Patent ID: 8020402
Filing Date: 2011-09-20
Classification: F04C,F25B

Abstract:
1. In a heat pump system of the type which re-circulates refrigerant through a fluid circuit between a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger including a compressor coupled to the fluid circuit, a vapor injection system comprising a vessel fluidly coupled to the first and second heat exchangers and to a vapor injection port of the compressor and a control device operable to control vapor from said vessel to said compressor based on an outdoor ambient temperature, said vessel operable as a receiver in a cooling mode of the heat pump system and operable as a flash tank in a heating mode of the heat pump system, said vessel including a first port fluidly coupled to an entire interior volume of said vessel and to said first heat exchanger, said first port receiving fluid from said first heat exchanger and operable as an inlet in said heating mode and as an outlet in said cooling mode, said control device in a fully open position allowing said vapor from said vessel to said compressor when said outdoor ambient temperature is less than about twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit.