Patent ID: 8166771

Claim:
A refrigeration system comprising a refrigerant circuit in which a heat source side circuit including a compressor, an expander and a heat source side heat exchanger and a utilization side circuit including a utilization side heat exchanger are connected together for the performing of a refrigeration cycle by the circulation of refrigerant, which system is capable of carrying out a cooling operation in which the heat source side heat exchanger functions as a condenser while the utilization side heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, wherein the heat source side circuit includes a gas-liquid separator for the separation of refrigerant flowing therein from the expander into liquid refrigerant and gas refrigerant and cooling unit that cools liquid refrigerant heading from the gas-liquid separator to the utilization side circuit in the cooling operation, and wherein the cooling unit includes: a gas refrigerant pressure reducing mechanism, disposed in a gas supply pipe for the feeding of gas refrigerant within the gas-liquid separator to the compressor, for the pressure reduction of the refrigerant in the gas supply pipe; and a cooling heat exchanger for the cooling of the liquid refrigerant heading from the gas-liquid separator to the utilization side circuit in the cooling operation by the exchange of heat with the refrigerant reduced in pressure by the gas refrigerant pressure reducing mechanism.