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Heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatusRelated Patent Categories: Chemical Apparatus And Process Disinfecting, Deodorizing, Preserving, Or Sterilizing, Chemical Reactor, Including Heat Exchanger For Reaction Chamber Or Reactants Located ThereinHeat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070104626, Heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus, and, more particularly, to a heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus which performs temperature control of a low-temperature reactor which is used in a chemical reaction process or the like. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] A chemical reaction process, such as organic synthesis or crystallization, requires high-precision temperature control. The chemical reaction process therefore uses a double-structure container having an independent jacket which permits communication of a heat transfer medium with outside a reactor. As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-37623, for example, the interior of the reactor is indirectly kept in a predetermined low temperature state by providing a heat transfer medium feeder for recirculating a heat transfer medium cooled down to a predetermined temperature to the jacket side of the reactor. [0005] Such a heat transfer medium feeder generally has an expansion vessel provided in series to the heat-transfer-medium-suction side of the heat transfer medium pump to prevent bubbles from entering the heat transfer medium pump and absorb a change in volume originating from a change in temperature of heat transfer medium. To keep the suction pressure of the heat transfer medium pump constant, the expansion vessel is provided with pressure control means, such as a pressure control valve or a pressure reducing valve, which makes compressed gas enter the expansion vessel when the volume of the heat transfer medium decreases due to a reduction in temperature of heat transfer medium and drains the compressed gas from the expansion vessel when the volume of the heat transfer medium increases due to a rise in temperature of heat transfer medium. [0006] In cleaning the reactor, it is necessary to perform an operation of cyclically supplying a high-temperature heat transfer medium to the jacket to heat a detergent in the reactor. This requires provision of some means for feeding the heat transfer medium in addition to the heat transfer medium feeder. The heat-transfer-medium feeding means, if configured to drain the heat transfer medium from inside the jacket and feed the heat transfer medium thereto, makes the device configuration including pipings complex, and needs to switch the heat transfer medium and the heat transfer medium to be supplied to the jacket from one to the other, thereby making the process complex. [0007] As a solution to this problem, means for heating a heat transfer medium may be provided in the recirculation system of the heat transfer medium feeder, so that the heat transfer medium is heated to a predetermined temperature and recirculated to the jacket to heat the reactor. In the foregoing case where the expansion vessel is provided in series to the heat-transfer-medium-suction side of the pump, however, the heat transfer medium in the expansion vessel as well as the heat transfer medium in the pipings in the recirculation system and the jacket should be heated. This results in a huge energy cost required for heating and cooling. Because a large-scale system, in particular, uses a large expansion vessel, the response drops considerably, thus increasing the energy loss. [0008] Further, an increase in volume which originates from a rise in temperature of heat transfer medium and vaporization of the heat transfer medium may cause expensive heat transfer medium vapor to be discharged outside when the pressure control means is actuated to discharge the gas in the expansion vessel. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus capable of reducing the energy cost and effecting efficient heating and cooling of a reactor by minimizing the amount of a heat transfer medium (coolant) to be heated and cooled, thereby avoiding complication and enlargement of the configuration of the apparatus. [0010] To achieve the object, a heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus according to the present invention comprises a pump which pumps out a heat transfer medium; a cooling unit which cools the heat transfer medium discharged from the pump; a reactor whose temperature is controlled by the heat transfer medium output from the cooling unit; and a heating unit which heats the heat transfer medium output from the reactor, wherein a recirculation path for recirculating the heat transfer medium to the pump via the pump, the cooling unit, the reactor, and the heating unit, a reserve path being provided in a pump-suction-side path extending from the heating unit to the pump, and branching from the pump-suction-side path to connect to a liquid phase portion of an expansion vessel. [0011] In the heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus according to the invention, the reserve