the second double four-way valve 132 at point 175 and is then conveyed to the secondary inlet 152 of the ejector member 150. Similarly, the high-pressure steam stream or gas stream 172 is directed through the other side of the first double four-way valve 130 and is now conveyed to the second heat exchanger 120, which serves as a condenser to release heat to the internal target environment. After leaving the second heat exchanger 120, this stream is processed in the second double four-way valve 132, where it is directed as a high-pressure condensed working fluid stream 174 and enters the main inlet 154 of the ejector member 150. In this way, the flow of the working fluid within the reversible heat exchange assembly 102 can be reversed while the flow direction of the working fluid in the remainder of the reversible heat pump system 100 advantageously remains the same.

[0094] Those skilled in the art will also understand that conventional components used in conjunction with the reversible heat pump system 100 may not be shown, and these components include flow rate, temperature, and pressure monitors, actuators, valves, controllers, etc.

[0095] In Figure 3 is shown a climate control system in the form of a reversible heat pump system 100A, which processes and circulates a working fluid using a system similar to the system described in the context of Figure 2 and the composition of the working fluid includes a first refrigerant (A) and a second refrigerant (B). To the extent that the components are similar to the various components described in Figure 2 the same reference numerals will be used and, unless otherwise noted, they will not be discussed further herein for the sake of brevity. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, inFigure 3 Any features and components described in the context of Figure 1 or Figure 2 can be used individually or in combination in the climate control system described in the context of Figure 3 In the reversible heat pump system 100A of , the working fluid leaving the first heat exchanger 110 operating as a condenser then enters the third heat exchanger 190 at the first side 192.

[0096] Similarly, after passing through the expansion valve 82, a reduced-pressure liquid-containing stream 173 is produced, which enters the inlet 126 of the second heat exchanger 120 operating as an evaporator in the first operating mode and passes through the coil 124. The working fluid including the first refrigerant (A) and the second refrigerant (B) can change from a mainly liquid phase to a gas phase or a vapor phase when it passes through the second heat exchanger 120 operating as an evaporator in the first operating mode. Thus, a low-pressure multiphase working fluid with a higher steam quality than at the inlet 126 leaves the outlet 128 of the second heat exchanger 120 and then enters the second side 194 of the third heat exchanger 190.

[0097] Generally, the third heat exchanger 190 transfers heat between the relatively hot condensed liquid leaving the first heat exchanger 110 operating as a condenser and passing through the first side 192 and the colder, higher-steam-quality fluid leaving the second heat exchanger 120 operating as an evaporator and passing through the second side 194. More specifically, the hotter condensed liquid can increase the temperature and the quality of the steam from the evaporator in this heat exchanger to provide a higher subcooling level or a lower-temperature and lower-steam-quality condensed effluent, thereby increasing the capacity of the evaporator. Thus, the third heat exchanger 190 can provide certain advantages in the reversible heat pump system 100A, including further cooling the liquid refrigerant before it enters the ejector 150, and the liquid refrigerant enters the flash tank 140 and is separated in the flash tank 140, thereby increasing the system efficiency. In this way, the partially evaporated refrigerant is further evaporated by heat transfer with the slightly warmer, partially condensed (or subcooled) refrigerant from the same cycle. In addition, the third heat exchanger 190 does not overheat the suction gas.

[0098] It should be noted that any design configuration described above in the context of an evaporator or condenser for countercurrent heat exchange is suitable for use as the third heat exchanger 190. Thus, as described above, the first side 192 of the third heat exchanger 190 (which receives the working fluid leaving the first heat exchanger 110 acting as a condenser, and this working fluid can thus include a first refrigerant (A) and a second refrigerant (B) that are partially or fully in the liquid phase) is in a heat exchange relationship with the second side 194 (which receives the multiphase working fluid leaving the second heat exchanger 120 (evaporator)). Thus, the condensed working fluid at point 177 passes through the first side 192 of the third heat exchanger 190 and transfers heat to the stream 179 that is partially evaporated at the second side 194 of the third heat exchanger 190 and leaves the second heat exchanger 120 (evaporator). After passing through the first side 192 of the third heat exchanger 190, the condensed liquid working fluid then passes through the first four-way valve 132 and is directed to the main inlet 154 of the ejector member 150. After passing through the second side 194 of the third heat exchanger 190, the multiphase working fluid leaves, then enters the first four-way valve 132, and is directed to the secondary inlet 152 of the ejector 150. Downstream of the ejector member 150, the multiphase working fluid enters the flash tank 140, where the multiphase working fluid is separated into a first vapor stream 170 and a second liquid stream 171. The first vapor stream 170 is directed to the compressor 180, and the second liquid stream 171 is directed to the expansion valve 182. In some aspects, the balance of the refrigerant charge in the system can be changed by operating with less subcooling at the outlet of the first side 192 of the third heat exchanger 190.

[0099] In some aspects, the amount of heat transferred by the third heat exchanger 190 is represented by the temperature difference (ΔT) between the first temperature (T1) of the working fluid at point 177 and the second temperature (T2) of the working fluid at point 179. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the temperature difference (ΔT) will generally depend on the application and operating conditions of the system. In some variants, the difference between the first temperature (T1) at point 177 and the second temperature (T2) at point 179 can be greater than or equal to about 5 °C (where the second temperature T2 is at least about 5 °C lower than the first temperature T1), optionally greater than or equal to about 10 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 15 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 20 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 30 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 40 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 50 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 60 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 70 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 80 °C, optionally greater than or equal to about 90 °C, and in some variants, optionally greater than or equal to about 100 °C.

[0100] In various aspects, the control of the climate control system - including a reversible heat pump system - described in any of the above embodiments can be implemented by a control module. In the present application, including the following definitions, the term "module" or the term "controller" can be replaced by the term "circuit". The term "module" can refer to the following components, be a part of the following components, or include the following components: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC); digital, analog, or hybrid analog / digital discrete circuits; digital, analog, or hybrid analog / digital integrated circuits; combinational logic circuits; field programmable gate arrays (FPGA); processor circuits (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute code; memory circuits (shared, dedicated, or group) that store code executed by the processor circuits; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above in a system on a chip, for example.

[0101] A module can include one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuit can include a wired or wireless interface connected to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a combination thereof. The functionality of any given module of the present disclosure can be distributed among multiple modules connected via the interface circuit. For example, multiple modules can allow load balancing. In additional examples, a server (also referred to as remote or cloud) module can implement some functionality on behalf of a client module.

[0102] The term "code" as used above can include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and can refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, data structures, and / or objects. The term "shared processor circuit" encompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor circuit" encompasses a processor circuit that, in combination with additional processor circuits, executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. The reference to multiple processor circuits encompasses multiple processor circuits on discrete chips, multiple processor circuits on a single chip, multiple cores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a single processor circuit, or a combination of the above. The term "shared memory circuit" encompasses a single memory circuit that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory circuit" encompasses a memory circuit that, in combination with additional memory, stores some or all of the code from one or more modules.

[0103] The term "memory circuit" is a subset of the term "computer-readable medium". As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" does not cover transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagated through a medium such as on a carrier wave; thus, the term "computer-readable medium" can be considered tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory, tangible computer-readable media are non-volatile memory circuits (such as flash memory circuits, erasable programmable read-only memory circuits, or mask read-only memory circuits), volatile memory circuits (such as static random access memory circuits or dynamic random access memory circuits), magnetic storage media (such as analog or digital magnetic tape or hard disk drives), and optical storage media (such as CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs).

[0104] The devices and methods described in this application can be implemented in part or in whole by a special-purpose computer created by configuring a general-purpose computer to perform one or more specific functions embodied in a computer program. The above functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements serve as software specifications, which can be compiled into a computer program by routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

[0105] A computer program includes processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium. The computer program may also include or rely on stored data. The computer program may cover a basic input / output system (BIOS) that interacts with the hardware of the special-purpose computer, device drivers that interact with specific devices of the special-purpose computer, one or more operating systems, user applications, background services, background applications, etc.

[0106] A computer program may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed, such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language), XML (eXtensible Markup Language), or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation); (ii) assembly code; (iii) object code generated from source code by a compiler; (iv) source code executed by an interpreter; (v) source code compiled and executed by a just-in-time compiler, etc. By way of example only, the source code may be written using syntax from languages including: C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, Haskell, Go, SQL, R, Lisp, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, HTML5 (Fifth Revision of the HyperText Markup Language), Ada, ASP (Active Server Pages), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang, Ruby, Visual Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK, and

[0107] In various aspects, the control module can be used to enable, disable, or regulate the operation of various components and devices in a climate control system, the various components and devices including compressors, fans, pumps, valves, etc. The control module can receive inputs from various sensors in the climate control system, such as temperature sensors, pressure sensors, flow rate sensors, ammeters, and voltmeters. The sensors provide measured values based on which the control module can determine the necessary modifications to the climate control system.

[0108] The control module can include one or more modules and can be implemented as part of any of the following: a control board, a furnace board, a thermostat, an air handler board, a contactor, or other forms of control systems or diagnostic systems. The control module can contain a power regulation circuit to supply power to the various components using alternating current (AC) at 24 volts (V), AC from 120 V to 240 V, direct current (DC) at 5 V, etc. The control module can include two-way communication, which can be wired, wireless, or both wired and wireless, whereby system commissioning, programming, updating, monitoring, parameter value / status transmission, etc. can be carried out. The climate control system can more generally be referred to as an air conditioning system or a refrigeration system.

[0109] Thus, the control module can open, close, regulate the working fluid flow (or a part of the working fluid flow, such as the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant) or direct the working fluid flow via conduits into and out of the various components and devices in the system, the various components and devices including evaporators, condensers, expansion valves, gas-liquid separators, heat exchangers, storage vessels, etc.

[0110] In various aspects, the present disclosure also presents a method for operating a climate control system that circulates a working fluid in the systems discussed above, the working fluid including a refrigerant blend having medium to high slip. One variant of such a method can include pressurizing the working fluid vapor by passing it through a compressor in a fluid conduit. The working fluid includes a refrigerant blend that includes a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, where the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure, or any of the aforementioned differences. The method also includes condensing at least a portion of the working fluid in a first heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor to form a condensate stream that is delivered to a main inlet of an ejector component. Additionally, at least a portion of the working fluid can be evaporated in a second heat exchanger to form an evaporation stream that is delivered to a secondary inlet of the ejector component. The condensate stream and the evaporation stream can be directed to the ejector component and mixed therein to form a mixed stream that exits the ejector component, the ejector component being similar to any of the ejector components described above. The method can also include introducing the mixed stream into a gas-liquid separation vessel disposed downstream of the ejector component and upstream of the compressor and upstream of the expansion device. The method can include separating the working fluid into a vapor stream that is directed to the compressor and a liquid stream that is directed to the expansion device. The method can also include reducing the pressure of the working fluid by passing it through the expansion device and delivering it to the second heat exchanger.

[0111] In certain variants, the condensation only partially condenses the working fluid into a liquid phase, and the evaporation only partially evaporates the working fluid into a vapor phase.

[0112] The method can also include storing a portion of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant in the gas-liquid separation vessel to adjust the cooling (or heating) capacity of the climate control system. Thus, in certain other aspects, the storage vessel can be the gas-liquid separation vessel located downstream of the ejector component (such as Figure 1 the flash tank 42 in Figure 2 and Figure 3 the flash tank 140 in

[0113] The method may further include circulating air through a first heat exchanger (e.g., an evaporator) and a second heat exchanger (e.g., a condenser) that are in heat transfer relation with the fluid conduit to transfer heat to the working fluid (e.g., before entering the evaporator). In some aspects, the first temperature range of the refrigerant blend is operated to be greater than or equal to about 50% of the second temperature range of the air to less than or equal to about 200% of the second temperature range of the air, optionally greater than or equal to about 66% of the second temperature range of the air to less than or equal to about 150% of the second temperature range of the air.

[0114] In other aspects, the first temperature range of the refrigerant blend is operated to be greater than or equal to about 66% of the second temperature range of the air in the first heat exchanger or the second heat exchanger to less than or equal to about 150% of the second temperature range of the air.

[0115] In yet other aspects, the fluid conduit further includes a third heat exchanger that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and downstream of the second heat exchanger. The method further includes flowing the working fluid stream from the first heat exchanger along a first flow direction past a first side of the third heat exchanger and directing it to an ejector component. The method further includes flowing the low-pressure working fluid stream from the second heat exchanger along a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction to transfer heat between the two working fluid streams and directing the working fluid stream to the ejector component.

[0116] In some aspects, the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are independently selected from the group consisting of: carbon dioxide (R-744), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (near-azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (R-290), 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234yf), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ye), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234ze), 3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HFO-1234zf), trifluorochloropropene (HFO-1233), trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(E)), cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(Z)), 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233xf), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(E)), pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225), 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225zc), 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225yez), hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (R1336mzz(E)), trans-1,2-difluoroethylene (R-1132(E)), and any isomers or combinations thereof.

[0117] In some aspects, condensation includes partially condensing a portion of the working fluid in a first heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor to form a condensing stream as a multiphase condensing stream, which is directed to the main inlet of the ejector component. Additionally, the method may further include partially evaporating a portion of the working fluid in a second heat exchanger disposed downstream of the expansion device to form an evaporating stream as a multiphase evaporating stream, which is directed to the secondary inlet of the ejector component. In some variations, the working fluid includes a refrigerant blend having high slip, the refrigerant blend including a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, wherein the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 25°F at atmospheric pressure.

[0118] In one variation, the climate control system of the present disclosure can process a working fluid that includes a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, the working fluid having a refrigerant with medium-high slip, which means that the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure, or any of the differences above. The slip amount / boiling point difference can be as large as the temperature range on the air side of the climate control system. Additionally, by operating an ejector component to drive the two-phase refrigerant leaving the condenser, it is possible to reduce the refrigerant charge and match the refrigerant slip to the air temperature range.

[0119] In another variation, the climate control system of the present disclosure can process a working fluid that includes a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, the working fluid having a refrigerant with high to extremely high slip, which means that the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 25°F at atmospheric pressure, or any of the differences above. For example, a working fluid with high slip can include a mixture of a first refrigerant (A) (e.g., CO2) and a second refrigerant (B) (e.g., R1234ze, R1233zd). Only a small portion of the phase change occurs in each of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, and the ejector component captures the energy lost when the high-vapor-quality refrigerant expands.

[0120] In the above two variations (medium-slip and high-slip refrigerant blends), fractionation may occur in the flash tank, which will result in a fluid blend in the evaporator being different from the fluid blends in the compressor and the condenser.

[0121] Additionally, some gas / vapor in the gas-liquid separator / flash tank can be allowed to enter the evaporator in the form of a liquid stream (as a multiphase flow), which creates additional flexibility for the operation of the climate control system.

[0122] Furthermore, the climate control system prepared according to certain aspects of the present technology can make full use of the slip of the refrigerant blend including the first refrigerant (A) and the second refrigerant (B) by operating the evaporator and the condenser in a countercurrent manner in the heating mode and the cooling mode.

[0123] In certain aspects, the climate control system including an ejector component according to this teaching has certain advantages. By way of non-limiting example, the climate control system including the above ejector component is capable of using variable refrigerants while minimizing the adverse effects of high-slip mixtures. This creates opportunities for new refrigerant blends that otherwise would not have been considered or would have been infeasible.

[0124] In addition, in some aspects, the concentration of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant in the working fluid in the system can be used to adjust the refrigerant to match the nozzle and post-nozzle sizes of the ejector component, rather than necessarily using a mechanically adjustable variable ejector.

[0125] In addition, in some aspects according to the present disclosure, a gas-liquid separator / flashing tank incorporated into the climate control system can be used to change the concentration of a specific refrigerant in the refrigerant blend by changing the amount of liquid in the flashing tank, where the evaporator and condenser in the ejector cycle have different refrigerant concentrations.

