TEST CHAMBER AND CONTROL METHODS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a test chamber, in particular a climate chamber for conditioning air, and a method for conditioning air in a test chamber for accommodating test specimens, which test chamber is sealable from the environment and temperature-insulated. A temperature is created within the test chamber by means of a cooling device of a temperature control device of the test chamber, with a cooling circuit with a refrigerant, a heat exchanger in the test chamber, a low-pressure compressor and a high-pressure compressor following the low-pressure compressor in a flow direction, a gas cooler, a storage device for refrigerant and an expansion valve. The temperature in the test chamber is controlled and / or regulated by means of a control device of the test chamber. The refrigerant is guided past the low-pressure compressor to the high-pressure compressor via a bypass of the cooling circuit.when the low-pressure compressor is switched off, wherein gaseous and / or liquid refrigerant is metered into the storage device by means of a high-pressure valve of the cooling circuit arranged downstream of the gas cooler in a flow direction, wherein the storage device is connected via one of the cooling circuits to a medium-pressure side of the cooling circuit in the flow direction upstream of the high-pressure compressor and downstream of the low-pressure compressor.

[0002] Such test chambers are regularly used to test the physical and / or chemical properties of objects, particularly devices. Temperature test cabinets or climatic test cabinets are known, within which temperatures can be set within a range of -70°C to +180°C. In climatic test chambers, additional desired climatic conditions can be set, to which the device or test object is then exposed for a defined period of time. The temperature of a test chamber containing the test object to be tested is regularly controlled in a recirculation duct within the test chamber. The recirculation duct forms an air treatment chamber within the test chamber, in which heat exchangers are arranged to heat or cool the air flowing through the recirculation duct or the test chamber. A fan or ventilator draws in the air in the test chamber and directs it through the recirculation duct to the respective heat exchangers.The test sample can be tempered or subjected to a defined temperature change. During a test interval, for example, the temperature in the test chamber can fluctuate between a maximum and a minimum temperature. Such a test chamber is known, for example, from EP 0 344 397 A2.

[0003] The refrigerant used in a cooling circuit should have a relatively low CO2 equivalent, meaning its relative greenhouse potential or global warming potential (GWP) should be as low as possible to avoid indirect environmental damage caused by the refrigerant if released. Therefore, carbon dioxide (CO2) or carbon dioxide is also known to be used as a pure refrigerant. Carbon dioxide is inexpensive, non-flammable, and, with a GWP of 1, essentially environmentally neutral. Carbon dioxide has a freezing temperature or triple point of -56.6°C, which makes it impossible to achieve lower temperatures with carbon dioxide alone.

[0004] Cooling systems designed as so-called booster systems are also known. In a cooling circuit of the cooling systems, a high-pressure compressor is always connected in series with a low-pressure compressor, so that the refrigerant is compressed step by step with the low-pressure compressor and subsequently with the high-pressure compressor. Due to the high demands on temperature control within the temperature range of the test chamber, fluctuations in load requirements regularly occur during operation of the test chamber. The cooling capacity generated by the compressors and the expansion valve must therefore be continuously adjustable. Nevertheless, it is desirable that the compressors, for example in the case of compressors, are not switched on and off frequently in order to extend their service life.

[0005] In order to compensate for small temperature differences between an actual temperature and a target temperature, it is known to bypass the mass flow in the cooling circuit caused by the compressors past the heat exchanger via a bypass in order to avoid unfavorable load cases on the compressors and thus frequent switching on and off. The disadvantage here, however, is that with a small temperature difference across the heat exchanger, the compressors always have to be operated, regardless of how large the temperature difference to be compensated for is. For example, if the cooling requirement is >1% of the total output, the full cooling capacity of the compressor in question must be provided in order to maintain the required target temperature at the heat exchanger. A large part of the cooling capacity is then returned to the compressor via the bypass described above.Since it is not possible to continuously switch the compressors on and off, and a fan may also have to be operated on the condenser or gas cooler, the known operating mode described here results in a comparatively high energy consumption of the cooling system and a reduced service life of the compressors, even with very small temperature differences that need to be compensated.

[0006] US Pat. No. 2,434,221 discloses a cooling circuit for controlling the temperature of a test chamber, comprising a low-pressure compressor and a high-pressure compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and a heat exchanger, with the features of the preamble. A storage device in which gaseous and liquid refrigerant can be stored is arranged downstream of the condenser in the cooling circuit. Via a medium-pressure bypass with a medium-pressure valve, gaseous refrigerant can be directed from the storage device to a medium-pressure side between the low-pressure compressor and the high-pressure compressor.

[0007] The present invention is therefore based on the object of proposing a method for conditioning air in a test space of a test chamber and a test chamber with which the test chamber can be operated more economically.

[0008] This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1 and a test chamber having the features of claim 17.