path may branch upward from the pump-suction-side path, or the expansion vessel may have a condenser communicating with a gas phase portion of the expansion vessel, and having a cooling unit which cools a heat transfer medium vapor for liquification thereof, a path for returning the heat transfer medium liquefied by cooling in the cooling unit, and a gas relief valve which discharges a gas from the gas phase portion of the condenser according to a pressure in the condenser. [0012] As the expansion vessel is so disposed as to branch from the recirculation path in the heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus of the invention, the heat transfer medium to be heated or cooled can be restricted to the heat transfer medium that recirculates in the recirculation path at the time of switching heating of the reactor to cooling, or vice versa, thus eliminating the need to heat or cool the heat transfer medium in the expansion vessel. This leads to a reduction in energy cost and an improved response and allows the reactor to be reliably heated or cooled to a predetermined temperature. [0013] As the reserve path which connects to the expansion vessel is branched upward from the pump-suction-side path, bubbles present in the heat transfer medium flowing in the pump-suction-side path can be discharged to the expansion vessel efficiently, thus preventing the bubbles from entering the pump. Further, the provision of the condenser at the expansion vessel can prevent a heat transfer medium vapor in the expansion vessel from being discharged outside through the gas relief valve due to a pressure rise in the recirculation system. [0014] What is more, because a heat transfer medium can be heated and cooled by a single closed cycle system, the apparatus configuration is prevented from becoming complex or larger, thereby leading to reductions in equipment cost and running cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] The figure is a system diagram showing a heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0016] A heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus shown in the figure has a pump 11 which pumps out a heat transfer medium, a heat exchanger 12 or a cooling unit which cools down the heat transfer medium pumped out from the pump 11, a reactor 13 whose temperature is controlled by the heat transfer medium output from the heat exchanger 12, a heating unit 14 which heats the heat transfer medium output from the reactor 13, and pipings which connect those components. The pipings form a recirculation path 15 of a closed cycle which recirculates a heat transfer medium to the pump 11 via the pump 11, the heat exchanger 12, the reactor 13 and the heating unit 14. [0017] The heat exchanger 12 cools the recirculating heat transfer medium to a predetermined temperature by indirectly exchanging heat with a low-temperature fluid, such as a low-temperature liquefied gas, which is supplied to the heat exchanger 12 from a low-temperature fluid inlet path 16 and discharged to a discharge gas path 17. The heating unit 14 heats the recirculating heat transfer medium to a predetermined temperature with a heater 14a. [0018] The reactor 13 has a jacket 13b provided on the outer surface of a reaction container 13a. The heat transfer medium flows through the jacket 13b. The temperature of the heat transfer medium to be supplied to the jacket 13b is adjusted by controlling the opening/closing of a flow regulator 20 provided in the low-temperature fluid inlet path 16 and the performance of the heater 14a using a temperature indicator and controller (TIC) 19 provided in an inlet-side path 18 of the jacket 13b. [0019] A reserve path 23 which branches upward from a pump-suction-side path 21 and connects to a liquid phase portion 22a of an expansion vessel 22, is provided in the pump-suction-side path 21 extending from the heating unit 14 to the pump 11. The expansion vessel 22 is provided branching from the recirculation path 15 via the reserve path 23, and, unlike the conventional type, is separated from the recirculation flow of the heat transfer medium, not in series to the recirculation flow from the viewpoint of flow. The expansion vessel 22 is configured so that the expansion vessel 22 and the recirculation path 15 exchange the heat transfer medium according to a change in the volume of the heat transfer medium flowing in the recirculation path 15, and the recirculation path 15 is set in a liquid sealing state to inhibit a gas from entering the recirculation path 15 from the expansion vessel 22. [0020] A gas phase portion 22b of the expansion vessel 22 is connected with a gas inlet valve 24, which is actuated according to the pressure in the expansion vessel 22, and a condenser 25. The condenser 25 is provided with a gas relief valve 26 which is actuated according to the pressure in the condenser 25. Continue reading about Heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus... Full patent description for Heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Heat-transfer-medium heating and cooling apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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