Integrated cooling system with flooded air conditioning heat exchanger
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated air conditioning and refrigeration systems perform less efficiently than separate systems, particularly on hot days, due to shared refrigerant and components, resulting in an 8% efficiency loss.
Innovation Solution
The system floods the air conditioning low side heat exchanger to allow both liquid and vapor refrigerant to exit, with an additional receiver storing the refrigerant and directing the vapor to a compressor, and using the residual liquid in the refrigeration system when the liquid level exceeds a threshold, improving efficiency by utilizing heat exchangers to subcool refrigerant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If an integrated air conditioning and refrigeration system is used to share refrigerant and components, then the system footprint is reduced, but the system efficiency decreases by approximately 8%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the refrigerant flow paths by introducing separate receivers for air conditioning and refrigeration systems, allowing independent refrigerant management while maintaining component sharing. This segmentation enables optimized refrigerant distribution to each system, resolving the efficiency loss caused by integrated operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts refrigerant flow distribution between air conditioning and refrigeration systems based on operational demands. By using adjustable valves and controllers that respond to system conditions, the integrated system can optimize performance in real-time, mitigating the efficiency penalty of integration.
2Productivity
If the air conditioning low side heat exchanger operates conventionally to evaporate all liquid refrigerant, then the refrigerant is fully converted to vapor, but this causes inefficiency in the integrated system during hot conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the air conditioning low side heat exchanger by allowing liquid refrigerant to exit unevaporated. This parameter change transforms the heat exchanger from a complete evaporator to a partial evaporator, enabling the liquid refrigerant to be utilized by the refrigeration system for additional cooling effect, thereby improving overall system efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The low side heat exchanger serves multiple functions: it acts as an evaporator for air conditioning while simultaneously serving as a source of liquid refrigerant for the refrigeration system. This multi-functionality allows the integrated system to maximize cooling capacity across both systems without the efficiency loss of conventional separate operation.
3Productivity
If a second receiver is added to store refrigerant from the air conditioning low side heat exchanger, then liquid refrigerant can be separated and used in the refrigeration system, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple receivers into a single integrated receiver system that handles refrigerant from both air conditioning and refrigeration cycles. By combining refrigerant storage and separation functions in one component, the system achieves the efficiency benefits of liquid refrigerant utilization while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The second receiver acts as an intermediary component that facilitates liquid-vapor separation and refrigerant redistribution between systems. This intermediary enables efficient liquid refrigerant utilization without requiring complex control mechanisms or multiple separate storage vessels, thus limiting the complexity increase.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the efficiency of integrated systems to match or exceed that of separate air conditioning and refrigeration systems on hot days, improving performance and reducing the system's footprint.
Implementation Method 1
a high side heat exchanger, an air conditioning low side heat exchanger... The high side heat exchanger removes heat from a refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
The air conditioning low side heat exchanger uses the refrigerant from the high side heat exchanger to cool a space proximate the air conditioning low side heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
The refrigerant from the air conditioning low side heat exchanger includes a liquid portion and a vapor portion
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated system floods an air conditioning low side heat exchanger such that the air conditioning low side heat exchanger does not evaporate all the liquid refrigerant entering the air conditioning low side heat exchanger. As a result, both liquid and vapor refrigerant leave the air conditioning low side heat exchanger. The system includes an additional receiver that stores the refrigerant leaving the air conditioning low side heat exchanger. To prevent the liquid refrigerant in the receiver from overflowing, the liquid refrigerant in the receiver is used in a refrigeration system when the level of liquid refrigerant in the receiver exceeds a threshold (e.g., as detected by a sensor in the receiver).