Refrigeration system and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transcritical refrigeration systems generate waste heat that is too hot to be reused, leading to inefficiencies in energy utilization within refrigeration systems and other facility systems.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a heat exchanger downstream of the gas cooler to apply a second cooling stage to the refrigerant, which removes heat and directs it to a water heating system or floor heating system, allowing for the reuse of low-grade waste heat for heating purposes while providing supplemental cooling to the refrigeration system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If waste heat from the gas cooler is released into the environment, then the refrigeration system can maintain proper operating temperatures, but energy is lost and heating requirements must be met by separate systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the refrigeration system and water heating system into a single integrated unit. The gas cooler serves dual purposes: cooling the refrigerant and heating water simultaneously through a heat exchanger. This merging eliminates the need for separate waste heat disposal and water heating systems, reducing overall system complexity while recovering energy that would otherwise be lost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat that needs to be dissipated into a beneficial resource for water heating. By placing a heat exchanger on the gas cooler, the system captures the thermal energy that would be lost to the environment and uses it to heat water, transforming an energy loss into a useful output.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a heat exchanger is added to recover waste heat, then energy efficiency improves, but the system structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is integrated directly onto the gas cooler structure, combining two components into one. This approach recovers waste heat to improve energy efficiency while avoiding the need for a completely separate heat recovery system, thereby limiting the increase in structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas cooler is designed to perform multiple functions: cooling the refrigerant and heating water simultaneously. This multi-functionality allows the system to improve energy efficiency by recovering waste heat without requiring additional dedicated components, thus improving energy efficiency with minimal increase in system complexity.
3Loss of energy
If waste heat is reused for heating, then energy savings are achieved, but the refrigeration system must be modified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the refrigeration and water heating systems into a single integrated unit with common components. The gas cooler and heat exchanger serve dual purposes, and the refrigerant circulation system provides both cooling and heating functions. This integration achieves energy savings by reusing waste heat while simplifying installation compared to separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigeration system is designed with multi-functionality, allowing the same components to serve both refrigeration and water heating purposes. The gas cooler cools refrigerant while simultaneously heating water, and the expansion valve controls refrigerant flow for both cooling cycles and heating operations, achieving energy savings without requiring entirely separate systems.
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 operational efficiency of transcritical refrigeration systems by reusing waste heat, reducing energy consumption, and providing additional heating capabilities to facility systems, such as floor or water heating systems, thereby achieving energy savings and improved system performance.
Implementation Method 1
The gas cooler is operable to receive the refrigerant and apply a first cooling stage to the refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
The heat exchanger is operable to receive the refrigerant cooled by the gas cooler, and apply a second cooling stage to the refrigerant, wherein the second cooling stage removing heat from the refrigerant. The heat exchanger is further operable to apply the heat removed during the second cooling stage to a water heating system
Implementation Method 3
a water heating system operable to heat water and discharge the refrigerant to an expansion valve
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A method for a refrigeration system (100) includes applying (410), by a gas cooler (130) of the refrigeration system (100), a first cooling stage to refrigerant circulating through the refrigeration system load. The method further comprises applying (420), by a heat exchanger (140) located downstream from the gas cooler (130), a second cooling stage to the refrigerant, wherein the second cooling stage removes heat from the refrigerant, and applying (430), by the heat exchanger (140) located downstream from the gas cooler (130), the heat removed during the second cooling stage to a water heating system (300) operable to heat water.