Patents Examined by Steve Tanenbaum
  • Patent number: 10287469
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for producing heating in a high temperature heat pump having a heat exchanger. The method comprises extracting heat from a working fluid, thereby producing a cooled working fluid wherein said working fluid comprises at least one alkyl perfluoroalkene ether. Also disclosed is a method of raising the maximum feasible condenser operating temperature in a high temperature heat pump apparatus. The method comprises charging the high temperature heat pump with a working fluid comprising at least one alkyl perfluoroalkene ether. Also disclosed is a high temperature heat pump apparatus. The apparatus contains a working fluid comprising at least one alkyl perfluoroalkene ether. Also disclosed is a composition comprising at least one alkyl perfluoroalkene ether, and specialized additives or lubricants for use in a high temperature heat pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: THE CHEMOURS COMPANY FC, LLC
    Inventors: Konstantinos Kontomaris, Robert Daniel Lousenberg, Joan Ellen Bartelt
  • Patent number: 10281178
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus including: firstly, —a cold production unit (U), having a line for the flow of a coolant (BC); —means for compressing (1), decompressing (4), and evaporating (5) said coolant; and —an air condenser (2) and a main water condenser (CEP). Said facility also includes an auxiliary water flow device that has a first water reception vessel and a second water reception vessel (20, 30). Said auxiliary device defines at least one so-called “water heating” or “water-based calorie removal” path, leading from the first vessel to the second vessel and including at least one main section (65) for removing calories via water and capable of engaging with a main section (7) for exchanging heat with the coolant in the main water condenser (CEP). Said auxiliary device also defines a second so-called “water cooling” path, leading from the second vessel to the first vessel and including at least one water cooling section (82, 92) in a heat exchanger (ECA, EVS).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: SYRAH S.A.
    Inventors: Loïc Bresson, Jean-François Sailhan, Denis Portal
  • Patent number: 10254014
    Abstract: A centrifugal chiller in which a closed-cycle refrigeration cycle is formed by connecting a compressor, a condenser, an economizer and decompression means forming a multi-stage compression cycle, and an evaporator, with the refrigeration cycle being charged with a low-pressure refrigerant. The condenser and the economizer are integrated with each other by having a portion of their vessel walls form a shared wall, with the base surface of the economizer being positioned below the base surface of the condenser and above the base surface of the evaporator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES THERMAL SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoya Miyoshi, Kenji Ueda, Yasushi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 10247458
    Abstract: Method for improving efficiency of a chilled water system having a chiller unit, circulation pumps, a heat absorption unit and a heat rejection unit, including adjusting a temperature of at least one of a chilled water supply to the heat absorption unit and a condenser water supply from the heat rejection unit; measuring efficiency of the chiller unit and at least one of the circulation pumps, the heat absorption unit and the heat rejection unit; further adjusting temperature of at least one of the chilled water supply to the heat absorption unit and the condenser water supply from the heat rejection unit if the measuring the efficiency indicates an improved efficiency; and further adjusting the temperature of the at least one of the chilled water supply to the heat absorption unit and the condenser water supply from the heat rejection unit if measuring the efficiency indicates worsened efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher Shane McGowan, Steven Treece Tom
  • Patent number: 10240842
    Abstract: An ice maker apparatus is provided that may include a casing, an extruder die, an auger, a heat exchange body, and a fin portion. The casing may define a chamber about a central axis and extend along the central axis between a top portion and a bottom portion. The extruder die may be mounted to the casing at the top portion of the casing. The auger may be disposed within the chamber. The heat exchange body may be disposed in thermal engagement with the chamber. The heat exchange body may include a base wall extending along a portion of the casing and a sidewall extending outward from the base wall. The heat exchange body may also define an air duct across the base wall and sidewall. The fin portion may include a fin extending outward from the base wall. The fin may define a plurality of subchannels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles Benjamin Miller
  • Patent number: 10234149
    Abstract: In one instance, a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a four-way reheat valve and is configured to accesses pressures within a conduit network to facilitate control of the reheat valve. The four-way reheat valve includes a piston valve slide within a main valve chamber and a pilot valve fluidly coupled to the main valve chamber and a compressor-suction conduit fluidly coupled to the four-way valve and to a compressor. The system also includes a flow-restricting device disposed on the conduit downstream of the four-way valve and a pilot conduit coupled to the conduit downstream of the flow-restricting device and coupled to the pilot valve for assisting with movement of the piston valve slide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Lennox Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Malcolm Lloyd Alford
  • Patent number: 10215456
    Abstract: In order to supply a refrigerant to multiple-stage heat receivers equally while saving space, a refrigerant distribution device to distribute a refrigerant supplied from the upper stream according to the present invention includes a main body including a side wall part, an upper face part and a bottom face part, an upstream pipe provided on the upper face part in a manner communicating with an inside of the main body, a downstream pipe provided in a state partially inserted inside the main body via an under face hole part provided in the bottom face part, a tributary pipe provided in the side wall part or the bottom face part in a manner communicating with the inside of the main body, and a refrigerant direction changing means provided between the upstream pipe and the downstream pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignees: NEC Corporation, NEC Platforms, Ltd.
