Vapor compression system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system that includes a refrigerant loop, a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to circulate refrigerant through the refrigerant loop, a heat exchanger disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to place the refrigerant in thermal communication with a cooling fluid flowing through tubes of a tube bundle within the heat exchanger, an inlet of the heat exchanger configured to direct the refrigerant into the heat exchanger, a trough of the heat exchanger configured to receive the refrigerant from the inlet, and a perforated baffle of the heat exchanger disposed downstream of the trough and configured to direct the refrigerant from the trough over the tubes of the tube bundle.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A distribution system for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
 an inlet of a heat exchanger configured to receive refrigerant from a refrigerant loop of the HVAC&R system; and   a trough configured to receive the refrigerant from the inlet, wherein the trough comprises sidewalls and is configured to direct the refrigerant toward tubes of the heat exchanger when the refrigerant accumulates within the trough and overflows from the sidewalls of the trough.   
     
     
         22 . The distribution system of  claim 21 , comprising a perforated baffle configured to be disposed between the trough and the tubes of the heat exchanger, wherein the perforated baffle is configured to receive refrigerant that overflows from the sidewalls of the trough and distribute the refrigerant from the trough onto the tubes of the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         23 . The distribution system of  claim 22 , wherein the perforated baffle is a corrugated perforated baffle. 
     
     
         24 . The distribution system of  claim 23 , wherein the corrugated perforated baffle comprises a plurality of uniform corrugations, spaced substantially equally apart from one another. 
     
     
         25 . The distribution system of  claim 21 , wherein the sidewalls comprise a non-uniform height along a length of the trough. 
     
     
         26 . The distribution system of  claim 25 , wherein the non-uniform height of the sidewalls decreases as a distance between the sidewalls and the inlet increases. 
     
     
         27 . The distribution system of  claim 25 , wherein the non-uniform height of the sidewalls linearly decreases as a distance between the sidewalls and the inlet increases. 
     
     
         28 . The distribution system of  claim 21 , wherein the trough is configured to extend along an entire axial length of the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         29 . The distribution system of  claim 21 , wherein the inlet is configured to extend through a shell of the heat exchanger and into a sidewall of the sidewalls of the trough. 
     
     
         30 . A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
 a heat exchanger disposed along a refrigerant loop and configured to place a refrigerant in thermal communication with a working fluid flowing through tubes of a tube bundle within the heat exchanger; and   a distribution system disposed within the heat exchanger and configured to receive refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger and to distribute the refrigerant over the tubes, wherein the distribution system comprises:
 a trough configured to receive the refrigerant via an inlet extending into the heat exchanger, wherein the trough comprises sidewalls configured to direct the refrigerant toward the tubes of the tube bundle when the refrigerant accumulates within the trough and flows over the sidewalls of the trough; and 
 a perforated baffle having a portion that forms a base of the trough, wherein the perforated baffle comprises one or more openings configured to direct the refrigerant toward the tubes of the tube bundle. 
   
     
     
         31 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 30 , wherein the one or more openings comprise nozzles configured to control a flow of the refrigerant through the one or more openings. 
     
     
         32 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 31 , wherein the nozzles are configured to reduce the flow of the refrigerant through the one or more openings when a fluid level of the refrigerant in the trough is below an overflow level of the trough. 
     
     
         33 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 30 , wherein the perforated baffle extends along an entire axial length of the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         34 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 30 , wherein the perforated baffle includes an additional portion that extends radially outward from the sidewalls of the trough, such that the perforated baffle extends along an entire width of the tube bundle and is configured to receive refrigerant that overflows from the sidewalls of the trough and direct the refrigerant from the trough onto the tubes of the tube bundle. 
     
     
         35 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 34 , wherein at least one of the portion of the perforated baffle and the additional portion of the perforated baffle is corrugated. 
     
     
         36 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 35 , wherein the at least one of the portion of the perforated baffle and the additional portion of the perforated baffle that is corrugated comprises a plurality of corrugations that are uniform relative to one another and spaced substantially equally from one another. 
     
     
         37 . A distribution system for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
 a trough configured to receive refrigerant from a refrigerant loop of the HVAC&R system, wherein the trough comprises sidewalls configured to direct the refrigerant toward tubes of a tube bundle when the refrigerant accumulates within the trough and overflows from the sidewalls of the trough; and   a flow splitting device disposed in the trough, wherein the flow splitting device is configured to cause the refrigerant to flow toward opposing ends of the trough.   
     
     
         38 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 37 , wherein the trough is configured to extend along an entire axial length of a heat exchanger of the HVAC&R system having the tube bundle. 
     
     
         39 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 37 , wherein the flow splitting device comprises a protruding ridge that extends from a base of the trough and forms one or more sloped surfaces that are configured to direct the refrigerant toward the opposing ends of the trough. 
     
     
         40 . The HVAC&R system of  claim 37 , wherein the flow splitting device comprises a conical or pyramidal structure.