Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~ACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ~
1. Field of Invention . .:~-
The present invention relates to a water con- :
densate recovery device for use in a refrigeration system
to utilize condensate water to further cool the refrigerant
fluid in the system, to evaporate the condensate water
and in the process conserve energy by reducing the energy
consumption of the compressor,
2. Description of Prior Art
Refrigeration systems are known where conden-
sate water is disposed of by either drainage of the water
into a collector pan or other means, or either by evapor-
ation. -~ `
This invention relates to a device which will
1~ evaporate condensate water but in the process utilizes
the condensate water in conjunction with other parts of
the refrigeration system to cool the regrigerant fluid : .
at the output of the compressor and achieve a conserva-
tion of energy in the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a feature of the system of this .
invention to provide a water condensate recovery device
for use in a refrigeration system whereby to use the
condensate water to cool the refrigerant fluid from a
2~ compressor and simultaneously cause evaporation of the
water,
A further feature of the invention is to provide ~ :~
additional cooling of the refrigerant fluid in the recovery
device by immersing a refrigerant fluid line, from a
cooling condensor of the system9 into the device in con-
tact with condensate water therein.
A still further feature of the invention is to
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provide a novel method of disposing of condensate water
in a refrigeration system and cooling refrigerant fluid
from a compressor in such system thereby lowering the
energy used by the compressor by lowering the pressure
and temperature of the refrigerant gas at the outlet of
the compressor.
A still further feature of the-invention is
-to provide a water recovery device which is compact,
economical to construct and easily adaptable to refrigeration
systems.
According to the above features, from a broad
aspect, the present invention provides a water condensate
recovery device for use in a refrigeration syste~. The
device comprises a condensate housing for receiving conden-
sate water therein. The housing has a bottom wall, topwall and side walls. A heat transfer conduit is provided
in the condensate housing through which refrigerant fluid
from a compressor flows for cooling therein by the conden-
sate water. Aperture means is provided in the condensate
housing to permit escape of vapor caused by evaporation of
condensate water therein during heat transfer between the
refrigerant fluid in the heat transfer conduit and the
condensate water by evaporation and simultaneously reduces
the discharge pressure of the compressor by cooling the
refrigerant fluid from the compressor. A refrigerant fluid
line, from a refrigerant cooling condenser, is disposed for
contact with the condensate water of the condensate housing
to provide cooling of the refrigerant fluid from the
condenser.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention
will now be described with reference to the example
thereof illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which~
FIGURE 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a con-
ventional refrigeration system utilizing the water
condensate recovery device of the present invention; and -
FIGURE 2 is a perspective fragmented view showing
the construction of the water condensate recovery device.
DE~CRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and more particu-
larly to Figure 1, there is shown a conventional
refrigeration system consisting of a compressor device 10
feeding a refrigerant fluid which is present in the input
feed line 11 to a cooling conderser 12. Usually, in a
conventional refrigeration system, the output feed line 13
of the compressor 10 is fed directly to the input feed
line 14 of the condenser 12. However, the water-condensate
recovery device 15 of the present invention is connected ;~
in the circuit at this juncture between the compressor 10
and the condenser 12 to cool the refrigerant fluid at the
output of the compressor 10 to thereby lower the temperature
thereof and consequently achieve a drop in pressure causin~g
the compressor to consume less current.
Conventionally, the output feed line 16 of the
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condenser 12 is usually fed to the intake line 17 of a
receiver 18. The discharge line 19 of the receiver 18 is
connected to an expansion valve 20 (or similar capillary
device) associated with an evaporator 21 to achieve the
cooling effect of the refrigerant liquid as it evaporates.
A sensor device 20' is connected to the valve 20 and senses
the temperature at the output line 11 for controlled
operation. The output feed line 11 of the evaporator
feeds the compressor 10 which in turn feeds the condensor
to complete the cycle. The evaporator 21 is provided with
a condensate recovery trap 22 provided with a drain line
23 through which condensate water flows for the disposal
thereof. This refrigeration system arrangement achieves
the thermodynamic cycle of the refrigerant to obtain cooling
of air or liquids.
Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown the
construction of the water condensate recovery device 15 of
this invention and it comprises a condensate compartment 25
constituted by a housing having side walls 26, a bottom wall
27 and a top wall 28. Aperture means in the form of one or
more holes or apertures 29 are provided in one of the side
walls or top wall, here in the top wall 28, to permit escape
of vapour from within the condensate compartment 25.
A heat transfer conduit 30 is provided with a
coiled section 31, having a plurality of convolutions
disposed within the condensate compartment 25 in the
lower part thereof whereby it will be immersed in conden-
sate water flowing thereinto through the drain line inlet
connection 32. The side walls 26 are provided with over-
flow apertures 33 to direct condensate water from withinthe condensate compartment into an outer trough 34
completely surrounding the side walls 26 of the compart-
ment 25 and formed integral with the bottom wall 27 of
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0~8334
the condensate compartmént 25, thus constituting a channel
completely surrounding the side walls 26. This channel
acts as a reservoir to provide further cooling.
The output feed line 16 of the condenser 12 -
contains cooled refrigerant fluid, now in liquid state
as the gas refrigerant ~éd at the inlet feed line is
cooled down, and this line is disposed along a suitable
path 16' in the trough 3L~ surrounding the side walls 26
whereby the cooled refrigerant therein is further
cooled by the condensate water within the compartment 25.
As shown, the path 16' of the output feed line 16 extends
along a major portion of the trough 34 where condensate
water is supplied from the compartment 25 via the apertures
33. This provides further cooling of the refrigerant
thereby ! to provide better cooling of the refrigerant fluid
in the line 16 before feeding it to the evaporator device
20. The further cooling of the refrigerant fluid in the
conduit 30, at the output of the compPessor which is in a
gaseous state, permits lowering of the discharge pressure
of ~he compressor thereby resulting in a reduction in the
current consumption of the compressor. As the refrigerant
fluid is cooled in the coiled section 31 of the transfer
conduit 30 there is heat exchange between the hot re~rige-
rant fluid in the coil section-~l and the condensate water
causing evaporation of condensate water. Thus, the conden-
sate reeovery device 15 also constitutes an island evapora-
tor device for the refrigeration-system whereby the
condensate water is disposed of.
Referring again to Figure l, it can thus be
seen that the condensate water recovery device 15 of the
present invention, when ut1llzed in a refrigeration
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system such as the conventional one shown in this
Fi`gure, achieves a dual purpose and namely of further
cooling the condensate fluid at the output of the com-
pressor 10, before feeding it to the condenser 12, whereby
to reduce the energy requirement of the system and
further, in the process of cooling the refrigeration
fluid, utilizes such refrigerant fluid to cause evaporation
of condensate water recovered from the evaporator 21
without the use of special evaporator devices driven by
other means, Therefore, the condensate recovery device
15 provides a method of disposing condensate water in a
refrigeration system and simultaneously cooling discharged
refrigerant fluid from the compressor of that system,
The construction of the water condensate re-
covery device 15 further provides additional cooling o~
the refrigerant fluid by directing the refrigerant fluid
from the cooling condenser 12 in the system through a
further conduit section 16' which passes through the
condensate compartment 25 and a trough 34 disposed there-
about,
It is within the ambit of the present invention
to provide various modifications of the condensate water
recovery device provided such modifications fall within
the scope of the attached claims, For example, the con-
densate compartment may be an open-ended tube with the
coil section 31 disposed in the tube, Also, the conden-
sate water would be fed into the tube, Further, the ~ -coil section 31 may be welded to the side walls 26 of
the compartment 25 for better heat transfer or disposed
otherwise within the compartment,
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