SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING REFRIGERATION CYCLES

• US 20160320101A1
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rocky Research (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rocky Research (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Khalili, Kaveh, Rockenfeller, Uwe
• Granted Patent: US 9,982,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 17/083 with two or more boiler-sorbers operating alternately
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/01 Timing
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/046 Operating intermittently
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/27 Relating to heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC] technologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/62 Absorption based systems

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for controlling the equalization of pressure between absorbing and desorbing reactors. In a first reaction cycle in a desorbing reactor a gaseous reactant is desorbed from a solid sorbent and concurrently in an absorbing reactor the gaseous reactant is absorbed on a solid sorbent. In a second reaction cycle, absorption and desorption are reversed in the reactors and at least a portion of the gaseous reactant desorbed from in the desorbing reactor is transferred to the absorbing reactor in an equalization process under computer control. The computer control may detect the demand on the system and adjust the amount of time for the equalization process to increase the efficiency of the system.

Claims

1. A cooling system, comprising:

a first reactor system comprising one or more first reactors configured to adsorb and desorb a gaseous reactant onto a first solid sorbent composition;

a second reactor system comprising one or more second reactors configured to adsorb and desorb the gaseous reactant onto a second solid sorbent composition;

a conduit connecting the one or more first reactors of the first reactor system to the one or more second reactors of the second reactor system, and comprising a controllable valve; and

an electronic controller configured to control the recouperation time between the first reactor system and the second reactor systems by operating the controllable valve to equalize the pressure of the reactant gas between the first reactor system and the second reactor system.

2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the electronic controller is configured control the recouperation time to by detecting the external demand on the cooling system and altering the amount of time the valve is opened based on the external demand.

3. The cooling system of claim 2, wherein the electronic controller controls the recouperation time by reference to a stored equation, a predefined data curve, or a lookup table to alter the amount of time the valve is opened.

4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling system further comprises a temperature sensor configured to detect the temperature of the gas reactant in the conduit.

5. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling system further comprises a pressure sensor configured to determine the pressure of the gas reactant in the conduit.

6. The cooling system of claim 5, wherein the electronic controller is configured to determine the pressure of the reactant gas in the conduit before equalizing the pressure of the reactant gas.

7. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the one or more first reactors comprises a complex compound formed by absorbing ammonia on a metal salt.

8. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein the one or more second reactors comprises a complex compound formed by absorbing ammonia on a metal salt.

9. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the one or more first reactors or the one or more second reactors comprises a solid sorbent having a zeolite, activated carbon, activated alumina or silica gel.

10. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the one or more first reactors and the one or more second reactors comprise the same sorbent composition.

11. A method of controlling a cooling system, comprising:

providing a first reactor system comprising one or more first reactors configured to adsorb and desorb a gaseous reactant onto a first solid sorbent composition;

providing a second reactor system comprising one or more second reactors configured to adsorb and desorb the gaseous reactant onto a second solid sorbent composition;

providing a conduit connecting the one or more first reactors of the first reactor system to the one or more second reactors of the second reactor system, and comprising a controllable valve; and

electronically controlling the recouperation time between the one or more first reactors and the one or more second reactors by operating the controllable valve to equalize the pressure of the reactant gas between the first reactor system and the second reactor system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein electronically controlling the recouperation time comprises:

detecting the external demand on the cooling system; and

altering the amount of time the valve is opened to equalize the pressure based on the detected external demand.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein altering the amount of time the valve is opened is based on reference to a stored equation, a predefined data curve, or a lookup table.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising measuring the temperature of the gas reactant in the conduit.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising measuring the pressure of the gas reactant in the conduit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein measuring the pressure of the gas comprises determine the pressure of the reactant gas in the conduit before equalizing the pressure of the reactant gas.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more first reactors comprises a complex compound formed by absorbing ammonia on a metal salt.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more second reactors comprises a complex compound formed by absorbing ammonia on a metal salt.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more first reactors or the one or more second reactors comprises a solid sorbent having a zeolite, activated carbon, activated alumina or silica gel.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the one or more first reactors and the one or more second reactors comprise the same sorbent composition.