Refrigerated merchandiser with modular evaporator coils and EEPR control
First Claim
1. An air cooling system in a commercial refrigerated merchandiser having an insulated cabinet with a product area having at least two horizontally adjacent side-by-side product zones for the display and marketing of food products, said system comprising:
- modular evaporator means having at least two separate coil sections of preselected length and heat exchange capability, said coil sections being horizontally disposed with their adjacent ends in spaced apart, end-to-end orientation relative to each other in said cabinet;
liquid refrigerant metering means for controlling the inlet flow of liquid refrigerant on the high side of said modular evaporator means;
said plural coil sections of said modular evaporator means being constructed and arranged in parallel refrigerant flow relationship with each other to receive liquid refrigerant from said liquid refrigerant metering means, and all of said coil sections having an operative cooling mode at the same time and an inoperative defrost mode at the same time; and
separate air moving means associated with the respective coil sections for circulating separate air flows through said coil sections and being constructed and arranged with air flow passageways in said cabinet for discharging the air flows in side-by-side relationship to the horizontally adjacent side-by-side product zones for cooling.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An air cooling and control system for a refrigerated food merchandiser having an insulated cabinet with a product are having adjacent product zones, plural modular evaporator coil sections of substantially equal heat exchange potential and being of predetermined length and arranged in horizontal, spaced, end-to-end predetermined disposition and separate air moving means associated with each coil section and a corresponding product zone for circulating separate air flows through the coil sections and to the product area for cooling. The system further includes a first refrigerant metering valve for controlling liquid refrigerant flow on the high side of the evaporator sections, and a second refrigerant metering valve for controlling suction pressure and refrigerant vapor flow on the low side of the evaporator sections. An electronic control senses exit air temperatures downstream of the evaporator sections and operates the second metering valve in response thereto. In another aspect, a method of operating an electronic evaporator pressure regulating (EEPR) valve during the refrigeration and defrost modes of the controlled evaporator and in response to sensed air temperatures.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. An air cooling system in a commercial refrigerated merchandiser having an insulated cabinet with a product area having at least two horizontally adjacent side-by-side product zones for the display and marketing of food products, said system comprising:
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modular evaporator means having at least two separate coil sections of preselected length and heat exchange capability, said coil sections being horizontally disposed with their adjacent ends in spaced apart, end-to-end orientation relative to each other in said cabinet; liquid refrigerant metering means for controlling the inlet flow of liquid refrigerant on the high side of said modular evaporator means; said plural coil sections of said modular evaporator means being constructed and arranged in parallel refrigerant flow relationship with each other to receive liquid refrigerant from said liquid refrigerant metering means, and all of said coil sections having an operative cooling mode at the same time and an inoperative defrost mode at the same time; and separate air moving means associated with the respective coil sections for circulating separate air flows through said coil sections and being constructed and arranged with air flow passageways in said cabinet for discharging the air flows in side-by-side relationship to the horizontally adjacent side-by-side product zones for cooling. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An air cooling system in a commercial refrigerated merchandiser having an insulated cabinet with a product area having horizontally adjacent product zones for the display and marketing of food products, said system comprising:
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modular evaporator means having a plurality of separate coil sections of substantially equal size and heat exchange capability, said plural coil sections having a preselected length and being horizontally disposed in spaced apart, end-to-end orientation relative to each other in said cabinet; liquid refrigerant metering means for controlling the inlet flow of liquid refrigerant on the high side of said modular evaporator means; said plural coil sections of said modular evaporator means being constructed and arranged in parallel refrigerant flow relationship with each other and in series flow relationship with said liquid refrigerant metering means, and all of said coil sections having an operative cooling mode at the same time and an inoperative defrost mode at the same time; and separate air moving means associated with the respective coil sections for circulating separate air flows through said coil sections and discharging the air flows to the adjacent product zones for cooling. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An air cooling system in a commercial refrigerated merchandiser having an insulated cabinet with a product zone, comprising:
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evaporator means having a refrigeration mode and being constructed and arranged for cooling air within the cabinet to achieve a preselected exit air temperature down stream thereof, liquid refrigerant metering means for controlling the flow of liquid refrigerant to the high side of said evaporator means, means for circulating air flow through said evaporator means and said product zone; and other refrigerant metering means constructed and arranged on the low side of said evaporator means for controlling the suction pressure thereof, said other metering means comprising evaporator pressure regulating (EEPR) valve means for modulating the refrigerant vapor flow from said evaporator means, and means for sensing exit air temperatures downstream of said evaporator means, and controller means responsive to said sensing means for operating said EEPR valve means in the refrigeration mode and in a defrost mode. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. The method of controlling the exit air temperature from the evaporator coil in a commercial refrigerated merchandiser for food products, in which the evaporator coil has a refrigeration mode and a defrost mode and the suction side of the evaporator coil has an electronic evaporator pressure regulator (EEPR) valve operated by a valve controller circuit, said control method comprising the steps of:
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(a) sensing the exit air temperature from the evaporator coil and generating a signal corresponding thereto; (b) operating the EEPR valve in the refrigeration mode of the evaporator coil by modulating refrigerant vapor flow therethrough to maintain a preselected exit air temperature; (c) operating the EEPR valve in the defrost mode of the evaporator coil, (1) by first closing the EEPR valve during a preselected de-icing period of said evaporator coil until reaching a predetermined drip temperature, and (2) then activating the valve controller circuit in response to detection of exit air temperatures exceeding a preselected value during a final drip period to provide limited refrigeration to maintain the preselected temperature during the remainder of the defrost mode. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An air cooling system for a commercial refrigerated merchandiser having an insulated cabinet with a product area having at least two horizontally adjacent product zones for the display and marketing of food products, said system comprising:
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modular evaporator means having at least two separate coil sections of predetermined size and heat exchange capability, said coil sections being horizontally disposed with their adjacent ends in spaced apart orientation with each other and each coil section being operatively associated with one of the product zones for the refrigeration thereof; first refrigerant metering means for controlling the inlet flow of liquid refrigerant to the high side of said modular evaporator means; said plural coil sections of said modular evaporator means being constructed and arranged in parallel refrigerant flow relationship with each other to receive liquid refrigerant from said liquid refrigerant metering means, and all of said coil sections having an operative cooling mode at the same time and an inoperative defrost mode at the same time; and separate air moving means associated with the respective coil sections for circulating separate air flows through said coil sections and being constructed and arranged with separate air flow passageways in said cabinet for discharging the air flows to the horizontally adjacent product zones for cooling. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. In combination with a commercial refrigerated merchandiser having an insulated cabinet with a product area having at least two horizontally adjacent product zones of predetermined length for the display and marketing of food products, a refrigeration system comprising:
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modular air cooling and circulating means having at least two separate evaporator coil sections of predetermined heat exchange capability, each coil section having elongated coil tubing of preselected length corresponding substantially to the length of an associated one of said product zones, and further having separate air moving means for the circulation of refrigerating air flow across each of the respective coil sections; liquid refrigerant metering means for controlling the inlet flow of liquid refrigerant to the high side of said coil sections; said coil sections of said modular air cooling means being constructed and arranged in parallel refrigerant flow relationship with each other to receive liquid refrigerant from said liquid refrigerant metering means, and all of said coil sections having an operative cooling mode at the same time and an inoperative defrost mode at the same time; and said modular air cooling and circulating means being constructed and arranged in said insulated cabinet with each coil section and its air moving means being in operative relationship with its associated product zone for the circulation of separate air flows through the coil sections and the discharge of such air flows separately to the adjacent product zones for cooling. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification