Expansion valve control system and method for air conditioning apparatus

• US 8,887,518 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Mercer, Kevin B., Edens, John R., Douglas, Jonathan David
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Chen Wen
• Application Number:
  US12/895,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20120080179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 622/22, 622/24, 622/25, 621/57, 621/58, 622/10, 165/287
• US Class Current: 62/225
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2513 Expansion valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/34 with the valve member being actuated by electric means, e.g. by piezoelectric actuators
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/02 for compression type machines, plants or systems

Abstract

A method of reducing a cyclical loss coefficient of an HVAC system efficiency rating of an HVAC system includes operating the HVAC system using a recorded electronic expansion valve position of an electronic expansion valve of the HVAC system, discontinuing operation of the HVAC system, and resuming operation of the HVAC system using an electronic expansion valve position that allows greater refrigerant mass flow through the expansion valve as compared to the recorded electronic expansion valve position.

Claims

1. A method of reducing a cyclical loss coefficient of an HVAC system efficiency rating of an HVAC system, comprising:

operating the HVAC system and recording a recorded electronic expansion valve position of an electronic expansion valve of the HVAC system;

discontinuing operation of the HVAC system;

resuming operation of the HVAC system using an electronic expansion valve position that allows greater refrigerant mass flow through the expansion valve as compared to the recorded electronic expansion valve position;

after resuming operation of the HVAC system and prior to any later discontinuation of operation of the HVAC system, operating the HVAC system according to an open-loop profile of electronic expansion valve positions during a first phase of control, wherein each of a measured refrigerant gas temperature and a measured evaporator temperature are disregarded during the first phase of control;

after operating the HVAC system during the first phase of control and prior to any later discontinuation of operation of the HVAC system, operating the HVAC system during a second phase of control during which the HVAC system is controlled as a combination of (1) the open-loop profile of electronic expansion valve positions and (2) an evaporator temperature based control function as a function of the measured evaporator temperature, wherein the measured refrigerant gas temperature is disregarded during the second phase of control; and

after operating the HVAC system during the second phase of control and prior to any later discontinuation of operation of the HVAC system, operating the HVAC system during a third phase of control during which the HVAC system is controlled as a combination of at least (1) the evaporator temperature based control function and (2) a superheat based control function as a function of the measured evaporator temperature and the measured refrigerant gas temperature.

2. The method of claim 1, the operating the HVAC system using the electronic expansion valve position that allows greater refrigerant mass flow through the expansion valve comprising:

at least partially flooding a compressor of the HVAC system.

3. The method of claim 2, the flooding occurring for about five minutes or less.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

operating the HVAC system at a recorded evaporator temperature while operating the HVAC system using a recorded electronic expansion valve position of an electronic expansion valve of the HVAC system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

after resuming operation of the HVAC system using an electronic expansion valve position that allows greater refrigerant mass flow through the expansion valve as compared to the recorded electronic expansion valve position, operating the electronic expansion valve in response to the measured evaporator temperature measured after resuming operation of the HVAC system.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

while operating the electronic expansion valve according to the measured evaporator temperature, operating the electronic expansion valve in response to the measured superheat measured after resuming operation of the HVAC system.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

after operating the electronic expansion valve according to the measured evaporator temperature, operating the electronic expansion valve in response to a measured superheat measured after resuming operation of the HVAC system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic expansion valve position that allows greater refrigerant mass flow through the expansion valve as compared to the recorded electronic expansion valve position is a position of up to about 500% of the recorded electronic expansion valve position.