Patents by Inventor John BIRCHMEIER

John BIRCHMEIER 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).

  • System and method to maintain evaporator superheat during pumped refrigerant economizer operation
    Patent number: 10502470
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a level of superheat during a pump mode of operation of a refrigeration system, wherein the refrigeration system can operate in either the pump mode or a compressor mode, and has an electronically controlled expansion valve (EEV). A controller obtains a stored, predetermined pump differential pressure range able to be produced by a pump of the system. The controller also obtains a stored, predetermined superheat range, and detects a superheat level. When the detected superheat level is outside of the superheat temperature range, the controller commands adjusting at least one of the EEV and a speed of the pump based on whether the detected superheat level is above or below the superheat range, and whether a current pump differential pressure is above or below the predetermined pump differential pressure range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Vertiv Corporation
    Inventors: Roger Noll, Daniel J. Schutte, Matthew Raven, John Birchmeier
  • SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MAINTAIN EVAPORATOR SUPERHEAT DURING PUMPED REFRIGERANT ECONOMIZER OPERATION
    Publication number: 20170276417
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a level of superheat during a pump mode of operation of a refrigeration system, wherein the refrigeration system can operate in either the pump mode or a compressor mode, and has an electronically controlled expansion valve (EEV). A controller obtains a stored, predetermined pump differential pressure range able to be produced by a pump of the system. The controller also obtains a stored, predetermined superheat range, and detects a superheat level. When the detected superheat level is outside of the superheat temperature range, the controller commands adjusting at least one of the EEV and a speed of the pump based on whether the detected superheat level is above or below the superheat range, and whether a current pump differential pressure is above or below the predetermined pump differential pressure range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Inventors: Roger NOLL, Daniel J. SCHUTTE, Matthew RAVEN, John BIRCHMEIER