Patent ID: 8459048

Claim:
An air conditioning system comprising: an evaporator; a compressor fluidly connected to the evaporator to compress low-pressure refrigerant exiting the evaporator to high-pressure refrigerant; a condenser fluidly connected to the compressor to receive the high pressure refrigerant and dissipate heat therefrom; an energy recovery device configured to extract work from the high pressure refrigerant flowing therethrough, the energy recovery device including a gerotor expander and a valve, the gerotor expander having an inlet fluidly connected to the condenser to receive high pressure refrigerant exiting the condenser, an outlet fluidly connected to the evaporator to deliver low pressure refrigerant thereto and a chamber having an inlet side and an outlet side, the inlet side of the chamber of the gerotor expander including a minimum flow path and a regulated flow path, with the minimum flow path uninterruptedly fluidly connecting the inlet to the chamber to deliver high pressure refrigerant to the chamber, the valve being configured to control a flow rate of high pressure refrigerant entering the inlet side of the chamber from the inlet through the regulated flow path, and the outlet side of the chamber being fluidly connected to the outlet of the gerotor, the chamber including a center gear and a ring gear, a rotation axis of the center gear being offset from a rotation axis of the ring gear such that rotational movement of the ring gear drives the center gear.