Supplemental cooling system for coupling to refrigerant-cooled apparatus
First Claim
1. A supplemental cooling system couplable to at least one assembly with a refrigerant-cooled apparatus having a first refrigerant circuit with a first refrigerant and an evaporator, said supplemental cooling system operable to receive said first refrigerant at a first temperature ahead of said apparatus and to reduce the refrigerant first temperature, said supplemental cooling system comprising:
- means for providing a refrigerant to cool a fluid, said refrigerant-providing means being one of said first refrigerant circuit and a second refrigerant circuit;
means for thermal storage having a housing with an output port and a return port,a phase change material fluid in said housing,means for freezing said phase change material, which freezing means is positioned in said housing and connected to said refrigerant-providing means to freeze at least a portion of said phase change material fluid at a second temperature and to cool said remaining portion of said fluid material in said housing to approximately the second temperature of said frozen phase change material, which frozen phase change material temperature is less than said first refrigerant temperature in said first refrigerant circuit;
means for connecting;
means for coupling having a first fluid path and a second fluid path, which coupling means is operable as means for exchanging heat and is connected by said connecting means in one of a parallel and a series arrangement with said first refrigerant circuit and said thermal storage means, said coupling means operable to receive said first refrigerant at said first temperature from said refrigerant circuit, which first temperature is greater than said second temperature, in one of said first and second fluid paths for flow through said coupling means before communication and return of said first refrigerant to said first refrigerant circuit and said evaporator of said refrigerant-cooled apparatus;
means for pumping said phase change material connected between the other of said coupling means first and second fluid paths and said housing output port to communicate said phase-change fluid material from said housing to said other fluid path of said first and second fluid paths in said coupling means;
said connecting means connecting said other of said first and second fluid paths and said housing input port to return said phase change fluid to said housing from said coupling means;
said phase change material fluid at said second temperature in said coupling means other fluid path operable to exchange heat with said refrigerant in said one fluid path to reduce the temperature of said first refrigerant in said circuit ahead of said refrigerant-cooled apparatus to a third temperature less than said first temperature to expand the operating range of the refrigerant circuit of said refrigerant-cooled apparatus by operation with a refrigerant at a temperature less than said first temperature.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A supplemental cooling system couplable to at least one refrigerant-cooled apparatus with a refrigerant circuit to reduce the refrigerant temperature in the refrigerant circuit, which cooling system is shown with a thermal storage system as well as an auxiliary condensing arrangement for coupling the refrigerant circuit and supplemental cooling system.
65 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A supplemental cooling system couplable to at least one assembly with a refrigerant-cooled apparatus having a first refrigerant circuit with a first refrigerant and an evaporator, said supplemental cooling system operable to receive said first refrigerant at a first temperature ahead of said apparatus and to reduce the refrigerant first temperature, said supplemental cooling system comprising:
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means for providing a refrigerant to cool a fluid, said refrigerant-providing means being one of said first refrigerant circuit and a second refrigerant circuit; means for thermal storage having a housing with an output port and a return port, a phase change material fluid in said housing, means for freezing said phase change material, which freezing means is positioned in said housing and connected to said refrigerant-providing means to freeze at least a portion of said phase change material fluid at a second temperature and to cool said remaining portion of said fluid material in said housing to approximately the second temperature of said frozen phase change material, which frozen phase change material temperature is less than said first refrigerant temperature in said first refrigerant circuit; means for connecting; means for coupling having a first fluid path and a second fluid path, which coupling means is operable as means for exchanging heat and is connected by said connecting means in one of a parallel and a series arrangement with said first refrigerant circuit and said thermal storage means, said coupling means operable to receive said first refrigerant at said first temperature from said refrigerant circuit, which first temperature is greater than said second temperature, in one of said first and second fluid paths for flow through said coupling means before communication and return of said first refrigerant to said first refrigerant circuit and said evaporator of said refrigerant-cooled apparatus; means for pumping said phase change material connected between the other of said coupling means first and second fluid paths and said housing output port to communicate said phase-change fluid material from said housing to said other fluid path of said first and second fluid paths in said coupling means; said connecting means connecting said other of said first and second fluid paths and said housing input port to return said phase change fluid to said housing from said coupling means; said phase change material fluid at said second temperature in said coupling means other fluid path operable to exchange heat with said refrigerant in said one fluid path to reduce the temperature of said first refrigerant in said circuit ahead of said refrigerant-cooled apparatus to a third temperature less than said first temperature to expand the operating range of the refrigerant circuit of said refrigerant-cooled apparatus by operation with a refrigerant at a temperature less than said first temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A cooling system operable to reduce the temperature of a working coolant fluid of a cooling apparatus below a normal operating temperature, which working-coolant fluid is communicable to at least one coolant-cooled apparatus, said system comprising:
