Refrigerant sub-cooling

摘要

Disclosed is a commercial refrigeration system of a type having at least one compressor, a suction header and a liquid header at a central location or machinery center, a condenser and a plurality of remotely located evaporators, wherein a suction-to-liquid heat exchanger is embodied in the suction header of the system and all of the relatively cool gaseous refrigerant returning to the central location from the remotely located evaporators is maintained in heat exchange contact with substantially all of the primary stream of relatively warm liquid refrigerant produced by the operation of the compressor and condenser. The large amounts of relatively warm liquid refrigerant and relatively cool gaseous refrigerant in heat exchange contact with one another enables the centrally located heat exchanger (1) to increase the suction gas temperature going into the suction side of the compressors, which increases their refrigerating capacity, and (2) to usefully sub-cool the liquid refrigerant before it is directed to the expansion valves in order to increase the refrigerant effect and efficiency of the system and cause a corresponding reduction in power requirements.