Patent ID: 8925336
Filing Date: 2015-01-06
Classification: F25B

Abstract:
1. A method of increasing capacity of a refrigerant system including, in serial refrigerant flow relationship, a compressor, a heat rejection heat exchanger with an associated air moving device, an expansion device and an evaporator wherein said heat rejection heat exchanger is exposed to a first environment with a first temperature level there within and said evaporator is exposed to a second environment with a second temperature level there within, with said second temperature level being lower than said first temperature level, and wherein there is a third environment with a third temperature level which is, at least at times, intermediate said first temperature level and said second temperature level, comprising: positioning an additional air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger to be exposed to said third environment and fluidly interconnecting said air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger between said heat rejection heat exchanger and said expansion device, with respect to refrigerant flow, such that additional cooling can be selectively provided to the refrigerant flowing though said air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger during the time periods when the temperature of the air within the third environment is lower than the temperature of the air within the first environment; wherein the refrigerant system includes a bypass circuit around said air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger and a control, and the method includes selectively bypassing at least a portion of refrigerant around at least a portion of said air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger when the temperature in the first environment is equal to or less than the temperature in the third environment.