CORE-IN-SHELL HEAT EXCHANGERS FOR MULTISTAGE COMPRESSORS

• Main Authors: LOW, WILLIAM RAYMOND, CAMPBELL, KENNETH C
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.10.2007
• Subjects: BLASTING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OFGENERAL APPLICATION; HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; HEATING; LIGHTING; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES; LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT; REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; WEAPONS

IN MULTISTAGE REFRIGERATION COMPRESSION, WHERE LIQUID REFRIGERANT WITHDRAW FROM A CORE-IN-SHELL TYPE HEAT EXCHANGER (40) CONNECTED TO A HIGH COMPRESSION STAGE IS PASSED TO A SIMILAR EXCHANGER (100) CONNECTED TO A LOWER COMPRESSION STAGE, LIQUID LEVEL STABILITY IN THE HIGHER COMPRESSION STAGE EXCHANGER (40) IS IMPROVED BY PROVIDING AN ENLARGED SURGE VOLUME. A BAFFLE PLATE (50) TRANSVERSING A LOWER PORTION OF THE SHELL DIVIDES THE SHELL INTO A COOLING ZONE THAT CONTAINS THE CORES (42, 44 & 46), AND A DISCHARGE ZONE (56) THAT IS PART OF THE SURGE VOLUME. THE HEIGHT OF THE BAFFLE (50) IS SELECTED TO FACILITATE MAINTENANCE OF AT LEAST A MINIMUM FUNCTIONAL LIQUID LEVEL (52) IN THE SHELL. LIQUID REFRIGERANT WITHDRAW FROM THE DISCHARGE ZONE(56) OF THE HIGHSTAGE SHELL (40) IS SUPPLIED TO THE COOLING ZONE OF A SHELL (100) CONNECTED TO A LOWER COMPRESSION STAGE. THE LIQUID LEVEL IN THE SHELL (40) IS MAINTAINED BY MANIPULATING FLOW TO LIQUID REFRIGERANT THAT IS FLASHED INTO THE COOLING ZONE OF THE HIGHER COMPRESSION STAGE SHELL (40). A REFRIGERANT COMPRESSOR MAY EMPLOY TWO OR MORE COMPRESSION STAGES, WHERE THE HIGHER STAGE SHELLS ARE TYPICALLY MUCH SMALLER THAN THE LOWER STAGE SHELLS, AND THE DESCRIBED SCHEME PREVENT MAJOR LIQUID LEVEL UPSETS IN THE SHELL OF A HIGHER STAGE RESULTING FROM MINOR LIQUID LEVEL UPSETS IN THE LOWER STAGE SHELLS. ( FIG 1 )