Cooling System with Integrated Condenser and Expansion Valve

Abstract

The present invention concerns a cooling system with an integrated condenser, the cooling system containing at least one compressor which via a pressure outlet may conduct a first coolant through a line to at least one condenser, from where the first coolant flows through at least one expansion valve to at least one evaporator, from where the first coolant is sucked back to the compressor via the suction line of the compressor, where the condenser and the evaporator may both be constructed as closed containers, the containers each containing at least one heat exchanger, where a second coolant flows through the heat exchanger of the evaporator, and where a cooling medium flows through the heat exchanger of the condenser, the cooling medium exchanging heat with the surroundings. It is the object of the invention to indicate an efficient and compact cooling system that forms an assembled unit containing all cooling functions in order to interact with a cooling installation. The container containing the heat exchanger of the condenser may also contain means for oil separation, and the container may interact with an expansion valve. Hereby may be achieved that largely all cooling functions occurring at the same pressure level are integrated in a common pressure vessel. This may be enabled by two different pressure vessels, so that a vessel having about the pressure level existing on the pressure outlet of the compressor includes condensing, oil separation and expansion valve as well. On the evaporator side where the pressure in the container is about equal to the suction pressure of the compressor, there may thus occur integration of an efficient flooded evaporator and a liquid separator.

1 . A cooling system containing at least one compressor which via a pressure outlet conducts a first coolant through a line to at least one condenser from where the first coolant flows through at least one expansion valve to at least one evaporator, from where the first coolant is sucked back to the compressor via the suction line of the compressor, where the condenser and the evaporator are both constructed as separate closed containers, where the container containing the condenser also contains means for oil separation, and where the container interacts with at least one expansion valve, the containers each containing at least one heat exchanger, where a second coolant flows through the heat exchanger of the evaporator, and where a cooling medium flows through the heat exchanger of the condenser, the cooling medium exchanging heat with the surroundings, wherein the heat exchangers of the evaporator as well as the condenser have substantially vertical channels in which coolant flows through. 
   
   
       2 . A cooling system according to  claim 1 , wherein fluid coolant flows through the heat exchanger in the evaporator, the coolant being heated to the boiling point by contact with the heat exchanger, whereby coolant in gaseous state flows upwards through the channels where coolant gas flows through the corresponding channels in the heat exchanger of the condenser from above, the coolant gas forming droplets by condensing, where the droplets are collected by an underlying collecting tray. 
   
   
       3 . Integrated condenser, where the condenser is provided in a closed container which is formed with an inlet and an outlet for coolant, where the container contains a heat exchanger designed with an inlet and an outlet for a cooling medium, where a cooling medium flows through the heat exchanger and is cooled outside the closed container, wherein the integrated condenser contains a collecting tray which substantially surrounds the lowermost part of the heat exchanger, where the collecting tray contains a volume for collecting fluid coolant, where the integrated condenser contains an oil separator, and where the integrated condenser interacts with an expansion valve. 
   
   
       4 . Integrated condenser according to  claim 3 , wherein the heat exchanger of the condenser interacts with an underlying collecting tray, where the collecting tray forms a collecting volume for fluid coolant. 
   
   
       5 . Integrated condenser according to  claim 4 , wherein the collecting volume of the collecting tray contains at least one float, where the float interacts with at least one expansion valve, where the degree of opening of the expansion valve is regulated by the position of the float. 
   
   
       6 . Integrated condenser according to  claim 5 , wherein the collecting volume of the collecting tray includes at least one level sensing device for determining the actual coolant level in the collecting volume, where the output signal of the level sensing device is used for regulating the degree of opening of at least one expansion valve. 
   
   
       7 . Integrated condenser according to  claim 6 , wherein the collecting tray at its upper edge interacts with an oil separator having coolant in gaseous state flowing through it, where separated oil is conducted to along the inner side of the container, where the bottom of the container is used for collecting oil from where the collected oil is returned to the compressor. 
   
   
       8 . Integrated condenser according to  claim 7 , wherein hot coolant in the gaseous state is conducted into the container at the outer side of the collecting tray, the hot coolant gas flowing around the collecting tray and passing up along the inclining sides of the collecting tray and further up through the oil separator to the top side of the heat exchanger, from where the coolant gas flows through substantially vertical conducting channels formed in the heat exchanger, down through the heat exchanger, whereby the coolant gas is condensed into fluid coolant which is collected in the collecting volume of the collecting tray.