Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10488Q~
The present invention relates to heat reclaiming ap-
paratuses for use with refrigeration systems.
At the present time, it is common practice to discharge
the hot gas produced by the compressor of a refrigeration system
to an exterior condenser. However, such an arrangement has the
disadvantage that the heat of the hot gas discharged by the com-
pressor is wasted.
If the discharge of hot gas, instead of being supplied
to the exterior condenser, is directed to a heat reclaim con-
denser or the like for heating a space, then means are requiredfor discontinuing the flow of the hot gas to the heat reclaim
condenser when the temperature is the space reaches a predeter-
mined value.
However, in addition to means for diverting the flow
of hot gas to the outside condenser when the predetermined tem-
perature is reached in the space, it has been found in practice
that there is a need for an arrangement which will also allow a
portion of the gas flow to be directed to the exterior condenser,
while some of the hot gas flow is still directed to the reclaim
condenser, in order to enable the space to be heated even when
the rate of discharge of the hot gas from the compressor exceeds
that which can be absorbed by the reclaim condenser.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to
provide a novel and improved heat reclaiming apparatus for use
with a refrigeration system which enables all, or only a portion,
of a flow of hot gas discharged from a compressor to be reclaimed
for heating purposes.
According to the present invention, there is provided
use with a refrigeration system having a compressor and first and
second condensers, in which the secon~ condenser is a heat reclaim-
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1~488Q2
ing condenser, heat reclaiming apparatus comprising first conduit
means for receiving a flow of hot refrigerant gas from the com-
pressor, second and third conduit means connected between the
first conduit means and the condensers, respectively, first and
second valve means operable to discontinue the gas flow through
the second and third conduit means, respectively, temperature
sensing means responsive to a predetermined temperature for op-
erating the valve means to discontinue the gas flow through the
third conduit means and initiate the gas flow through the second
conduit means, bypass conduit means connecting the first and
second conduit means and bypassing the valve means, a bypass valve
means in the bypass conduit means and operable to control flow
of the gas through the bypass conduit means, and pressure sensi-
tive switch means for opening the said bypass valve means in
response to a predetermined pressure in the heat reclaiming
condenser.
When this apparatus, which is preferably constructed
as a prefabricated unit for ready installation in an existing -~
refrigeration system, is in use, hot gas discharged into the
first conduit means from a refrigerator compressor may be directed
through the third conduit means to a heat reclaiming condenser.
However, when the temperature sensing means detects that the
temperature of a space heated by the heat reclaiming condenser has
reached the predetermined temperature, the temperature sensing
means responds and causes actuation of the first and second valve
means to redirect the hot gas flow from the first conduit means
to the third conduit means, which may for example be connected to
an exterior condenser.
If, before the predetermined temperature is reached,
the flow of the hot gas through the third conduit means exceeds
that which can be absorbed by the heat reclaiming condenser,
the pressure sensitive switch means is actuated and thereby causes
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1~)488~Z
the bypass valve means to open, thus diverting a portion of the --
gas flow from the first conduit means to the second conduit means.
The valve means may be electrically or pneumatically
controlled. Preferably, each of the valve means comprises a
solenoid valve, the apparatus further comprising rélay means
connected between the temperature sensing means and said solenoid
valves for controlling the energization of the latter in response
to the former, the pressure sensitive switch means being connected
in parallel with the relay means between the temperature sensing
means and the bypass solenoid valve.
With this arrangement, the apparatu~ may further com-
prise a pair of power supply conductors, the relay having a
normally open pair of contacts in series with the temperature
sensing means and the second solenoid valve across said conductors
and a normally closed pair of contacts in series with the tem-
perature sensing means and the second solenoid valve across the
conductors, and the pressure sensitive switch means and the bypass
solenoid being connected in series with one another and in parallel
with the normally open contacts and the first solenoid valve.
The invention will be more readily understood from the
following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given, by
way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which
diagrammaticalIy illustrates a prefabricated heat reclaiming
assembly for connection to a refrigeration system.
The heat reclaiming assembly illustrated in the drawing
has first, second and third conduit means in the form, respective-
ly, of an inlet pipe 10, a first outlet pipe 11 and a second
outlet pipe 12, the outlet pipes 11 and 12 being connected to
the inlet pipe 10 as shown.