    Inventors: Arihiro Matsunaga, Masaki Chiba, Minoru Yoshikawa, Tadao Hosaka, Shunsuke Fujii, Akira Shoujiguchi, Kenichi Inaba, Masanori Sato
  • Patent number: 10184708
    Abstract: An ice making apparatus for an appliance includes a housing that has an interior volume and an ice tray horizontally suspended across the interior volume that is configured to retain water. The ice making apparatus also includes a heat pump thermally coupled to a bottom surface of the ice tray. The heat pump is configured to freeze water in the ice tray and expel heat. A heat transfer device is configured to move heat expelled by the heat pump to an upper portion of the interior volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: Guolian Wu
  • Patent number: 10180273
    Abstract: An ice making system includes an ice making unit that makes ice cubes; a cold air generator unit that cools air inside a cooling duct so as to produce cold air, a cold air circulation unit that supplies the cold air from the cold air generator to the ice making unit and discharges the cold air from the ice making unit to the cold air generator, and a drainage unit that drains defrost water produced from the cooling duct to an outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Min Bon Koo
  • Patent number: 10181725
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of operating at least one distributed energy resource comprising a refrigeration system (1) with a number of cooling entities, wherein a power consumption information is communicated to a smart-grid setup (SG).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: DANFOSS A/S
    Inventor: Torben Green
  • Patent number: 10180275
    Abstract: An ice making duct for a refrigerator unit includes a cooling duct configured to allow cooling air to be movable in a longitudinal direction therein. Both ends of the cooling duct are connected to an ice making chamber such that the cooling air circulates through the ice making chamber. The ice making duct includes an evaporation coil configured to be wound around the cooling duct. The evaporation coil cools air in the cooling duct to generate cooling air through a process of heat exchange with a refrigerant. The ice making duct includes a heater configured to heat frost generated in the cooling duct forming defrosted water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Min Bon Koo
  • Patent number: 10168069
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a refrigeration cycle and an internal heat exchanger. With the refrigeration cycle, both a cooling operation and a heating operation can be performed. The internal heat exchanger includes a first flow passage guiding refrigerant flowing between an evaporator and a compressor, a second flow passage guiding the refrigerant flowing between an outdoor heat exchanger and an expansion device, a third flow passage guiding the refrigerant flowing between the expansion device and an indoor heat exchanger. The internal heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the first flow passage and the refrigerant flowing through the second flow passage in the cooling operation, and exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the first flow passage and the refrigerant flowing through the third flow passage in the heating operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Kosuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10161642
    Abstract: A thermoelectric-based air conditioning system is provided. The system includes at least a first supply air channel and a separate second supply air channel disposed in a housing. The system also includes a first thermoelectric cooler (TEC) assembly forming at least a portion of the first supply air channel and configured to independently condition air within the first supply air channel. The system further includes a second TEC assembly forming at least a portion of the second supply air channel and configured to independently condition air within the second supply air channel. The system includes a printed circuit board (PCB) for each of the first and second TEC assembly, wherein each of the PCSs are configured to provide an electrical connection between a first TEC and a second TEC with each of the first and second TEC assemblies. The system further includes a mold substrate configured to over-mold the first and second TECs of the first and second TEC assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Marlow Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Giraud, Jeremy Mishler
  • Patent number: 10145591
    Abstract: A temperature control unit includes a ring-shaped magnetocaloric material temperature control body (28) over which heat transfer medium can flow, a rotatable temperature control body receiving housing (12), a temperature control body receiving space, temperature control sectors (I, II, III, IV) following each other in a circumferential direction, each with a cooling area (30) and a magnetic field heating area arranged next to the cooling area, in at least two adjacent temperature control sectors, a heat transfer medium circulation (40) from the magnetic field heating area of one sector to the cooling area of another sector and from the cooling area of the other sector to the magnetic field heating area of the one sector. In one sector, heat input fluid may flow through the cooling area—feeding heat into the sector or/and in one sector, heat discharge fluid may flow through the magnetic field heating area for discharging heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Eberspächer Climate Control Systems GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Michael Humburg