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means for compressing having an inlet port and a discharge port, said compressing means operable to receive a first working fluid at a first vapor pressure and compress said first working fluid at said first vapor pressure to a second and higher vapor pressure at said discharge port; means for condensing said first working fluid having a condenser entry port and a condenser exit port, which condensing means may be one of an air-cooled condenser and an evaporative condenser; means for connecting, said compressing means discharge port and said condensing means coupled by said connecting means to communicate said first working fluid at said second vapor pressure to said condensing means; means for thermal storage having an exit port, an entry port and a second working fluid therein, said second fluid being a phase-change fluid at a first and reference temperature, which second fluid at a thermal storage condition is at a second temperature lower than said reference temperature; a first fluid circuit in said thermal storage means coupled to said means for condensing exit port by said connecting means and selectively operable to circulate said first working fluid from said condensing means to cool and freeze at least a portion of said second working fluid from said reference first temperature to said second and lower temperature; an auxiliary condenser having a first internal-fluid circuit with an inlet port and an output port, and a second internal-fluid circuit with an inlet port and an output port, one of said first and second internal-fluid circuits coupled between said means for condensing and said means for compressing in one of a parallel and series arrangement, the other of said first and second internal-fluid circuits coupled by said connecting means to said thermal storage means entry port and said other internal-fluid output port, and said thermal storage exit port and said other internal-fluid inlet port, and operable to circulate said second working fluid at said second temperature through said auxiliary condenser to reduce the temperature of said first working fluid in said one internal-fluid circuit; said connecting means coupling said auxiliary condenser and said condensing means to said coolant-cooled apparatus, a liquid receiver connected in parallel with said conducting means upstream of said coolant-cooled operator and operable to receive first working fluid from said condensing means at a normal working temperature and from said auxiliary condenser at a third and reduced temperature less than said normal working temperature, which reduced temperature working fluid is operable to expand the operating range of said coolant-cooled operator beyond a rated capacity with an extant cooling apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A cooling system couplable to at least one refrigerant-cooled apparatus to reduce the refrigerant temperature for expansion of the apparatus operating range and reduction of power consumption at an equivalent apparatus cooling capacity, said cooling system comprising:
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means for compressing a refrigerant, said compressing means having an input port and a discharge port, and operable to receive a refrigerant vapor at a first and low pressure for compression to a second and higher pressure; means for connecting; first means for condensing a refrigerant having an entry passage and an exit passage, said entry passage coupled to said compressing means discharge port by said connecting means for communication of said compressed refrigerant at a higher pressure to said condensing means for refrigerant condensation and communication to said apparatus at a working temperature; means for thermal storage having a housing, a phase change material at an ambient temperature and means for receiving said refrigerant in said housing, said receiving means coupled between said condensing means exit passage and said compressing means input port by said connecting means to receive said refrigerant to freeze at least a portion of phase change material in said housing and reduce said phase-change material temperature at a second temperature less than said ambient temperature; means for pumping said phase-change material; said refrigerant-cooled apparatus having a refrigerant circuit; means for coupling having a first fluid circuit and a second fluid circuit, one of said first and second fluid circuits coupled to said refrigerant circuit by said connecting means and operable to circulate said refrigerant between said coupling means and said refrigerant circuit upstream of said refrigerant apparatus, the other of said first and second fluid circuits coupled to said thermal storage means by said connecting means and operable to circulate said phase-change material at said second temperature in said second fluid circuit; said pumping means coupled between said apparatus refrigerant circuit coupling means and said thermal-storage means housing to pump said phase change material at said second temperature to said coupling means for heat exchange and to reduce below said working temperature the temperature of said refrigerant in said refrigeration circuit for communication to said apparatus to expand its operating range - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification