Patent ID: 9273986
Filing Date: 2016-03-01
CPC Classification: G01F,G01P

Claim Text:
1. A chiller system comprising: an evaporator for evaporating a refrigerant; a water pipe in fluid communication with the evaporator, the water pipe configured to allow water to pass through at a water flow rate and to circulate the water with the evaporator to exchange heat with the refrigerant in the evaporator; a flow restrictor tube within the water pipe configured to allow the water to flow through the flow restrictor tube at a reduced flow rate relative to the water flow rate, wherein the flow restrictor tube includes a first portion having a constant inside diameter and a tapered portion tapering in a downstream direction to a second portion having an inside diameter smaller than the constant inside diameter of the first portion, the flow restrictor tube having a longitudinal axis, the first portion having a length in the direction of the longitudinal axis being greater than a length of the tapered portion; and a measuring probe passing through walls of the water pipe and the walls of the first portion of the flow restrictor tube upstream of the tapered portion and including an accuracy range of flow rates less than the water flow rate, the measuring probe configured to measure the reduced flow rate within the flow restrictor tube, wherein the reduced flow rate is within the accuracy range.