Heat and mass exchanger liquid line subcooler

Abstract

An air conditioning system for circulating a refrigerant includes a condenser having a vapor inlet for condensing the refrigerant into a high-pressure liquid having a first predetermined temperature. A heat exchanger including an exhaust channel directs air therethrough. The heat exchanger further includes a refrigerant inlet in fluid communication with a refrigerant outlet for receiving a high-pressure liquid and for delivering the high-pressure liquid therethrough. Furthermore, a heat mass exchanger outputs wet working air having a second predetermined temperature. The heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the heat mass exchanger for receiving the working air having a temperature less than the high-pressure liquid. The working air flows through the exhaust channel and over the high-pressure liquid to transfer heat from the high-pressure liquid to the working air for reducing the temperature of the high-pressure liquid.

1 . An air conditioning system for circulating a refrigerant to thermally condition ambient air introduced into the air conditioning system comprising;
 a condenser including a liquid outlet and a vapor inlet for receiving the refrigerant to condense the refrigerant into a high-pressure liquid having a first predetermined temperature,   a heat exchanger having an exhaust air inlet and an exhaust air outlet and an exhaust channel extending from said exhaust air inlet to said exhaust air outlet for directing air therethrough,   said heat exchanger having a refrigerant inlet in fluid communication with a refrigerant outlet for receiving the high-pressure liquid and for delivering the high-pressure liquid therethrough,   a heat mass exchanger having a plurality ambient air inlets for receiving ambient air and a plurality of working air outlets for outputting wet working air having a second predetermined temperature and a plurality of air channels for conveying air from said ambient air inlets to said working air outlets,   said heat exchanger in fluid communication with said heat mass exchanger for receiving the working air having a temperature less than the high-pressure liquid from said condenser and flowing the working air through said exhaust channel and over the high-pressure liquid to transfer heat from the high-pressure liquid to the working air for reducing the temperature of the high-pressure liquid.   
   
   
       2 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said exhaust air inlet of said heat exchanger is disposed against said heat mass exchanger and in fluid communication with said working air outlets. 
   
   
       3 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said heat mass exchanger includes walls having apertures and being spaced and parallel from each other and extending from said ambient air inlets to said working air outlets and being enclosed by a top and a base to define said plurality of air channels for splitting said ambient air into said wet working air. 
   
   
       4 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said air channels include alternating dry channels extending from one of said ambient air inlets and being closed at the rear ends for flowing dry air therethrough and including wet channels disposed between said dry channels and being closed at the front ends and extending to one of said working air outlets for flowing wet air therethrough. 
   
   
       5 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 4  further comprising a first plurality of said dry channels having said apertures in said walls thereof for conveying air out of a corresponding said dry channel and into at least one adjacent wet channel to cool the air in said adjacent dry channel. 
   
   
       6 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 5  further comprising a second plurality of said dry channels alternating with said first plurality of dry channels and disposed between two of said wet channels and having a plurality of product air outlets in said tops thereof for conveying pre-cooled product air from said second plurality of alternating dry channels. 
   
   
       7 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 6  further comprising a wicking material lining each of said wet channels for retaining a liquid to be evaporated in response to airflow conveyed by said apertures in said walls of said dry channels for extracting heat from said adjacent dry channels to generate the dry air in said adjacent dry channels. 
   
   
       8 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 7  further comprising a reservoir for collecting liquid and for supplying liquid to said wicking material of each of said wet air channels to wet said wicking material. 
   
   
       9 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising a compressor including a high pressure outlet in fluid communication with said liquid-vapor inlet of said condenser and a low pressure inlet for receiving the refrigerant being in a low-pressure heated vapor state and for compressing the refrigerant from a low-pressure heated vapor into a high-pressure superheated vapor. 
   
   
       10 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 9  further comprising a valve including a valve inlet having an inlet diameter and being in fluid communication with said refrigerant outlet of said heat exchanger for receiving the high-pressure liquid and including a valve outlet having an outlet diameter greater than said inlet diameter for decreasing the pressure of the high-pressure liquid to transform the refrigerant from the high-pressure liquid into a cool low-pressure mixed liquid-vapor in response to the high-pressure liquid flowing from said valve inlet to said valve outlet. 
   
   
       11 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 10  further comprising an evaporator including a liquid-vapor inlet for receiving the mixed liquid-vapor and a low-pressure outlet for outputting the low-pressure heated vapor and including a refrigerant channel extending between said liquid-vapor inlet and said low-pressure outlet for delivering the mixed liquid-vapor therethrough. 
   
   
       12 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 11  wherein said evaporator includes a conditioned air outlet and a product air inlet in fluid communication with said product air outlets of said heat mass exchanger for receiving the pre-cooled product air from said heat mass exchanger air having a temperature greater than the temperature of the mixed liquid-vapor. 
   
   
       13 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 12  including an air pathway extending perpendicular to said refrigerant channel from said product air inlet to said conditioned air outlet for flowing the pre-cooled air over the mixed liquid-vapor for transferring heat from the pre-cooled air to the mixed liquid-vapor to generate cool conditioned air having a temperature less than the temperature of the pre-cooled air thereby generating condensate in response to the pre-cooled air flowing over the mixed liquid-vapor. 
   
   
       14 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 12  wherein said evaporator includes a drain disposed at the bottom of said evaporator and being fluid communication with said heat mass exchanger for draining the condensate from said evaporator to said heat mass exchanger for supplying the condensate to said wicking material of each of said wet air channels. 
   
   
       15 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 9  further comprising a first conduit having one end connected to said high-pressure outlet of said compressor and an opposite end connected to said vapor inlet of said condenser for delivering the refrigerant being in a high-pressure superheated vapor state from said compressor to said condenser. 
   
   
       16 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising a second conduit having one end connected to said liquid outlet of said condenser and an opposite end connected to said refrigerant inlet of said heat exchanger for delivering the high-pressure liquid from said condenser to said heat exchanger. 
   
   
       17 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 10  further comprising a third conduit having one end connected to said refrigerant outlet of said heat exchanger and an opposite end connected to said valve inlet for delivering the high-pressure liquid from said heat exchanger to said valve. 
   
   
       18 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 11  further comprising a fourth conduit having one end connected to said valve outlet and an opposite end connected to said liquid-vapor inlet of said evaporator for delivering the mixed liquid-vapor from said valve to said evaporator. 
   
   
       19 . An air conditioning system as set forth in  claim 11  further comprising a fifth conduit having one end connected to said low pressure outlet of said evaporator and having an opposite end connected to said low-pressure inlet of said compressor for returning the low-pressure vapor to said compressor.