ES3031124A1 - Double temperature rise compression-resorptive heat pump device - Google Patents

Abstract

A double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device comprising and based on a closed-cycle refrigeration circuit through which a fluid mixture or solution composed of a variable proportion of an absorbent medium and a refrigerant fluid circulates cyclically, and the circuit comprising and being divided into a resorption subcircuit and a refrigeration subcircuit; in which the resorption subcircuit generates useful heat outside the circuit and simultaneously the refrigeration subcircuit absorbs heat from outside the same circuit; the resorption subcircuit and the refrigeration subcircuit being in communication, in which in a condition of use the fluid mixture travels through the resorption subcircuit, and then passes through and travels through the other refrigeration subcircuit to return again to the same resorption subcircuit, repeating the same cycle successively.

Description

DESCRIPTION

DOUBLE TEMPERATURE LIFT COMPRESSION-RESORPTION HEAT PUMP DEVICE

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this invention application is to register a double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, which incorporates significant innovations and advantages compared to the techniques used to date.

More specifically, the invention proposes the development of a dual temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, which, due to its particular arrangement, allows simultaneous supply of heat and cooling with a high temperature jump.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Two heat pumping concepts are known in the state of the art and are commonly used to achieve a significant temperature increase:

• multistage compression heat pumps using a single working fluid, and

• cascade heat pump that uses two (or more) working fluids, one suitable for the low temperature cycle and the other for the high temperature cycle.

However, using two (or more) cascade cycles makes the system more complex and expensive.

Furthermore, the use of multistage heat pumps is limited in high-temperature heat pumping applications due to limited potential working fluid options, particularly when natural refrigerants are used as working fluids.

The hybridization of absorption and compression heat pumping technologies is a promising way to increase the temperature head and heat sink temperature in industrial heat pumps, with energy-efficient performance.

The present invention contributes to solving and resolving this problem, as it allows for simultaneous supply of heat and cooling with a high temperature difference and using natural fluids.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed for the purpose of providing a double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, comprising and being based on a closed cycle refrigeration circuit through which a fluid mixture or solution composed of a variable proportion of an absorbent medium and a refrigerant fluid circulates cyclically, and the circuit comprising and being divided into a resorption subcircuit and a refrigeration subcircuit; in which the resorption subcircuit is enabled for generating useful heat outside the circuit and simultaneously the refrigeration subcircuit is enabled for absorbing heat from outside the same circuit; the resorption subcircuit and the refrigeration subcircuit being in communication, such that in a condition of use during the cyclic circulation of the fluid mixture or solution through the circuit, the fluid mixture travels through the resorption subcircuit, and then passes through and through the other refrigeration subcircuit to return again to the same resorption subcircuit, repeating the same cycle successively;

- in which the resorption subcircuit comprises an absorber, a desorber, a solution heat exchanger, a solution pump, a solution expansion valve, a low-pressure compressor and a high-pressure compressor, a vapor-liquid heat exchanger and a heat exchanger; in which, under a condition of use, the absorber has an operating pressure greater than the operating pressure of the desorber, and said pressure difference is jointly provided by the low-pressure compressor and the high-pressure compressor and the solution pump;

- in which the refrigeration subcircuit comprises a condenser, an evaporator, a rectifier, a refrigerant expansion valve and a refrigerant heat exchanger;

- the resorption subcircuit and the cooling subcircuit being in communication, such that the absorber of the resorption subcircuit is in communication with the rectifier of the cooling subcircuit, and the refrigerant heat exchanger of the cooling subcircuit is in communication with the desorber of the resorption subcircuit; and furthermore, the condenser and the rectifier of the cooling subcircuit are in thermal communication with the desorber of the resorption subcircuit;

in which under a condition of use:

- the absorber of the resorption sub-circuit receives a fluid mixture in vapour phase rich in refrigerant fluid and also simultaneously receives another fluid mixture in liquid phase rich in absorbent medium, with a partial phase change from vapour to liquid phase taking place in the absorber and heat being generated and supplied to the outside of the absorber itself;

- after the partial change from vapour phase to liquid phase in the absorber, a fluid mixture of predominantly vapour phase and a fluid mixture of predominantly liquid phase are subsequently released separately from the same absorber;

- in which the outlet of the fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase is directed to the rectifier of the cooling subcircuit and the same rectifier returns a fluid mixture of liquid phase rich in absorbent medium, already rectified, to the same absorber, generating heat in the rectifier resulting from the same rectification; and in which the same rectifier communicates a vapor phase mixture very rich in refrigerant fluid to the condenser;

- in which the outlet from the absorber of the fluid mixture of predominantly liquid phase is conducted to the solution heat exchanger and from there to the solution expansion valve where it expands and reaches the desorber;

- in which the condenser receives the fluid mixture of vapor phase very rich in refrigerant fluid and carries out a condensation of said vapor mixture received, generating a heat resulting from the same condensation;

- in which the heat generated in the condenser and the rectifier is transmitted to the desorber; said heat being used to heat and boil the predominantly liquid phase mixture present in the desorber itself and originating from the solution expansion valve;

- in which the desorber is enabled for an outlet of a fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid resulting from the previous boiling, and also for another separate outlet of another fluid mixture in liquid phase rich in absorbent medium, so that the fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase is communicated to the low pressure compressor and the fluid mixture of liquid phase is communicated to the solution pump;

- in which the fluid mixture of liquid phase after being driven by the solution pump and the fluid mixture in predominantly vapor phase after being compressed by the low pressure compressor enter the vapor-liquid heat exchanger, where heat is transferred from the vapor fluid mixture to the liquid fluid mixture;

- in which the fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid after its cooling in the vapor-liquid heat exchanger enters the high pressure compressor, and the other fluid mixture in liquid phase after its heating in the same vapor-liquid heat exchanger enters the solution heat exchanger where it is also heated;

- the fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid after its compression by the high pressure compressor, enters the heat exchanger where it is cooled and from there enters the absorber, and the other fluid mixture of liquid phase after its heating in the solution heat exchanger also enters the same absorber, the cycle being repeated again in the resorption subcircuit.

- in which the fluid mixture in liquid phase rich in refrigerant fluid coming from the condenser passes through the refrigerant heat exchanger where it is heated, and then enters the refrigerant expansion valve where it expands and then enters the evaporator where it evaporates by absorbing heat from outside the circuit;

- in which the resulting vapor phase fluid mixture rich in refrigerant fluid exiting the evaporator preheats the same mixture in liquid phase in the refrigerant heat exchanger prior to its passage through the refrigerant expansion valve;

- and the same fluid mixture in vapor phase resulting in refrigerant fluid rich after passing through the refrigerant heat exchanger enters the desorber.

Preferably, in the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, the absorber of the resorption subcircuit comprises a first part, a second part and a third part;

- where in the first part, the fluid mixture in vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid coming from the heat exchanger first converges, and where the other fluid mixture in liquid phase richer in absorbent medium and coming from the solution heat exchanger also converges; where in said first part, a partial and adiabatic absorption of the fluid mixture in vapor phase takes place in the other fluid mixture in liquid phase received, giving rise to a resulting two-phase mixture of liquid and vapor with an increase in temperature and which passes to the second part;

- wherein in the second part, said two-phase mixture undergoes a new absorption of the vapor in the liquid, with a generation and supply of heat towards the outside of the same absorber, the resulting mixture, mostly liquid, passing to the third part; - wherein said third part comprises a separator enabled for separating vapor from liquid and a mixer, wherein in the third part the mostly liquid mixture is introduced into the separator where the vapor is separated from the liquid; and where the vapor separated in the separator is sent to the rectifier of the cooling subcircuit; and where the liquid separated in the same separator is mixed in the mixer with the liquid rich in absorbent medium coming from the rectifier of the cooling subcircuit, and said liquid mixture resulting from the mixer being the one that leaves the absorber to go to the solution heat exchanger of the resorption subcircuit.

Preferably, in the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, the desorber comprises a mixer, and in the same desorber the mixture in liquid phase rich in absorbent medium resulting from the heating and boiling exits directly from the desorber to go to the solution pump; and in the mixture of predominantly vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid resulting from the same previous heating and boiling is mixed directly in the mixer with the resulting vapor phase mixture rich in refrigerant fluid coming from the refrigerant heat exchanger of the refrigeration subcircuit, the resulting mixture of both being directed from the mixer towards the low pressure compressor.

Preferably, in the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, the solution pump is mechanically and/or electrically driven.

Alternatively, in the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, the solution pump is thermal.

Additionally, in the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, the low-pressure compressor and/or the high-pressure compressor are mechanically and/or electrically driven.

Preferably, in the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device, the absorbent medium comprises water and the refrigerant fluid comprises ammonia.

In the proposed invention, it has been considered that the hybridization of the compression cycle and the resorption cycle can increase the advantages and reduce the disadvantages in high temperature rise industrial (high temperature) heat pumps.

Thus, the present invention develops a double-lift compression-resorption heat pump that uses natural refrigerant (ammonia) and absorbent (water) to increase energy efficiency and improve economic profitability.

This novel heat pumping technique of the invention has great potential for primary energy savings and decarbonization, in a wide range of applications requiring large temperature jumps (>100 °C) and high heat dissipation temperatures (<150 °C).