First and second solenoid valves Vl and V2 are pro-
1~488~2
vided in the outlet pipes 11 and 12, respectively, for controlling
flow therethrough.
Bypass conduit means are provided in the form of a
pipe 14 for bypassing the valve Vl, the pipe 14 being connected
between the inlet pipe 10 and the outlet pipe ll. A bypass
solenoid valve V3 is provided in the bypass pipe 14 and is con-
trolled by a pressure sensitive switch P.
A pair of power supply conductors 16 and 17 are pro-
vided for connection to a suitable source of electrical power,
the conductor 17 being connected to a stationary contact of a
thermostatically operated switch T, the movable contact of which
is connected to a conductor 18 which, as illustrated, is connected
through the solenoid S of a relay R to the conductor 16. The
supply conductor 17 is also connected to a movable contact of the
pressure sensitive switch P, which has its stationary contact
connected by a conductor 21 to one terminal of the solenoid of
the valve V3, the other terminal which is connected by a conductor :~
22 to the conductor 16.
The relay R has a pair of normally-open contacts Cl and
2~ a pair of normally-closed contacts C2.
One terminal of the solenoid of valve Vl is connected
in series with the normally-open contacts Cl to the conductor 17,
and one terminal of the solenoid of valve V2 is connected in
series with the normally-closed contacts C2 to the conductor 17,
the other terminals of these solenoids being connected to the
conductor 16. The pipes 10, 11 and 12, the valves Vl, V2 and V3,
the pressure sensitive switch P and the ~elay R are mounted as a
prefabricated assembly or unit on a mounting panel 24 during
manufacture of the apparatus, and these components are thus
readily transportable as a unit for convenient installation in
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1048802
and connection to an existing refrig~ration system.
When this unit is installed in the refrigeration system,
the inlet pipe 10 is connected to the outlet of a refrigerator
compressor (not shown) and the outlet pipes ll and 12 are con-
nected, respectively, to the inlets of an exterior condenser and
a heat reclaim condenser (not shown).
The heat reclaim condenser iB installed in a space,
e.g. a room, for heating the space, and the thermostatically
operated switch T is also arranged in the space and is arranged
to close, and thereby provide a connection between conductors 17
and 18, when the temperature in the space reaches a predetermined
value.
The pressure sensitive switch P is connected to the
heat reclaim condenser and is arranged to close when the pressure
in the heat reclaim condenser exceeds a predetermined value.
The operation of the above-described apparatus is as
follows:-
During normal operation of the apparatus, the thermo-
statically operated switch T is open and, since the relay solenoid
S is therefore de-energized, the contacts Cl remain open and the
contacts C2 remain closed. The solenoid of the valve V2 is
therefore energized through the contacts Cl and the valve V2 is
opened, to discharge heating fluid from the inlet pipe 10 to the
heat reclaim condenser for heating the space.
Meanwhile, the valve Vl remains closed and, since the
pressure in the heat reclaim condenser has not reached the pre-
determined value, the pressure sensitive switch P remains open,
thus de-energizing the bypass valve V3.
When the temperature in the space reaches a required
value, the thermostatically operated switch T closes, and thus
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10488~2
energizes the solenoid relay S. This closes the contacts Cl,
thus energizing and opening the valve Vl, and opens the contacts
C2, thus de-energizing and closing the valve V2. Consequently,
the flow from the inlet pipe 10 is diverted from the outlet pipe
12 to the outlet pipe 11 for discharge to the exterior condenser.
If, while the temperature sensitive switch T is open,
and thus the valve V2 is open to discharge the incoming fluid from
the inlet pipe 10 to the heat reclaim condenser, the latter
cannot absorb all of the heat supplied thereto, then the pressure
in the heat reclaim condenser rises until it reaches the pre-
determined value at which it causes the pressure sensitive switch
P to close.
The closure of the switch P energizes and thus opens
the bypass valve V3, which enables part of the incoming fluid
from the inlet pipe 10 to be diverted through the bypass pipe
14 to the outlet pipe 11 and thence to the exterior condenser.
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