Cooling circuit section and cooling circuit

Abstract

Cooling circuit section ( 2 ), intended for the circulation of a refrigerant, said cooling circuit section ( 2 ) comprising:—at least two compressor assemblies ( 30 ), fluidically connected in parallel, each compressor assembly ( 30 ) comprising:—a compressor ( 40 ) configured to receive a low-pressure refrigerant having a first pressure, and for increasing the pressure of the low-pressure refrigerant so as to produce a compressed refrigerant having a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure, the compressed refrigerant comprising oil,—an individual oil separator ( 42 ) comprising an inlet ( 58 ) fluidically connected to the compressor ( 40 ) so as to receive the compressed refrigerant from the compressor ( 40 ), each individual oil separator ( 42 ) being configured to separate a first fraction of oil from the compressed refrigerant, the cooling circuit section ( 2 ) further comprising a common oil separator ( 32 ).

1 . Cooling circuit section, intended for the circulation of a refrigerant, said cooling circuit section comprising:
 at least two compressor assemblies, fluidically connected in parallel, each compressor assembly comprising:
 a compressor configured to receive a low-pressure refrigerant having a first pressure, and for increasing the pressure of the low-pressure refrigerant so as to produce a compressed refrigerant having a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure, the compressed refrigerant comprising oil, 
 an individual oil separator comprising an inlet fluidically connected to the compressor so as to receive the compressed refrigerant from the compressor, each individual oil separator being configured to separate a first fraction of oil from the compressed refrigerant, 
 the individual oil separator further comprising:
 a refrigerant outlet, through which the compressed refrigerant is intended to be discharged from the individual oil separator after separation of the first fraction of oil and 
 an oil outlet, through which the first fraction of oil is intended to be discharged from the individual oil separator, the individual oil separator being further configured to return the first fraction of oil to the compressor, 
 
   the cooling circuit section further comprising a common oil separator fluidically connected to the refrigerant outlet of each individual oil separator so as to receive the compressed refrigerant from each of the compressor assemblies, the common oil separator being configured to separate a second fraction of oil from the compressed refrigerant.   
     
     
         2 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , wherein the common oil separator comprises an inlet, fluidically connected to the compressor assemblies so as to receive the compressed refrigerant from the compressor assemblies, a refrigerant outlet, through which the compressed refrigerant is intended to be discharged from the common oil separator after separation of the second fraction of oil, and an oil outlet, through which the second fraction of oil is intended to be discharged from the common oil separator. 
     
     
         3 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooling circuit section further comprises a common feedback tube fluidically connecting the common oil separator to each of the compressors so as to feed the second fraction of oil back into the compressors. 
     
     
         4 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 3 , wherein the common feedback tube comprises an expansion valve configured to decrease the pressure of the second fraction of oil from the second pressure to the first pressure. 
     
     
         5 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , wherein each compressor assembly comprises an individual feedback tube fluidically connecting the oil outlet of the individual oil separator to the compressor so as to feed the first fraction of oil back into the compressor of the compressor assembly. 
     
     
         6 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , wherein the individual feedback tube comprises an expansion device configured to decrease the pressure of the first fraction of oil from the second pressure to the first pressure. 
     
     
         7 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , wherein the common oil separator is a coalescence oil separator or a centrifugal oil separator. 
     
     
         8 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the individual oil separators is configured to separate the oil from the refrigerant based on differences in the densities of the refrigerant and the oil. 
     
     
         9 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 8 , wherein the individual oil separators are chosen among a fluid speed decrease oil separator, configured to decrease the speed of the fluid fed into the oil separator and a fluid direction modification oil separator, configured to change the direction of the fluid fed into the oil separator. 
     
     
         10 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , wherein the compressor of each compressor assembly is a hermetic compressor. 
     
     
         11 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant is carbon dioxide. 
     
     
         12 . Cooling circuit comprising a cooling circuit section according to  claim 1 , the cooling circuit further comprising a heat exchanger device configured to cool the refrigerant, an expansion valve and an evaporator device. 
     
     
         13 . Cooling circuit according to  claim 12 , wherein the heat exchanger device, the expansion valve and the evaporator device are connected in series, the heat exchanger device being connected to an outlet of the common oil separator and the evaporator device being connected to an inlet of the compressor assemblies. 
     
     
         14 . Cooling circuit according to  claim 12 , wherein the heat exchanger device is a condenser configured to cool the refrigerant such that the refrigerant condenses into a liquid state. 
     
     
         15 . Cooling circuit according to  claim 12 , wherein the heat exchanger device is a gas cooler configured to cool the refrigerant such that the refrigerant remains in the gaseous state. 
     
     
         16 . Cooling circuit section according to  claim 11 , wherein the refrigerant is carbon dioxide R744.