Vapor compression circuit and method including a thermoelectric device

• US 20070101738A1
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Corporation LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Jayanth, Nagaraj, Ignatiev, Kirill, Akei, Masao, Pham, Hung, Caillat, Jean-Luc
• Granted Patent: US 7,296,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/238.600
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/00 Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/02 using waste heat, e.g. from internal-combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 6/02 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/00 Thermoelectric devices comprising a junction of dissimilar materials, i.e. devices exhibiting Seebeck or Peltier effects integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/274 using waste energy, e.g. from internal combustion engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/963 Off-grid food refrigeration

Abstract

A system and method includes a vapor compression circuit having a source of waste heat. A thermoelectric device is positioned in heat-transfer relation to the source of waste heat and generates an electric current that powers a load.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transferring heat from a source of waste heat in a vapor-compression circuit through a thermoelectric device;

generating an electric current from said heat;

powering a load with said electric current.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a relatively hot working fluid in a compressor to a relatively cold working fluid in the compressor through a component in said compressor that separates said relatively hot working fluid from said relatively cold working fluid.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat through a compressing member in heat-transferring relation to both said relatively hot and relatively cold working fluids and through said thermoelectric device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said compressing member is one of an orbiting scroll member and a nonorbiting scroll member.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat through a partition separating said relatively hot working fluid from said relatively cold working fluid and through said thermoelectric device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a motor in a compressor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a rotor of said motor to at least one of a lubricant and a suction gas in said compressor through said thermoelectric device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a stator of said motor to at least one of a lubricant and a suction gas in said compressor through said thermoelectric device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said thermoelectric device is a first thermoelectric device and said load is a second thermoelectric device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising subcooling a condensed working fluid exiting a condenser in a vapor-compression circuit with said second thermoelectric device using said electric current generated by said first thermoelectric device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein subcooling said condensed working fluid includes extracting heat from said condensed working fluid with said second thermoelectric device and transferring said extracted heat to an ambient environment.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a relatively hot compressed working fluid flowing through said vapor-compression circuit to an ambient environment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a relatively hot compressed working fluid within a discharge passage of a compressor to said ambient environment through a wall of said discharge passage and through said thermoelectric device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a relatively hot compressed working fluid within a compressor to said ambient environment through a shell of said compressor and through said thermoelectric device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a relatively hot working fluid flowing through said vapor-compression circuit to a relatively cold working fluid flowing through said vapor-compression circuit.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said powering a load includes powering a load within a compressor in said vapor-compression circuit.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said powering a load includes providing power to at least one of the following:

a power supply, a fan, a sensor, a flow control device, an actuator, a controller, an energy storage device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a relatively hot lubricant within a compressor to an ambient environment through said thermoelectric device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring includes transferring heat from a compressed working fluid flowing through a muffler positioned external to a compressor to an ambient environment through said thermoelectric device.

20. A vapor compression circuit comprising:

a source of waste heat;

a thermoelectric device generating an electric current from said heat;

a load powered with said electric current.

21. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, wherein said source of waste heat includes a component in a compressor that separates a relatively hot working fluid from a relatively cold working fluid.

22. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, wherein said thermoelectric device is in heat-transfer relation to a compressing member in heat-transfer relation to both said relatively hot and said relatively cold working fluid.

23. The vapor compression circuit of claim 22, wherein said compressing member is one of an orbiting scroll member and a non-orbiting scroll member.

24. The vapor compression circuit of claim 21, wherein said source of waste heat includes a partition separating said relatively hot working fluid from said relatively cold working fluid and through said thermoelectric device.

25. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, wherein said source of waste heat includes a motor in a compressor.

26. The vapor compression circuit of claim 25, wherein said thermoelectric device transfers heat from a rotor of said motor to at least one of a lubricant and a suction gas in said compressor.

27. The vapor compression circuit of claim 25, wherein said thermoelectric device transfers heat from a stator of said motor to at least one of a lubricant and a suction gas in said compressor.

28. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, wherein said thermoelectric device is a first thermoelectric device and said load is a second thermoelectric device.

29. The vapor compression circuit of claim 28, further comprising a condenser in communication with said compressor, wherein said second thermoelectric device subcools a condensed working fluid exiting said condenser using said electric current generated by said first thermoelectric device.

30. The vapor compression circuit of claim 29, wherein said second thermoelectric device extracts heat from said condensed working fluid and transfers said extracted heat to the ambient environment.

31. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, further comprising a compressor having a discharge passage, wherein said thermoelectric device is positioned in heat-transfer relation to said discharge passage and the ambient environment.

32. The vapor compression circuit of claim 31, further comprising a compressor having a shell, wherein said thermoelectric device is positioned in heat-transfer relation to said discharge passage and the ambient environment.

33. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, further comprising a compressor, wherein said load is disposed within said compressor.

34. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, wherein said load includes at least one of the group comprising:

a power supply, a fan, a sensor, a flow control device, an actuator, a controller, an energy storage device.

35. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, further comprising:

a compressor having a relatively hot lubricant, wherein said thermoelectric device is positioned in heat-transfer relation to said relatively hot lubricant and transfers heat from said relatively hot lubricant to an ambient environment.

36. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, further comprising:

a compressor having a muffler, wherein said thermoelectric device is positioned in heat-transfer relation with said muffler and an ambient environment.