Patent ID: 7607314

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; a valve configured to control flow of high pressure refrigerant exiting the condenser; an energy recovery device having a chamber with an inlet fluidly connected to the valve to receive high pressure refrigerant exiting the valve and an outlet fluidly connected to the evaporator to deliver low pressure refrigerant thereto, the energy recovery device being configured to extract work from flow of refrigerant therethrough; and a bypass passage fluidly connected to the chamber of the energy recovery device downstream from the inlet of the chamber and up stream from the outlet of the chamber the bypass passage being configured to deliver an auxiliary flow of refrigerant to the chamber of the energy recovery device to reduce suction power loss such that the auxiliary flow of refrigerant exits the outlet of the chamber with the refrigerant that was received in the inlet.