[0126] In some other aspects, the refrigerant blend can include a first refrigerant that is an A1 refrigerant such as CO2, which is mixed with a second refrigerant such as R1234ze or R1233zd, or the first refrigerant can be a flammable refrigerant (such as ASHRAE 34, A3 grade), such as dimethyl ether. In this variant where the second refrigerant is flammable, the system maintains a proportion of the relatively inert first refrigerant (e.g., A1 refrigerant) to limit the amount of the flammable second refrigerant on the indoor side of the system to a safe level. In addition, the climate control system can have an indoor portion and an outdoor portion that can be isolated from each other, as described, for example, in the co-owned U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 019,946, filed on September 14, 2020, titled "Refrigerant Isolation Using a Reversing Valve", the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference. In other aspects, the present disclosure contemplates a method for calculating the amount of the flammable second refrigerant component in a binary mixture of the second refrigerant and the first refrigerant indoors, for example, as described in the co-owned U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 940,843, filed on July 28, 2020, and titled "Refrigerant Leak Detection", the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference, where the charge amount can be calculated by using the ratio relationship between the enthalpy and specific volume of the refrigerant, but using more measurements than the four measurements described.

[0127] In addition, by allowing the refrigerant to be stored in a portion of the system, the cycle can allow some limited variation in the refrigerant concentration or can maintain the same concentration under all conditions to maintain the same safe level of flammable refrigerant as the baseline operating conditions.

[0128] Certain embodiments of the technology of the present invention can be further understood by the specific examples included herein. The specific examples are provided to illustrate how to manufacture and use the devices and methods according to the present teachings, and are not intended to indicate that a given embodiment of the present invention has or has not been manufactured or tested, unless otherwise expressly stated.

[0129] Example

[0130] Non-limiting examples of simulation operations are provided herein to illustrate certain concepts of the present disclosure. A single refrigerant blend includes carbon dioxide (R744, a first refrigerant with a low boiling point and high pressure) and difluoromethane (R32) (a second refrigerant with a high boiling point and low pressure). As will be understood, this refrigerant blend is merely a non-limiting example of a single refrigerant blend; however, additional blends can be used and customized according to certain desired performance requirements. Both the evaporator inlet and outlet have two-phase flow and represent only a part of the phase change temperature range.

[0131] A measure of system performance is the energy efficiency ratio (EER) gain or loss or the coefficient of performance (COP). COP is generally defined as the heating capacity of the system divided by the input power of the system and can be a useful measure of compressor performance. In various aspects, the COP loss of the compressor performance is defined by the following formula: , where COP 初始 is the initial COP measured at the start of compressor operation, and COP 最终 is the compressor performance at the end of the reliability test.

[0132] The first performance simulation was carried out using a refrigerant blend containing 40% carbon dioxide (CO2) and 60% difluoromethane (R32) under AHRI 210 / 240A conditions (where the cooling capacity of the system is less than 65000 BTU / h). Under these conditions, the simulated EER was 14.7.

[0133] The second set of performance simulations was carried out using a refrigerant blend containing 55% carbon dioxide (CO2) and 45% difluoromethane (R32) under AHRI 210 / 240B conditions.

[0134] A fixed ejector design optimized for the flow conditions at the SEER "A" point was used. Under these conditions, the simulated EER was 17.7. Another simulation was carried out using a fixed ejector designed for the SEER "B" point flow conditions. In this simulation, the EER was approximately 20.

[0135] In these simulations, the performance is superior to that of the azeotropic refrigerant in a standard cycle because the energy lost during the expansion of the standard system is used to increase the suction pressure of the ejector cycle. Additionally, the temperature range of the air or other auxiliary fluid can be made consistent with that of the refrigerant, resulting in a smaller compression ratio at the saturation vapor pressure between the evaporator and the condenser.

[0136] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. The individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but rather, where applicable, the individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment even if not specifically shown or described. The individual elements or features of a particular embodiment can also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A climate control system for circulating a working fluid, the working fluid including a refrigerant blend having medium to high glide, the climate control system comprising: A working fluid including a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, wherein the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure; A gas-liquid separation vessel that receives the working fluid and produces a vapor stream and a liquid stream; A compressor that receives the vapor stream from the gas-liquid separation vessel and produces a pressurized vapor stream; A first heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor, the first heat exchanger receiving the pressurized vapor stream to produce a first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream; An expansion device that receives the liquid stream from the gas-liquid separation vessel and produces a reduced pressure stream; A second heat exchanger that receives the reduced pressure stream from the expansion device and at least partially evaporates the reduced pressure stream to produce a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream; An ejector assembly disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, the ejector assembly receiving the first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream and the second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream to produce a third multiphase fluid stream that is directed to the gas-liquid separation vessel; and Fluid conduits for circulating the working fluid and establishing fluid communication between the gas-liquid separation vessel, the compressor, the first heat exchanger, the expansion device, the second heat exchanger, and the ejector assembly, the working fluid circulating through the fluid communication.

