Patent ID: 6341492
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: F25B,F28D

Abstract:
A refrigeration system comprising:a compressor; a condenser, said condenser receiving refrigerant in which lubricant is entrained from said compressor; an expansion device, said expansion device receiving refrigerant in which lubricant is entrained from said condenser; an evaporator, said evaporator receiving liquid refrigerant and lubricant from said expansion device, a portion of the liquid refrigerant and the lubricant received into said evaporator making its way to and pooling in the bottom of said evaporator as a lubricant-rich mixture; suction piping, said suction piping defining a flow path for refrigerant gas between said evaporator and said compressor, said suction piping connecting into said evaporator at a location above said lubricant-rich pool and being routed below the level of the surface of said pool prior to connecting to said compressor; and a lubricant line, said lubricant line communicating between said lubricant-rich pool and said suction line, said lubricant line connecting to said suction line at a location below the level of the surface of said pool, said lubricant-rich mixture flowing through said lubricant line and into said suction piping as a result of gravity and the head that results from the elevation difference between said pool and the location at which said lubricant line connects into said suction piping.