Patents by Inventor Benjamin E. Dingel

Benjamin E. Dingel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9903626
    Abstract: A spill over tank for an evaporator of a HVAC system may be configured to receive a refrigerant spilled over from the evaporator. The spill over tank may be configured to have an outlet that directs the refrigerant in the spill over tank out of the spill over tank. The refrigerant may flow through the outlet back to a compressor of the HVAC system. The spill over tank may be equipped with a refrigerant level sensor configured to measure a refrigerant level in the spill over tank. The measured refrigerant level in the spill over tank may be used to control and/or maintain a refrigerant level in the evaporator, and/or may be used to control a return refrigerant flow into the compressor of the HVAC system so as to manage an oil return to the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Lee L. Sibik, Benjamin E. Dingel, Harry Kenneth Ring
  • Publication number: 20170097182
    Abstract: Embodiments of a spill over tank for an evaporator of a HVAC system are described. The spill over tank may be configured to receive a refrigerant directed out of the evaporator. The spill over tank may be configured to have an outlet directing refrigerant in the spill over tank out of the spill over tank and flowing back to a compressor of the HVAC system. The spill over tank may be equipped with a refrigerant level sensor configured to measure a refrigerant level in the spill over tank. The measured refrigerant level in the spill over tank may be used to control and/or maintain a refrigerant level in the evaporator, and/or may be used to control a return refrigerant flow into the compressor of the HVAC system so as to manage an oil return to the compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Lee L. SIBIK, Benjamin E. DINGEL, Harry Kenneth RING
  • Patent number: 9523523
    Abstract: A system for managing fluid level in an HVAC system includes a spill over tank for an evaporator of the HVAC system. The spill over tank may be configured to receive a refrigerant directed out of the evaporator. The spill over tank may be configured to include an outlet directing refrigerant into the spill over tank, out of the spill over tank and flowing back to a compressor of the HVAC system. The spill over tank may be equipped with a refrigerant level sensor measuring a refrigerant level in the spill over tank. The measured refrigerant level in the spill over tank may be used to control and/or maintain a refrigerant level in the evaporator, and/or to control a return refrigerant flow into the compressor of the HVAC system so as to manage an oil return to the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Lee L. Sibik, Benjamin E. Dingel, Harry Kenneth Ring
  • Patent number: 9032754
    Abstract: A refrigeration system that induces lubricant-liquid refrigerant mixture flow from a flooded or falling film evaporator by means of the lubricant-liquid refrigerant mixture flow adsorbing heat from an electronic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Todd J. Love, Michael Boehde, Benjamin E. Dingel
  • Publication number: 20140102665
    Abstract: Embodiments of a spill over tank for an evaporator of a HVAC system are described. The spill over tank may be configured to receive a refrigerant directed out of the evaporator. The spill over tank may be configured to have an outlet directing refrigerant in the spill over tank out of the spill over tank and flowing back to a compressor of the HVAC system. The spill over tank may be equipped with a refrigerant level sensor configured to measure a refrigerant level in the spill over tank. The measured refrigerant level in the spill over tank may be used to control and/or maintain a refrigerant level in the evaporator, and/or may be used to control a return refrigerant flow into the compressor of the HVAC system so as to manage an oil return to the compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicant: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Lee L. SIBIK, Benjamin E. DINGEL, Harry Kenneth RING
  • Publication number: 20130247599
    Abstract: A refrigeration system that induces lubricant-liquid refrigerant mixture flow from a flooded or falling film evaporator by means of the lubricant-liquid refrigerant mixture flow adsorbing heat from an electronic component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: TRANE INTERNATIONAL
    Inventors: Todd J. Love, Michael Boehde, Benjamin E. Dingel
  • Patent number: 6868695
    Abstract: A falling film evaporator includes a flow distributor for uniformly distributing a two-phase refrigerant mixture across a tube bundle. The flow distributor includes a stack of at least three perforated plates each of which are separated by nearly full-width, full-length gaps or chambers. The flow distributor may also include a suction baffle and/or a distributor baffle. The distributor baffle extends downward to provide a hairpin turn past which refrigerant travels before exiting the evaporator. This directional change helps separate liquid from a primarily gaseous refrigerant stream. The suction baffle has various size openings to ensure that the flow rate of refrigerant through the hairpin turn is generally uniform and is maintained low enough to ensure liquid disentrainment over and along the length of the tube bundle within the evaporator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: American Standard International Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin E. Dingel, James W. Larson
  • Patent number: 6067804
    Abstract: Oil cooling is accomplished in a refrigeration chiller by flowing hot oil into heat exchange contact with liquid refrigerant which is sourced from the chiller's condenser and returned thereto. The rejection of heat from the oil to the refrigerant in an oil-cooling heat exchanger causes vaporization of the refrigerant and, in turn, creates a density difference in the refrigerant flowing from the condenser and refrigerant in and downstream of the oil-cooling heat exchanger. This density difference is responsible for inducing and maintaining refrigerant flow through the heat exchanger for oil cooling purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: American Standard Inc.
    Inventors: Shane A. Moeykens, Benjamin E. Dingel, James W. Larson