[0009] In the method according to the invention for conditioning air in a test chamber for accommodating test specimens that is sealable from the environment and temperature-insulated, a temperature in a temperature range of -20°C to +180°C is created within the test chamber by means of a cooling device of a temperature control device of the test chamber, with a cooling circuit with carbon dioxide as a refrigerant, a heat exchanger in the test chamber, a low-pressure compressor and a high-pressure compressor following in a flow direction in the low-pressure compressor, a gas cooler, a storage device for refrigerant and an expansion valve, wherein the temperature control device has a heating device with a heater and a heating heat exchanger in the test chamber, wherein the temperature in the test chamber is controlled and / or regulated by means of a control device of the test chamber,wherein the refrigerant is passed via a bypass of the cooling circuit past the low-pressure compressor to the high-pressure compressor when the low-pressure compressor is switched off, wherein gaseous and / or liquid refrigerant is metered into the storage device by means of a high-pressure valve of the cooling circuit arranged downstream in the gas cooler, wherein the storage device is connected via a medium-pressure bypass of the cooling circuit to a medium-pressure side of the cooling circuit in the flow direction upstream of the high-pressure compressor and downstream of the low-pressure compressor, wherein gaseous refrigerant is metered from the storage device into the medium-pressure side by means of a medium-pressure valve of the cooling circuit when the low-pressure compressor is switched off.

[0010] In the method according to the invention, heat exchange with the environment of the test chamber is largely avoided by temperature insulation of side walls, floor walls and ceiling walls. The heat exchanger is connected to the cooling circuit or integrated into it in such a way that refrigerant circulating in the cooling circuit flows through the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger of the cooling circuit is arranged inside the test chamber or in an air treatment chamber of the test chamber so that air in the test chamber is conditioned or tempered via the heat exchanger. The gas cooler is also integrated into the cooling circuit and designed as a heat exchanger. The gas cooler is arranged in the cooling circuit downstream of the high-pressure compressor in the direction of flow, wherein the compressed refrigerant, which is under high pressure after compression and is essentially in gaseous form, is cooled in the gas cooler orCondenser can condense and then exists essentially in a liquid state. It is also possible for the gaseous refrigerant not to condense in the gas cooler and to leave the gas cooler essentially in a gaseous state. The gas cooler or the heat exchanger in question can be equipped with means for cooling the refrigerant, for example using air or water. The gaseous and / or liquid refrigerant flows from the gas cooler via the high-pressure valve into the storage device. Depending on the withdrawal point on the storage device, liquid or gaseous refrigerant can be withdrawn from the storage device. The liquid refrigerant is then passed on via the expansion valve, where it becomes gaseous again due to expansion as a result of a pressure drop. In doing so, it flows through the heat exchanger, which is cooled as a result.The gaseous refrigerant is then sucked in and compressed again by the low-pressure compressor and / or high-pressure compressor.

[0011] In the present invention, it is provided that the high-pressure valve is arranged downstream of the gas cooler in the cooling circuit in the direction of flow, and gaseous and / or liquid refrigerant is metered into the storage device via the high-pressure valve. The storage device is essentially a pressure vessel in which, when a phase boundary is formed, the liquid refrigerant is stored in a lower region and the gaseous refrigerant in an upper region of the pressure vessel. Depending on the withdrawal point on the storage device, liquid or gaseous refrigerant is then withdrawn from the storage device. In this way, liquid refrigerant can be fed to the expansion valve and expanded in order to cool the heat exchanger. An expansion valve is understood to mean at least one expansion element, throttle element, throttle valve or other suitable constriction of a fluid line. The expansion valve orThe medium-pressure valve and the high-pressure valve as well as other valves of the cooling circuit are preferably designed to be controllable.

[0012] If only a very low cooling capacity is required, for example, less than 2% of the cooling capacity of the cooling circuit, and / or at temperatures in the test chamber of, for example, ≥-10 °C, the low-pressure compressor is designed to be switched off. The cooling capacity of the cooling circuit is defined here as thermal energy or heat energy or heat content in joules, with the addition of heat increasing thermal energy and the removal of heat decreasing it. The removal of heat from the heat exchanger via the cooling circuit therefore corresponds to the corresponding cooling capacity of the cooling circuit.Since the performance of the compressors, for example in the case of compressors, is almost impossible to control, the low-pressure compressor is switched off when the required cooling capacity is low and / or when there is a small temperature difference between a target temperature and an actual temperature in the test chamber, and the high-pressure compressor continues to operate in order to be able to quickly provide any higher cooling capacity that may be required. The continued operation of the high-pressure compressor is made possible by the fact that the storage device is connected via the medium-pressure bypass to the medium-pressure side of the cooling circuit upstream of the high-pressure compressor and downstream of the low-pressure compressor to the medium-pressure side. The medium-pressure bypass is connected to a withdrawal point on the storage device in such a way that gaseous refrigerant can be withdrawn from the storage device.The medium-pressure valve located in the medium-pressure bypass allows the gaseous refrigerant to be metered from the storage device to the medium-pressure side as needed. The high-pressure compressor can then continue to operate when no or only very low cooling capacity is required and / or only a small temperature difference in the test chamber needs to be compensated. This allows, on the one hand, operational readiness to be achieved by continuing to operate the high-pressure compressor, while, on the other hand, the low-pressure compressor can be shut down for an extended period, thus avoiding frequent start-up intervals. Due to this reduction in the total running time of the compressors and fewer switching cycles, the test chamber can be operated in a particularly energy-efficient manner with a long service life.

