Integrated refrigeration and air conditioning system
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Separate refrigeration and air conditioning systems result in redundant equipment, increased energy costs, and higher space requirements due to the need for distinct units and refrigerants.
Innovation Solution
An integrated cooling system that shares components and uses a common refrigerant, including a high side heat exchanger, flash tank, air conditioner load, refrigeration load, compressors, and ejectors, to efficiently cool multiple spaces while reducing redundant equipment and energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate refrigeration and air conditioning systems are used, then each system can independently cool its designated space, but the total space occupied by equipment increases and redundant components are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate refrigeration and air conditioning systems into a single integrated system that shares common components including compressors, heat exchangers, and refrigerant circulation pathways. This merging eliminates redundant equipment while maintaining the ability to independently cool different spaces through separate evaporator circuits.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system employs universal components that serve multiple functions: compressors that can compress refrigerant for both refrigeration and air conditioning cycles, heat exchangers that facilitate heat transfer in both systems, and a common refrigerant circulation system that distributes cooled refrigerant to multiple evaporators serving different spaces.
2Reliability
If separate refrigeration and air conditioning systems are used, then each system can be optimized for its specific function, but energy consumption increases due to redundant operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the refrigeration and air conditioning systems into a unified configuration where compressors, heat exchangers, and refrigerant flow paths are shared. This eliminates redundant compression and heat rejection operations, significantly reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining the ability to independently control cooling in different spaces through dedicated evaporator circuits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers and utilizes the refrigerant and cooling capacity that would otherwise be wasted in separate systems. The integrated design allows refrigerant to be efficiently circulated through shared components, and the system can recover cooling capacity from one space to serve another, reducing total energy requirements.
3Reliability
If separate refrigeration and air conditioning systems are used, then each system can use dedicated refrigerant, but the complexity of installing and maintaining multiple systems increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple refrigeration and air conditioning systems into a single integrated unit with shared mechanical components and a unified refrigerant circulation system. This merging reduces installation complexity by requiring fewer separate units, less piping, and fewer installation steps, while maintaining refrigerant dedication through separate circuit configurations within the integrated system.
4Area of stationary object
If an integrated system is used to share components, then space requirements are reduced and energy efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated system is segmented into distinct functional circuits including separate evaporator circuits for refrigeration and air conditioning, dedicated expansion valves for each circuit, and shared compression and heat rejection components. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functional independence in different spaces while achieving space savings through shared infrastructure, and simplifies maintenance by allowing independent servicing of each circuit.
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
The integrated system reduces the space needed for installation and lowers energy costs by sharing components and using a common refrigerant, enhancing the efficiency of cooling multiple spaces simultaneously.
Implementation Method 1
The high side heat exchanger removes heat from the refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
The flash tank stores the refrigerant from the high side heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
The first compressor compresses the refrigerant from the refrigeration load. The second compressor compresses a flash gas from the flash tank
Implementation Method 4
The air conditioner ejector pumps the refrigerant from the air conditioner load to the flash tank. The vapor ejector pumps the refrigerant from the refrigeration load to the flash tank
Implementation Method 5
The air conditioner load uses the refrigerant from the flash tank to remove heat from a first space proximate the air conditioner load. The refrigeration load uses the refrigerant from the flash tank to remove heat from a second space proximate the refrigeration load
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a high side heat exchanger, a flash tank, an air conditioner load, an air conditioner ejector, a refrigeration load, a first compressor, a second compressor, and a vapor ejector. The high side heat exchanger removes heat from a refrigerant. The flash tank stores the refrigerant from the high side heat exchanger. The air conditioner load uses the refrigerant from the flash tank to remove heat from a first space proximate the air conditioner load. The air conditioner ejector pumps the refrigerant from the air conditioner load to the flash tank. The refrigeration load uses the refrigerant from the flash tank to remove heat from a second space proximate the refrigeration load. The first compressor compresses the refrigerant from the refrigeration load. The second compressor compresses a flash gas from the flash tank. The vapor ejector pumps the refrigerant from the refrigeration load to the flash tank.