Refrigeration and heating system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigeration systems face inefficiencies at low ambient temperatures, where reduced cooling capacity necessitates increased heating demands, leading to insufficient heat delivery from the refrigeration process.
Innovation Solution
A combined refrigeration and heating system with a coupling heat exchanger and a control unit that allows selective bypassing of heating fluid or refrigerant to increase temperature, enhancing heating capacity without increasing cooling capacity, using a refrigeration circuit with compressors, gas coolers, and expansion devices, and a heating circuit with heat consumers and controllable valves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the refrigerant temperature entering the gas cooler is increased to enhance heating capacity, then the heating performance improves, but the refrigeration efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic control system where the bypass valve can be adjusted based on the heating demands. When heating capacity is needed, the valve opens to allow refrigerant to bypass the coupling heat exchanger, increasing the refrigerant temperature and thus the heating capacity. When heating demands are low, the valve closes and the refrigerant passes through the heat exchanger, maximizing refrigeration efficiency. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to operate in different modes as needed.
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 allows for increased heating capacity, potentially generating 33% more thermal heat for heating purposes, reducing the need for external heating sources and minimizing implementation costs by using existing equipment with minor modifications.
Implementation Method 1
a coupling heat exchanger configured for transferring heat from a refrigerant circulating within the refrigeration circuit to a heating fluid circulating within the heating circuit
Implementation Method 2
at least one compressor; a refrigeration circuit side of a coupling heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
at least one expansion device; and at least one evaporator
Implementation Method 4
at least one evaporator
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a refrigeration and heating system (2a, 2b) comprises: circulating a refrigerant through a refrigeration circuit (4) which comprises in the direction of flow of the circulating refrigerant: at least one compressor (6a, 6b, 6c); a refrigeration circuit side (8a) of a coupling heat exchanger (8); at least one gas cooler (10); at least one expansion device (12, 14); and at least one evaporator (16); circulating a heating fluid through a heating circuit (20) which comprises a heating circuit side (8b) of the coupling heat exchanger (8) and at least one heat consumer (22); wherein the coupling heat exchanger (8) is configured for transferring heat from the circulating refrigerant to the circulating heating fluid. The method further includes increasing the temperature of the refrigerant entering the at least one gas cooler (10) in order to meet increased heating demands by allowing at least a portion of the heating fluid to flow directly from an outlet to an inlet of the heating circuit side (8b) of the coupling heat exchanger (8) bypassing the at least one heat consumer (22) or by allowing at least a portion of the refrigerant circulating through the refrigeration circuit (4) to bypass the coupling heat exchanger (8).