[0013] By means of the temperature control device, a temperature in a temperature range of -40 °C to +180 °C, preferably -55 °C to +180 °C, can be created within the test chamber. If, for example, particularly low temperatures > -10 °C are to be created in the test chamber, the high-pressure compressor can be operated together with the low-pressure compressor. In this case, the medium-pressure valve can be closed briefly and refrigerant can be liquefied via the gas cooler and introduced into the storage device. In principle, however, the medium-pressure valve is intended to be kept open so that a certain amount of gaseous refrigerant can always be introduced into the medium-pressure side. The inlet temperature of the refrigerant at the gas cooler can be below the critical point of the refrigerant, so that liquefaction of the refrigerant occurs in the gas cooler.In the event that there is insufficient gaseous refrigerant in the storage unit to regulate the cooling system's output via the medium-pressure bypass, the high-pressure valve can be used to temporarily reduce the pressure below the refrigerant's condensation temperature, preventing the refrigerant from condensing in the gas cooler. This operating state can be maintained until a sufficient amount of gaseous refrigerant is available in the storage unit again.

[0014] The control device can shut down the low-pressure compressor at a target temperature in a temperature range of -10 °C to +180 °C, preferably 0 °C to +180 °C. If a particularly high cooling capacity is required in this temperature range, the low-pressure compressor can be omitted, thus saving energy. In this case, the refrigerant can be bypassed, for example, via a bypass to bypass the low-pressure compressor and then to the high-pressure compressor.

[0015] The cooling circuit can advantageously be operated in a thermodynamically subcritical, transcritical, or supercritical operating state. Depending on the required cooling capacity or the temperature difference between an actual temperature and a target temperature to be achieved in the test chamber, the cooling circuit can be operated in one of these operating states. The operating state of the cooling circuit is fundamentally dependent on the inlet temperature of the cooling medium of the gas cooler, for example, cooling water or air. During subcritical operation of the cooling circuit, the refrigerant in the gas cooler condenses below the critical point of the refrigerant, expands at the expansion valve, and converts into the gaseous phase. At least in the subcritical operating state, the high-pressure compressor and the low-pressure compressor can be operated.Subcritical operation of the cooling circuit corresponds to partial load operation. In transcritical and supercritical operating conditions, the refrigerant circulates in the cooling circuit essentially in a gaseous state. This means that the temperature difference is reduced to such an extent that the refrigerant is not liquefied in the gas cooler. In transcritical operating conditions, a pressure above the refrigerant's critical point is also reached at the gas cooler.

[0016] In the supercritical operating state, the refrigerant can be expanded at the high-pressure valve and fed into the storage device as a gaseous refrigerant. The gas cooler itself can be cooled, for example, using air or water, so that the refrigerant is also cooled as it flows through the gas cooler. The gas cooler can then be designed as a heat exchanger. It can also be ensured that the refrigerant escapes from the gas cooler at least partially, preferably entirely, in gaseous form. In the transcritical operating state, however, a proportion of liquid refrigerant can be present, although this proportion is then intended to be comparatively large. In the transcritical operating state, the refrigerant can be completely gaseous on the high-pressure side; only when the pressure is expanded through the high-pressure valve can part of the refrigerant become liquid.The gaseous and possibly present liquid refrigerant is fed into the storage device via the high-pressure valve, whereby the proportion of liquid refrigerant in the storage device can gradually increase in the transcritical operating state.

[0017] In the transcritical operating state, the control device can regulate the high-pressure valve in such a way that a partial mix of gaseous and liquid refrigerant is fed into the storage device. Accordingly, in the transcritical operating state, the high-pressure valve can be used to reduce the pressure at the gas cooler or raise the gas outlet temperature at the gas cooler to such an extent that the refrigerant is no longer liquefied or is only partially liquefied in the gas cooler. The refrigerant is then still gaseous at the gas cooler outlet; during expansion, it can be more or less liquid depending on the pressure and temperature at the high-pressure valve inlet.

[0018] When the refrigerant is expanded via the high-pressure valve, the refrigerant can be gaseous, whereby the transcritical operating state can then be maintained as long as gaseous refrigerant is available in the storage device and can be passed via the medium-pressure bypass to the medium-pressure side in the flow direction upstream of the high-pressure compressor.

