Refrigerant Recovery Routing for Blend Purity Reclamation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automotive vehicle air conditioning systems require efficient refrigerant recovery, recycling, and recharging, but existing refrigerant recovery units lack effective methods for handling blended refrigerants and ensuring proper refrigerant purity levels during the recycling process.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerant recovery unit with an external tank for reclamation, featuring a recovery circuit, a controller for managing refrigerant transfer, and a diversion valve that operates based on purity analysis to direct refrigerant to either an internal or external tank, ensuring only acceptable refrigerant is reused or recycled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If refrigerant is recovered and recycled in the system, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to contamination and oil mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the storage function of recovered refrigerant from the recovery unit itself by introducing an external storage tank. This separation allows the recovery unit to focus on the recovery process while the external tank stores the refrigerant, preventing contamination and oil mixing that would occur in an integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a diversion valve as an intermediary component that controls the flow of refrigerant between different paths. This valve enables selective routing of refrigerant to either the external storage tank or back to the system, ensuring that only pure refrigerant is reused and maintaining system reliability.
2Ease of operation
If an external tank is added for reclamation, then device complexity increases, but ease of operation improves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the refrigerant management system into distinct functional components: the recovery unit for processing, the external storage tank for holding, and the diversion valve for control. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while providing operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The external storage tank serves multiple functions: storing recovered refrigerant, isolating it from contaminants, and providing a buffer for reclamation operations. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering significant operational benefits.
3Loss of substance
If blend refrigerant is sent for reclamation, then loss of substance is reduced, but measurement precision is required for purity analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the controller continuously monitors refrigerant purity levels and uses this information to control the diversion valve. This closed-loop control ensures that refrigerant is only sent for reclamation when necessary, minimizing waste while maintaining precise purity management.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerant recovery unit that diverts blended refrigerant withdrawn out of a refrigerant system to an external tank outside the refrigerant recovery unit for reclamation includes a recovery circuit coupled on one end to the refrigerant system and coupled on another end to the external tank, a controller in communication with the recovery circuit for controlling a transfer of the refrigerant withdrawn from the refrigerant system to the external tank, and a valve operatively engaged with the controller and the recovery circuit and operable to transfer the refrigerant withdrawn from the refrigerant system to the external tank for recycling or reclamation.