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Multi-part heat exchanger

Multi-part heat exchanger description/claims

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of earlier filed Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/663,917 filed Mar. 18, 2005. Further, copending application docket 05-258-WO, entitled HIGH SIDE PRESSURE REGULATION FOR TRANSCRITICAL VAPOR COMPRESSION SYSTEM and filed on even date herewith, and the aforesaid Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/663,917, disclose prior art and inventive cooler systems. The disclosure of said applications is incorporated by reference herein as if set forth at length.

The invention relates to vapor compression systems and, more particularly, to a heat exchanger configuration for such a system.

In many vapor compression systems, the heat exchanger placement is very much constrained by space. For these applications, the efficiency of the system is often low in comparison to a system with a properly sized heat exchanger due to the large temperature difference between the air and the refrigerant in the heat exchangers.

The need exists for more efficient heat exchange despite space requirements of the system, and it is an object of the invention to provide such a system.

Other objects and advantages will appear herein below.

According to the present invention, the foregoing objects and advantages have been attained.

According to the invention, a refrigeration system is provided which includes a compressor for driving a refrigerant along a flow path in at least a first mode of system operation; a first heat exchanger along the flow path downstream of the compressor in the first mode; a second heat exchanger along the flow path upstream of the compressor in the first mode; and an expansion device in the flow path downstream of the first heat exchanger and upstream of the second heat exchanger in the first mode, wherein the first heat exchanger comprises a plurality of heat exchanger components arranged along a flow path of heat exchange fluid for the first heat exchanger. The heat exchanger components can be positioned in smaller available areas within the unit and thereby use space more efficiently. Further, flow to these heat exchange components can be routed so as to provide counter flow of the heat exchange fluid, for example air, with the refrigerant. In addition, the system of the present invention can be at least partially if not entirely incorporated into a cassette which can be readily interchanged within the existing housing or case of a refrigerator unit to allow replacement of the cassette when needed without replacing the entire unit.

A detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention follows with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system having a multi-part heat exchanger according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a multi-part heat exchanger system according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 illustrates the refrigerant and air flow in a system according to the invention.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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