[0019] Accordingly, the performance of the high-pressure compressor can be adjusted depending on a target temperature, whereby in the supercritical operating state the medium-pressure valve can be regulated by means of the control device such that gaseous refrigerant is directed to the medium-pressure side. The gaseous refrigerant can then be sucked in and compressed by the high-pressure compressor, so that the high-pressure compressor can continue to operate even though no or only a small amount of cooling capacity is required. In principle, at least a portion of gaseous refrigerant can be directed to the medium-pressure side in all operating states. In addition, the performance of the high-pressure compressor can also be adjusted by adjusting the delivery rate of the high-pressure compressor, for example by means of a frequency converter if the high-pressure compressor is a compressor.

[0020] A second medium-pressure bypass with at least one second medium-pressure valve can be formed in the cooling circuit, wherein the second medium-pressure bypass can be connected to the cooling circuit in a flow direction downstream of the storage device and upstream of the expansion valve, as well as downstream of the low-pressure valve and upstream of the high-pressure compressor, wherein liquid refrigerant can be metered from the storage device into the medium-pressure side by means of the second medium-pressure valve. This makes it possible to cool the refrigerant in the medium-pressure region. If the refrigerant is heated during compression by the low-pressure compressor, cooled refrigerant can be supplied to the high-pressure compressor. The second medium-pressure valve can, for example, be designed as an injection valve, via which liquid refrigerant can be injected into the medium-pressure region.The second medium-pressure bypass can be connected to the storage device in such a way that only liquid refrigerant is withdrawn from the storage device.

[0021] A low-pressure bypass with at least one second expansion valve can also be formed in the cooling circuit, wherein the low-pressure bypass can be connected to the cooling circuit downstream of the storage device and upstream of the expansion valve, as well as downstream of the heat exchanger and upstream of the low-pressure compressor, wherein liquid refrigerant can be metered from the storage device into a low-pressure side by means of the second expansion valve. A low-pressure side of the cooling circuit can be formed downstream of the expansion valve and upstream of the low-pressure compressor in the flow direction. Since the heat exchanger is located in the test chamber, at particularly high temperatures in the test chamber, for example +180 °C, refrigerant at this temperature can flow from the heat exchanger to the low-pressure compressor and the high-pressure compressor.Before the highly heated refrigerant is fed to the compressors, it can be cooled by the refrigerant metered via the second expansion valve.

[0022] A control bypass with at least one control valve can be formed in the cooling circuit, wherein the control bypass can be connected to the cooling circuit in a flow direction downstream of the heat exchanger and upstream of the low-pressure compressor, as well as downstream of the low-pressure compressor and upstream of the high-pressure compressor. By means of the control valve, gaseous refrigerant can be metered from the medium-pressure side into a low-pressure side, whereby the low-pressure compressor can be operated. For example, the low-pressure compressor can be operated together with the high-pressure compressor in a temperature range of ≤-10 °C, whereby the control valve can then initially be completely closed. The control valve can then be used to regulate the capacity of the low-pressure compressor by directing cold gaseous refrigerant from the medium-pressure side back to the low-pressure side.In this case, there is no need to inject liquid refrigerant into the low-pressure side, for example via a low-pressure bypass.

[0023] The control device can use the control bypass to adjust the suction pressure upstream of the low-pressure compressor so that the refrigerant upstream of the low-pressure compressor is below the triple point. By omitting the injection of liquid refrigerant into the low-pressure side and instead supplying cold, gaseous refrigerant from the medium-pressure side, the suction pressure upstream of the low-pressure compressor can be reduced to below the triple point without causing dry ice formation. This is particularly advantageous for long suction lines to compensate for pressure losses across the suction line and to ensure that, at low temperatures in the test chamber, there is a sufficiently large difference between the temperature in the test chamber and the temperature of the heat exchanger or the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant.

[0024] A control bypass with at least one control valve can be formed in the cooling circuit, wherein the control bypass can be connected to the cooling circuit in a flow direction downstream of the heat exchanger and upstream of the low-pressure compressor, as well as downstream of the low-pressure compressor and upstream of the high-pressure compressor. By means of the control valve, gaseous refrigerant can be metered from a low-pressure side to the medium-pressure side, wherein the low-pressure compressor can then be switched off. Thus, in a temperature range of ≥ -10 °C in the test chamber, it may be sufficient to provide cooling capacity via the high-pressure compressor alone and to switch off the low-pressure compressor. The control valve can then be fully opened so that the low-pressure and medium-pressure sides are connected to one another. A mass flow of the refrigerant can be guided past the low-pressure compressor to the high-pressure compressor.The control valve can also be used to regulate pressure on the low-pressure side. Accordingly, the control bypass with the control valve can be used in various operating states of the cooling system, namely in a temperature range from -10°C to -55°C by extracting cold gaseous refrigerant from the medium-pressure side and introducing it into the low-pressure side upstream of the low-pressure compressor, whereby a low suction pressure below the triple point is possible, or for pressure regulation on the low-pressure side or in the heat exchanger when the low-pressure compressor is switched off during air conditioning operation of the cooling system, and / or for capacity regulation of the low-pressure compressor when the low-pressure and high-pressure compressors are operating simultaneously. The suction pressure of the high-pressure compressor can be regulated via the medium-pressure valve.