  • Patent number: 10132538
    Abstract: A heat exchanger assembly includes a plurality of tubes, each having an inlet end and an outlet end. An inlet header is configured to receive a cooling fluid and to distribute the cooling fluid to the inlet ends of the plurality of tubes. An outlet header includes an outer shell and defines an outlet chamber. The outlet chamber is configured to receive cooling fluid discharged from the outlet ends of the plurality of tube. A supply conduit supplies the cooling fluid to the inlet header. The supply conduit includes a conduit portion extending through the outlet header.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Hussmann Corporation
    Inventor: Steve L. Fritz
  • Patent number: 10132554
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a cabinet forming an external appearance of the air conditioner and is provided with an opening, and a cover to open and close the opening. The cover includes a cover body to cover the opening and includes a first cover body and a second cover body that are spaced apart from each other, and a spacing rib provided between the first cover body and the second cover body such that the first cover is spaced apart from the second cover body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Do Hoon Kim, Young Seok Lim, Hyuk Jin Gwon, Jong Mun Lee
  • Patent number: 10128141
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes: a refrigerating cycle including a refrigerant passage, a compressor, and a condenser, all of which are coupled in this order, and through which a refrigerant flows in this order, the refrigerant passage being disposed inside a sample stage and through which the refrigerant flows to serve as an evaporator; first and second expansion valves which are interposed between the condenser and the refrigerant passage and between the refrigerant passage and the compressor respectively in the refrigerating cycle; a vaporizer that is interposed between the second expansion valve and the compressor in the refrigerating cycle and which heats and vaporizes the refrigerant; and a controller which regulates opening and closing of the first and second expansion valves and regulates a refrigerant heat exchange amount of the condenser or vaporizer based on a refrigerant temperature between the condenser and the second expansion valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takumi Tandou, Go Miya, Masaru Izawa, Hiromichi Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 10119059
    Abstract: A cooling system based on thermoelastic effect is provided. The system comprises a heat sink, a refrigerated space and a regenerator coupled to the refrigerated space and to the heat sink to pump heat from the refrigerated space to the heat sink. The regenerator comprises solid thermoelastic refrigerant materials capable of absorbing or releasing heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignees: THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
    Inventors: Jun Cui, Ichiro Takeuchi, Manfred Wuttig, Yiming Wu, Reinhard Radermacher, Yunho Hwang, Jan Muehlbauer
  • Patent number: 10113786
    Abstract: A method for managing the operation of a refrigerated truck for transporting heat-sensitive products, of the indirect-injection type, in which the parameter ?T=Tair inlet?Tsetpoint(Tair inlet: temperature of the air coming into contact with the heat exchanger internal to the truck as a result of the action of the fan, Tsetpoint: temperature to be set in the chamber inside the truck) is determined in real time and in which if ?T is greater than an upper setpoint value ?Tsetpoint H, a rapid-pressurization (RMP) circuit is activated to vaporize some cryogen and thus increase the pressure in the head of gas above the reserve of cryogen of the truck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Mohammed Youbi-Idrissi, Antony Dallais
  • Patent number: 10107532
    Abstract: A refrigerant evaporator includes a first evaporation unit and a second evaporation unit disposed in series in a flow direction of fluid to be cooled by evaporating refrigerant. An intermediate tank portion through which refrigerant flows is connected to an outer surface of one tank portion of the first evaporation unit and an outer surface of one tank portion of the second evaporation unit. A tank external refrigerant space through which refrigerant flows is defined by an outer wall of the one tank portion of the first evaporation unit, an outer wall of the one tank portion of the second evaporation unit, and an outer wall of the intermediate tank portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Norimasa Baba