2. The climate control system according to claim 1, further comprising a third heat exchanger disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, the third heat exchanger configured to receive the working fluid from the first heat exchanger along a first flow direction at a first side and direct the working fluid to the ejector assembly, and configured to receive the working fluid from the second heat exchanger along a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction at a second side and direct the working fluid to the ejector assembly.

3. The climate control system according to claim 1, wherein, The gas-liquid separation vessel has a volume with excess capacity and is configured to selectively store at least a portion of the working fluid.

4. The climate control system according to claim 1, wherein, The first refrigerant includes a refrigerant of the A1 or A2L classification of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

5. The climate control system according to claim 1, wherein, The first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are independently selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide (R-744), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (near azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (R-290), 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234yf), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ye), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234ze), 3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HFO-1234zf), trifluorochloropropene (HFO-1233), trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(E)), cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(Z)), 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233xf), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(E)), pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225), 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225zc), 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225yez), hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (R1336mzz(E)), trans-1,2-difluoroethylene (R-1132(E)), and any isomers or combinations thereof.

6. The climate control system according to claim 1, wherein, The working fluid further includes a lubricant that is preferentially miscible with the first refrigerant, and the climate control system further includes an oil storage container or sump that stores at least a portion of the lubricant in the working fluid.

7. The climate control system according to claim 1, further comprising a reversing valve or a pair of four-way valves to enable the climate control system to perform both heating and cooling.

8. The climate control system according to claim 1, wherein, The ejector component includes a main inlet for receiving the first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream and a secondary inlet for receiving the second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream, and the ejector component produces a third multiphase fluid stream that is directed to the gas-liquid separation container.

9. The climate control system according to claim 8, wherein, The ejector component further includes a converging nozzle, a mixing zone downstream of the converging nozzle, and a diverging nozzle downstream of the mixing zone.

10. A climate control reversible heat pump system for circulating a working fluid, the working fluid including a refrigerant blend having medium to high glide, the climate control reversible heat pump system comprising: A working fluid, the working fluid including a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, wherein a boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure; A gas-liquid separation container, the gas-liquid separation container receiving the working fluid and generating a vapor stream and a liquid stream; A compressor, the compressor receiving the vapor stream from the gas-liquid separation container and generating a pressurized vapor stream; An expansion device, the expansion device receiving the liquid stream from the gas-liquid separation container and generating a decompressed stream; A reversible heat exchange assembly, the reversible heat exchange assembly being disposed downstream of the compressor, the reversible heat exchange assembly receiving the pressurized vapor stream from the compressor and the decompressed stream from the expansion device and generating a first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream and a second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream, the reversible heat exchange assembly including: A first heat exchanger; A first four-way valve, the first four-way valve being disposed between the compressor and the first heat exchanger; A second heat exchanger; and A second four-way valve, the second four-way valve being disposed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger; An ejector component, the ejector component including a main inlet and a secondary inlet and being disposed downstream of the reversible heat exchange assembly, the ejector component receiving the first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream at the main inlet and receiving the second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream at the secondary inlet to generate a third multiphase fluid stream, the third multiphase fluid stream being directed to the gas-liquid separation container; and Fluid conduits, the fluid conduits for circulating the working fluid and establishing fluid communication between the gas-liquid separation container, the compressor, the reversible heat exchange assembly, the expansion device, and the ejector component, the working fluid circulating through the fluid communication.

11. The climate control reversible heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein, In a first operating mode, the first heat exchanger is configured to receive the pressurized vapor stream to generate the first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream, and the second heat exchanger is configured to receive the decompressed stream from the expansion device and at least partially vaporize the decompressed stream to generate the second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream, while in a second operating mode, the first heat exchanger is configured to receive the decompressed stream from the expansion device and at least partially vaporize the decompressed stream to generate the second multiphase or gaseous working fluid stream, and the second heat exchanger is configured to receive the pressurized vapor stream to generate the first multiphase or liquid working fluid stream.