[0025] The temperature control device can also comprise a dehumidifier, which is formed from a dehumidifier bypass with a dehumidifier valve and another heat exchanger in the test chamber. The dehumidifier bypass can be connected to the storage device and downstream of the low-pressure compressor and upstream of the high-pressure compressor on the medium-pressure side. The dehumidifier valve can be used to meter refrigerant from the storage device into the medium-pressure side when the low-pressure compressor is switched off or operating. The additional heat exchanger can form a so-called wet dehumidifier, which is also arranged in the test chamber. In this case, the heat exchanger should generally have a lower temperature than the heat exchanger, so that condensation occurs on the additional heat exchanger and not on the heat exchanger.The dehumidifier valve can be an expansion valve, through which liquid refrigerant is expanded into the additional heat exchanger. The refrigerant escaping from the additional heat exchanger can be essentially gaseous and subsequently passes from the low-pressure compressor to the medium-pressure side. By connecting the dehumidifier bypass to the medium-pressure side, the high-pressure compressor can be utilized even more effectively when the low-pressure compressor is shut down. When the low-pressure compressor is in operation, it is advantageous to install a check valve in the dehumidifier bypass to prevent refrigerant from flowing back from the medium-pressure side into the additional heat exchanger. Depending on the saturation vapor pressure on the medium-pressure side, gaseous refrigerant could otherwise condense in the additional heat exchanger.

[0026] By controlling the expansion valve and / or the dehumidification valve, the control device can set an evaporation temperature at the additional heat exchanger that is lower than the evaporation temperature at the heat exchanger. This ensures that the air in the test chamber or the water contained therein condenses on the additional heat exchanger and that water condensed on the heat exchanger cannot freeze. The control device can also control a control valve of a control bypass of the cooling circuit.

[0027] It is particularly advantageous to use pure carbon dioxide as the refrigerant. Pure carbon dioxide has a global warming potential of 1, is non-flammable, safe, and inexpensive. Furthermore, carbon dioxide is a pure substance, or azeotropic, which makes the advantageous implementation of the process and its variants possible in the first place. A refrigerant with zeotropic behavior, on the other hand, would hardly allow the provision of a sufficient quantity of gaseous refrigerant at a very small temperature difference, thus making it almost impossible to control the capacity of the high-pressure compressor.

[0028] The test chamber according to the invention, in particular a climatic chamber for conditioning air, comprises a test chamber that is sealable from the environment and temperature-insulated for accommodating test material, and a temperature control device for temperature control of the test chamber, wherein by means of the temperature control device a temperature in a temperature range of -20 °C to +180 °C can be formed within the test chamber, wherein the temperature control device has a heating device with a heater and a heating heat exchanger in the test chamber, wherein the temperature control device has a cooling device with a cooling circuit with carbon dioxide as a refrigerant, a heat exchanger in the test chamber, a low-pressure compressor and a high-pressure compressor following the low-pressure compressor in a flow direction, a gas cooler, a storage device for refrigerant and an expansion valve,wherein the test chamber has a control device for controlling and / or regulating the temperature in the test space, wherein the refrigerant can be conducted via a bypass of the cooling circuit past the low-pressure compressor to the high-pressure compressor when the low-pressure compressor is switched off, wherein the cooling circuit has a high-pressure valve downstream of the gas cooler in the flow direction, by means of which gaseous and / or liquid refrigerant can be metered into the storage device, wherein the storage device is connected via a medium-pressure bypass of the cooling circuit to a medium-pressure side of the cooling circuit upstream of the high-pressure compressor and downstream of the low-pressure compressor in the flow direction, wherein gaseous refrigerant can be metered from the storage device into the medium-pressure side by means of a medium-pressure valve of the cooling circuit, wherein the control device is designed toTo meter gaseous refrigerant into the medium-pressure side using the medium-pressure valve when the low-pressure compressor is shut down. For the advantages of the test chamber according to the invention, reference is made to the description of the advantages of the method according to the invention.

[0029] According to the invention, the temperature control device comprises a heating device with a heater and a heating heat exchanger in the test chamber. The heating device can, for example, be an electrical resistance heater that heats the heating heat exchanger in such a way that a temperature increase in the test chamber is enabled via the heating heat exchanger. If the heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger can be specifically controlled or regulated by means of the control device for cooling or heating the air circulated in the test chamber, a temperature within the temperature ranges specified above can then be achieved within the test chamber by means of the temperature control device.

