Abstract: The refrigeration system disclosed herein operates at least one evaporator in a low temperature environment. A condenser is provided for rejecting heat into the environment. Refrigerant from the condenser is provided to a refrigerant processing vessel which allows a mixture of gas and liquid phase refrigerant to separate. A heat exchanging conduit is submerged in the liquid phase refrigerant in the lower portion of the processing vessel and the outlet of a compressor serving the low temperature evaporators is connected to the inlet end of that conduit. Liquid phase refrigerant from the processing vessel is provided to the low temperature evaporators. An intake is provided in the upper portion of the processing vessel for drawing off gas phase refrigerant and that intake and the outlet end of the heat exchanging conduit are connected together and to the inlet side of a compressor driving refrigerant through the condenser.

Abstract: The refrigeration system disclosed herein operates evaporators in both moderate and low temperature environments, respective compressors being associated with each type of evaporator. A condenser is provided for rejecting heat into the environment. Refrigerant from the condenser is provided both to the moderate temperature evaporators and to a refrigerant processing vessel which can allow a mixture of gas and liquid phase refrigerant to separate. A heat exchanging conduit is submerged in the liquid phase refrigerant in the lower portion of the processing vessel and the outlets of the compressors serving the low temperature evaporators are connected to the inlet end of that conduit. Liquid phase refrigerant from the processing vessel is provided to the low temperature evaporators.

Abstract: The refrigeration system disclosed herein provides separate chilling and freezing compartments and operates in alternate phases. In the first phase, an evaporator which controls chilling compartment temperature also absorbs heat from a thermal mass through the change of phase of a liquid to a solid. In the second phase, this evaporator becomes a condenser for the operation of a second evaporator associated with the freezer component. During this second phase, the heat transfer is reversed, the fusion energy of the first phase is recaptured as melting energy in the second. Accordingly, heat is transferred from the second evaporator to the mass over a temperature differential which is less than that existing between the second evaporator and the environment.

Abstract: In the supermarket cooling system disclosed herein, a variety of evaporative loads having different suction requirements are served by respective compressors, each operating across a corresponding pressure differential but pumping into a common high side header. A single condenser unit serves the combined refrigerant flow from all loads and, from the condenser, the refrigerant flow normally passes through an air-cooled heat reclaim exchanger which is downstream of an air conditioning evaporator in the air conditioning ductwork. The heat reclaim exchanger can be selectively bypassed for certain extreme conditions of operation. By varying the air flows through the condenser unit and the heat reclaim exchanger, a highly efficient thermal operation under the most prevalent conditions is achieved in a very simple hardware configuration.