12. The climate control reversible heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein, The reversible heat exchange assembly further includes a third heat exchanger disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. The third heat exchanger is configured to receive the working fluid from the first heat exchanger in a first flow direction at a first side and direct the working fluid to the second four-way valve and the ejector member. The third heat exchanger is further configured to receive the working fluid from the second heat exchanger in a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction at a second side and direct the working fluid to the second four-way valve and the ejector member.

13. The climate control reversible heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein, The gas-liquid separation container has a volume with an excess capacity and is configured to selectively store at least a portion of the working fluid.

14. The climate control reversible heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein, The first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are independently selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide (R-744), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (near azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (R-290), 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234yf), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ye), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234ze), 3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HFO-1234zf), trifluorochloropropene (HFO-1233), trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(E)), cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(Z)), 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233xf), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(E)), pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225), 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225zc), 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225yez), hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (R1336mzz(E)), trans-1,2-difluoroethylene (R-1132(E)), and any isomers or combinations thereof.

15. A method for operating a climate control system that circulates a working fluid including a refrigerant blend having medium to high glide, the method comprising: The working fluid vapor is pressurized by passing it through a compressor in a fluid conduit, wherein the working fluid includes the refrigerant blend, the refrigerant blend includes a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, and the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 10°F at atmospheric pressure; At least a portion of the working fluid is condensed in a first heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor to form a condensate stream, and the condensate stream is conveyed to a main inlet of an ejector component; At least a portion of the working fluid is evaporated in a second heat exchanger to form an evaporation stream, and the evaporation stream is conveyed to a secondary inlet of the ejector component; The condensate stream and the evaporation stream are mixed in the ejector component to form a mixed stream exiting the ejector component; and The mixed stream enters a gas-liquid separation vessel disposed downstream of the ejector component and upstream of the compressor and the expansion device, and the gas-liquid separation vessel separates the working fluid into a vapor stream directed to the compressor and a liquid stream directed to the expansion device; and The pressure of the working fluid is reduced by passing the working fluid through the expansion device, and the working fluid is conveyed to the second heat exchanger.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The method further includes storing a portion of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant in the gas-liquid separation vessel to adjust the cooling capacity of the climate control system.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The first temperature range of the refrigerant blend in the first heat exchanger is operated to be greater than or equal to about 66% of the second temperature range of the air in the first heat exchanger or the second heat exchanger and less than or equal to about 150% of the second temperature range.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The fluid conduit further includes a third heat exchanger disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and downstream of the second heat exchanger, wherein the method further includes passing the working fluid from the first heat exchanger along a first flow direction through a first side of the third heat exchanger and directing the working fluid to the ejector component, and passing the working fluid from the second heat exchanger along a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction to transfer heat between the working fluids, and directing the working fluid to the ejector component.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are independently selected from the group consisting of: carbon dioxide (R-744), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134A), R410A (near azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane (R-32) and pentafluoroethane (R-125)), dimethyl ether (R-E170), propane (R-290), 2,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234yf), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ye), cis- and trans-1,3,3,3,-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene (R-1234ze), 3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HFO-1234zf), trifluorochloropropene (HFO-1233), trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(E)), cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233zd(Z)), 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HFO-1233xf), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(E)), pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225), 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225zc), 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (HFO-1225yez), hexafluorobutene (HFO-1336), cis-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz(Z)), trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (R1336mzz(E)), trans-1,2-difluoroethylene (R-1132(E)), and any isomers or combinations thereof.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein, Condensing includes partially condensing a portion of the working fluid in the first heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor to form a condensing flow as a multiphase condensing flow, the condensing flow being directed to the main inlet of the ejector component; and partially evaporating a portion of the working fluid in a second heat exchanger disposed downstream of the expansion device to form an evaporating flow as a multiphase evaporating flow, the evaporating flow being directed to the secondary inlet of the ejector component, wherein the working fluid includes a refrigerant blend having medium to high slip, the refrigerant blend including a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant, wherein the boiling point difference between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is greater than or equal to about 25°F at atmospheric pressure.

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