Patent ID: 8132418
Filing Date: 2012-03-13
Classification: F25B

Abstract:
1. A method of cooling an environment using a low temperature heat source, comprising the steps of: providing a cooling apparatus, wherein said cooling apparatus comprises a first vaporizer, a second vaporizer, a separator, a condenser, a return line, a feedback line separate from said return line and disposed between the condenser and the first vaporizer, an evaporator, an absorber, and a heat exchanger; vaporizing a refrigerant from a refrigeration solution in said first vaporizer using said low temperature heat source, wherein said low temperature heat source is at a temperature of about 20° F. above ambient temperature, and wherein said vaporized refrigerant and part of said refrigeration solution are channeled together through a plurality of lift columns to said separator; separating said vaporized refrigerant from said channeled refrigeration solution in the separator, wherein the vaporized refrigerant is channeled to said condenser; vaporizing further said refrigerant from said separated refrigeration solution in said second vaporizer, wherein said vaporized refrigerant is channeled to the condenser leaving behind a dilute refrigeration solution in the second vaporizer, wherein said dilute refrigeration solution is fed to said absorber via said heat exchanger; condensing said channeled refrigerant from the separator and the second vaporizer in the condenser; feeding a part of said condensed refrigerant via said feedback circuit to the first vaporizer using a microcontroller controlled feedback pump, leaving behind a residual part of the condensed refrigerant in a liquid trap of the feedback circuit, wherein the feedback pump pumps the condensed refrigerant from a refrigerant reservoir in short pulses at predefined intervals of time into the first vaporizer, wherein the feedback of the condensed refrigerant lowers boiling point of the refrigeration solution in the first vaporizer, and wherein the residual part of the condensed refrigerant in the liquid trap flows by gravity, to said evaporator; evaporating said residual part of the condensed refrigerant in said evaporator for absorbing heat from said environment, wherein said evaporated refrigerant is fed into the absorber; absorbing said evaporated refrigerant by the dilute refrigeration solution to produce a concentrated refrigeration solution in multiple absorber columns of the absorber; and feeding said concentrated refrigeration solution to the first vaporizer via the heat exchanger, wherein the dilute refrigeration solution releases heat to the concentrated refrigeration solution in the heat exchanger to attain an optimum temperature for absorbing the evaporated refrigerant, wherein the concentrated refrigeration solution absorbs heat from the dilute refrigeration solution in the heat exchanger for preheating the concentrated refrigeration solution fed to the first vaporizer; whereby said absorption of said heat from the environment performs said cooling while said lowering of said boiling point and said preheating of the concentrated refrigeration solution reduce an operating temperature required in the first vaporizer and enable the low temperature heat source to be used for the cooling.