[0030] Further embodiments of a test chamber emerge from the feature descriptions of the subclaims referring back to method claim 1.

[0031] The invention will be explained in more detail below in a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] They show: Fig. 1 A schematic representation of an embodiment of a cooling device; Fig. 2 a pressure-enthalpy diagram with a first operating state of a cooling circuit; Fig. 3 the pressure-enthalpy diagram with a second operating state of the cooling circuit; Fig. 4 the pressure-enthalpy diagram with a third operating state of the cooling circuit; Fig. 5 the pressure-enthalpy diagram with a fourth operating state of the cooling circuit.

[0033] The Fig. 1 shows a possible embodiment of a cooling device 10 of a test chamber (not shown here). The cooling device 10 comprises a cooling circuit 11 with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as a refrigerant, a heat exchanger 12, a low-pressure compressor 13, a high-pressure compressor 14, a gas cooler 15, a storage device 16, and an expansion valve 17. The gas cooler 15 is designed here in the manner of a heat exchanger and is cooled via a heat transfer medium, such as air or water. The heat exchanger 12 is arranged in an air treatment duct (not shown here) of the test chamber, such that a fan 18 can circulate the air in the test space around the heat exchanger 12. Furthermore, the cooling circuit 11 has a low-pressure side 19, a medium-pressure side 20, and a high-pressure side 21. In the low-pressure side 19, the pressure of the refrigerant is comparatively lower than in the medium-pressure side 20.In the medium pressure side 20 the pressure of the refrigerant is comparatively lower than in the high pressure side 21.

[0034] The cooling circuit 11 further has, downstream of the gas cooler 15 in a refrigerant flow direction, a high-pressure valve 22, via which gaseous and / or liquid refrigerant is expanded or metered into the storage device 16. The storage device 16 is designed as a pressure vessel 23 in which a phase boundary 24 forms between the liquid and the gaseous refrigerant. A medium-pressure bypass 25 with a medium-pressure valve 26 of the cooling circuit 11 is connected to the storage device 16 in such a way that gaseous refrigerant can be withdrawn from the storage device 16 and directed to the medium-pressure side 20 in the refrigerant flow direction downstream of the low-pressure compressor 13 and upstream of the high-pressure compressor 14. Furthermore, a line section 27 is connected to the storage device 16 in such a way that liquid refrigerant can be withdrawn from the storage device 16 and directed to the expansion valve 17.

[0035] Furthermore, the cooling circuit 11 comprises a second medium-pressure bypass 28 with a second medium-pressure valve 29, wherein the second medium-pressure bypass 28 is connected to the cooling circuit 11 in a flow direction downstream of the storage device 16 at the line section 27, and downstream of the low-pressure compressor 13 and upstream of the high-pressure compressor 14. Liquid refrigerant can be metered from the storage device 16 into the medium-pressure side 20 by means of the second medium-pressure valve 29.

[0036] The cooling circuit 11 further comprises a low-pressure bypass 30 with a second expansion valve 31. The low-pressure bypass 30 is connected in a flow direction downstream of the storage device 16 on the line section 27, downstream of the heat exchanger 12, and upstream of the low-pressure compressor 13 on the low-pressure side 19 of the cooling circuit 11. Liquid refrigerant can be metered from the storage device 16 into the low-pressure side 19 by means of the second expansion valve 31.

[0037] Furthermore, a control bypass 32 with a control valve 33 is formed in the cooling circuit 11, wherein the control bypass 32 is connected in a flow direction of the refrigerant downstream of the heat exchanger 12 and upstream of the low-pressure compressor 13 on the low-pressure side 19 and downstream of the low-pressure compressor 13 and upstream of the high-pressure compressor 14 on the medium-pressure side 20. Depending on an operating state of the cooling circuit 11, the control valve 33 can be used to direct refrigerant from the low-pressure side 19 to the medium-pressure side 20 or vice versa, from the medium-pressure side 20 to the low-pressure side 19.

[0038] To dehumidify the test chamber, the cooling circuit 11 has a dehumidifier bypass 34 with a dehumidifier valve 35, a check valve 36, and an additional heat exchanger 37. The additional heat exchanger 37 is located in the test chamber, not shown here. The dehumidifier bypass 34 is connected to the storage device 16 via the line section 27 and downstream to the low-pressure compressor 13 and upstream of the high-pressure compressor 14 on the medium-pressure side 20. By means of the dehumidifier valve 35, liquid refrigerant can be expanded from the storage device 16 into the additional heat exchanger 37 and introduced into the medium-pressure side 20. The additional heat exchanger 37 is cooled in such a way that the water contained in the air in the test chamber essentially condenses on the additional heat exchanger 37 and does not freeze on the heat exchanger 12.The check valve 36 prevents a backflow of the refrigerant into the further heat exchanger 37 from the medium-pressure side 20 if a pressure gradient occurs there compared to the further heat exchanger 37 due to a pressure increase, for example due to the operation of the low-pressure compressor 13.

[0039] The Fig. 2 bis 5 Each of these diagrams shows pressure-enthalpy diagrams (log-pH diagrams) for the refrigerant circulating in the cooling circuit 11 under different operating conditions of the cooling circuit 11 with the high-pressure compressor 14 operating alone. In the respective diagrams, the specific enthalpy is shown on the abscissa axis and the logarithmically scaled pressure on the ordinate axis. A boiling point line 38 marks a transition from saturated liquid to wet vapor, while a dew point line 39 marks a transition from wet vapor to saturated vapor. Boiling point line 38 and dew point line 39 intersect at critical point 40.

[0040] The Fig. 2 shows a subcritical operating state of the cooling circuit 11, in which, starting from position A, the refrigerant is sucked in from the low-pressure side 19 by the high-pressure compressor 14 and compressed, so that a pressure corresponding to position B in the flow direction after the compressor 14 is achieved. The refrigerant is subsequently liquefied in the gas cooler 15 corresponding to position C and passed via the high-pressure valve 22 into the storage device 16. In the expansion valve 17, the refrigerant is expanded (positions C to D), whereby the refrigerant evaporates in the heat exchanger 12 (positions D to A).

[0041] The Fig. 3 and 4 show transcritical operating conditions and the Fig. 5 a supercritical operating state of the cooling circuit 11 when the high-pressure compressor 14 is operating alone.

[0042] The supercritical operating state is achieved by switching off the low-pressure compressor 13 when no or very little cooling capacity needs to be delivered to the heat exchanger 12 and / or a temperature in the test chamber of ≥ -10°C is to be achieved. The supercritical operating state is then used to produce gaseous refrigerant. For this purpose, the pressure in the medium-pressure side 20 is increased by opening the medium-pressure valve 26 and directing gaseous refrigerant to the medium-pressure side 20 via the medium-pressure bypass 35. In addition, the delivery capacity of the high-pressure compressor 14 can also be initially reduced via a frequency converter. If no cooling capacity is required, the expansion valve 17 and the dehumidification valve 35 are completely closed, with the refrigerant then circulating solely via the medium-pressure bypass 25.In order to provide sufficient gaseous refrigerant in the supercritical operating state, the high-pressure valve 22 is opened further so that, by reducing the pressure in the high-pressure side 21 upon expansion of the refrigerant, more vapor is produced, which can be used to adjust the performance of the high-pressure compressor 14. The outlet temperature of the refrigerant at the gas cooler 15 can also be raised, and the high-pressure valve 22 can be fully opened so that no liquid is produced upon expansion of the refrigerant and only gaseous refrigerant circulates. Overall, this makes it possible to forgo shutting down the high-pressure compressor 14 and to continue operating it, even when no or only a very low cooling capacity is required.

Claims

1. A method for conditioning air in a temperature-insulated test space of a test chamber, which is sealable against an environment and serves for receiving test material, a temperature being produced within the test space by means of a cooling device (10) of a temperature control device of the test chamber, using a cooling circuit (11) with a cooling agent, using a heat exchanger (12) in the test space, using a low-pressure compressor (13) and using a high-pressure compressor (14) downstream of the low-pressure compressor, using a gas cooler (15), using a storage means (16) for the cooling agent and using an expansion valve (17), the temperature in the test space being controlled and / or regulated by means of a control device of the test chamber, the cooling agent being conducted past the low-pressure compressor to the low-pressure compressor via a bypass of the cooling circuit when the low-pressure compressor is switched off, a gaseous and / or liquid cooling agent being dosed in the storage means by means of a high-pressure valve (22) of the cooling circuit downstream of the gas cooler, the storage means being connected to a medium-pressure side (20) of the cooling circuit upstream of the high-pressure compressor and downstream of the low-pressure compressor via a medium-pressure bypass (25) of the cooling circuit, characterized in that the cooling agent is carbon dioxide (CO2), the temperature being produced in a temperature range -20 °C to +180 °C, the temperature control device having a heating element having a heater and a thermal heat exchanger in the test space, the gaseous cooling agent being dosed in the medium-pressure side from the storage means by means of a medium-pressure valve (26) of the cooling circuit when the low-pressure compressor is switched off.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that a temperature ranging from -40 °C to +180 °C, preferably from -55 °C to +180 °C, is produced within the test space by means of the temperature control device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the low-pressure compressor (13) is switched off by the control device at a target temperature ranging from -10 °C to +180 °C, preferably from 0 °C to +180 °C.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooling circuit (11) is operated in a thermodynamically subcritical, transcritical or supercritical operating state.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the high-pressure compressor (14) and the low-pressure compressor (13) are operated in at least the subcritical operating state.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that in the supercritical state, the cooling agent expands at the high-pressure valve (22) and is guided to the storage means (16) as a gaseous cooling agent.

7. The method according to any one of the claims 4 to 6, characterized in that in the transcritical operating state, the high-pressure valve (22) is regulated in such a manner by means of the control device that the partially gaseous and liquid cooling agent is guided to the storage means (16).

8. The method according to any one of the claims 4 to 7, characterized in that a capacity of the high-pressure compressor (14) is adjusted as a function of a target temperature, the medium-pressure valve (26) being regulated in such a manner in the supercritical operating state by means of the control device that the gaseous cooling agent is guided to the medium-pressure side (20).

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a second medium-pressure bypass (28) having at least one second medium-pressure valve (29) is formed in the cooling circuit (11), the second medium-pressure bypass being connected to the cooling circuit downstream of the storage means (16) and upstream of the expansion valve (17) and downstream of the low-pressure compressor (13) and upstream of the high-pressure compressor (14), the liquid cooling agent being dosed in the medium-pressure side (20) from the storage means by means of the second medium-pressure valve.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding means, characterized in that a low-pressure bypass (30) having at least one second expansion valve (31) is disposed in the cooling circuit (11), the low-pressure bypass being connected to the cooling circuit downstream of the storage means (16) and upstream of the expansion valve (17) and downstream of the heat exchanger (12) and upstream of the low-pressure compressor (13), the liquid cooling agent being dosed in a low-pressure side (19) from the storage means by means of the second expansion valve.

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a regulating bypass (32) having at least one regulating valve (33) is disposed in the cooling circuit (11), the regulating bypass being connected to the cooling circuit downstream of the heat exchanger (12) and upstream of the low-pressure compressor (13) and downstream of the low-pressure compressor and upstream of the high-pressure compressor (14), the gaseous cooling agent being dosed in a low-pressure side (19) from the medium-pressure side (20) by means of the regulating valve, the low-pressure compressor being in operation.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the control device sets a suction pressure upstream of the low-pressure compressor (13) by means of the regulating bypass (32) in such a manner that the cooling agent is in a state below the triple-point upstream of the low-pressure compressor.

13. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a regulating bypass (32) having at least one regulating valve (33) is formed in the cooling circuit (11), the regulating bypass being connected to the cooling circuit downstream of the heat exchanger (12) and upstream of the low-pressure compressor (13) and downstream of the low-pressure compressor and upstream of the high-pressure compressor (14), the gaseous cooling agent being dosed in the medium-pressure side (20) from a low-pressure side (19) by means of the regulating valve, the low-pressure compressor being switched off.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the temperature control device comprises a dehumidifier which is made up of a dehumidifier bypass (34) having a dehumidifier valve (35) and an additional heat exchanger (37) in the test space, the dehumidifier bypass being connected to the storage means (16) and to the medium-pressure side (20) downstream of the low-pressure compressor (13) and upstream of the high-pressure compressor (14), the cooling agent being dosed in the medium-pressure side from the storage means by means of the dehumidifier valve when the low-pressure compressor is switched off or on.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the control device produces an evaporation temperature at the additional heat exchanger (37) which is lower than an evaporation temperature at the heat exchanger (12) by means of controlling the expansion valve (17) and / or the dehumidifier valve (35).

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that pure carbon dioxide (CO2) is used as the cooling agent.

17. A test chamber, in particular a climate chamber for conditioning air, the test chamber comprising a temperature-insulated test space, which is sealable against an environment and serves for receiving test material, and a temperature control device for controlling the temperature of the test space, a temperature being produced within the test space by means of the temperature control device, the temperature control device comprising a cooling device (10) having a cooling circuit (11) with a cooling agent, a heat exchanger (12) in the test space, a low-pressure compressor (13) and a high-pressure compressor (14) downstream of the low-pressure compressor, a gas cooler (15), a storage means (16) for the cooling agent and an expansion valve (17), the test chamber comprising a control device for controlling and / or regulating the temperature in the test space, the cooling agent being conducted past the low-pressure compressor to the high-pressure compressor via a bypass when the low-pressure compressor is switched off, the cooling circuit comprising a high-pressure valve (22) downstream of the gas cooler, the gaseous and / or liquid cooling agent being dosed in the storage means by means of the high-pressure valve, the storage means being connected to a medium-pressure side (20) of the cooling circuit upstream of the high-pressure compressor and downstream of the low-pressure compressor via a medium-pressure bypass (25) of the cooling circuit, the gaseous cooling agent being dosed from the storage means by means of a medium-pressure valve (26) of the cooling circuit, characterized in that the cooling agent is carbon dioxide (CO2),the temperature being produced ranging from -20 °C to +180 °C, the temperature control device having a heating element having a heater and a thermal heat exchanger in the test space, the control device being configured to dose gaseous cooling agent in the medium-pressure side by means of the medium-pressure valve when the low-pressure compressor is switched off.