These applications include process heating using low-temperature heat sources such as ambient air in colder regions (<0 °C) and simultaneous heating and cooling in the food and beverage processing industries, for example, in dairy and brewery processing.

Typically, in the brewing of beer, liquid milk, cheese processing, or juice pasteurization, the required cooling and heating temperatures range from 0 to 15°C and 20 to 150°C, respectively. Therefore, the integration of this novel heat pump of the present invention for simultaneous heating and cooling applications in high-temperature processes has promising potential for energy savings and reducing the carbon footprint of the food and beverage processing sectors.

In addition, this invention can also be used for high temperature industrial cooling applications down to -20°C with heat rejection in warmer climates, as well as heating applications for cleaning-in-place (CIP) processes (<100°C) and boiler feed in water preheating.

Furthermore, low pressure steam (<5.0 bar) can be produced for industrial applications by directly using this innovative heat pump of the invention integrated with a steam generating device.

The invention allows the temperature headroom (>100°C) to be increased by more than double the increase achieved by a conventional heat pump using standard ammonia heat pump components. With a low operating pressure of less than 50 bar, the heat pump of the invention offers high heat sink temperatures above 100°C, with perfect adaptation to the heat sink slip/temperature differential required by industrial applications.

The present invention has great design flexibility to adapt to the desired thermal boundary conditions of industrial heating and cooling applications.

The proposed cycle is a combination of a resorption/compression heat pump cycle supplying high temperature heat, and a mechanical compression refrigeration cycle for cold production, such that the condensation heat of the latter is the heat source of the resorption/compression heat pump.

Accordingly, the proposed invention is very useful for simultaneously supplying the heating and cooling demands of the food and beverage processing industries.

Thanks to the present invention, it is possible to allow simultaneous supply of heat and cooling with a high temperature jump.

Other features and advantages of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention will become evident from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1.- It is a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the present invention.

Figure 2.- It is a schematic view indicative of the operation of a preferred embodiment of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the present invention.

Figure 3.- It is a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown schematically in Figure 1, the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention comprises and is based on a closed refrigeration cycle circuit 10, through which a fluid mixture or solution circulates cyclically, which is in turn composed of a variable proportion of a refrigerant fluid and an absorbent medium or substance, and in which said fluid mixture or solution in turn undergoes liquid and vapor phase changes.

In this preferred embodiment, due to ammonia's known affinity for water and their different boiling points, the absorbent medium is water and the coolant is ammonia. In other preferred embodiments of the same invention, other absorbent media or substances and other coolants with suitable properties could be used.

Said circuit 10 comprises and is divided into a resorption subcircuit 1 and a cooling subcircuit 2, which interact with each other in their operation, and which in figure 1 appear schematically separated by a dashed vertical line for better appreciation.

The resorption subcircuit 1 is enabled for generating useful heat outside the circuit 10, and simultaneously the cooling subcircuit 2 is enabled for absorbing heat from outside the same circuit 10, that is, for generating cold.

For their mutual interaction, the resorption subcircuit 1 and the cooling subcircuit 2 are in communication, so that in their operation, during the cyclic circulation of the fluid mixture or solution through the circuit 10, the fluid mixture travels through the resorption subcircuit 1, and then part of the same fluid mixture passes and travels through the other cooling subcircuit 2 to return again to the same resorption subcircuit 1, repeating the same cycle successively.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the resorption subcircuit 1 comprises an absorber 11, a desorber 12, a solution heat exchanger 13, a solution pump 14, a solution expansion valve 15, a low pressure compressor 16, a high pressure compressor 17, a vapor-liquid heat exchanger 18 and a heat exchanger 19.

All these elements are adequately connected and positioned to each other to carry out the operation of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention, as will be explained below.

On the other hand, and as can be seen in Figure 2, in the operation and use of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention, the absorber 11 has an operating pressure higher than the operating pressure of the desorber 12, and said pressure difference is provided jointly by the low pressure compressor 16 and the high pressure compressor 17, as will be detailed in the following explanation.

Likewise, as can also be seen in Figure 1, the cooling subcircuit 2 comprises a condenser 21, an evaporator 22, a rectifier 23, a refrigerant expansion valve 24 and a refrigerant heat exchanger 25.

All these other elements are also adequately connected and positioned to each other to carry out the operation of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention, as will be explained below.

The resorption subcircuit 1 and the cooling subcircuit 2 are in communication, such that the absorber 11 of the resorption subcircuit 1 is in communication with the rectifier 23 of the cooling subcircuit 2 for the passage and communication of the fluid mixture or solution, and the refrigerant heat exchanger 25 of the cooling subcircuit 2 is in communication with the desorber 12 of the resorption subcircuit 1 also for the passage and communication of the fluid mixture or solution.

In addition, the capacitor 21 and the rectifier 23 of the cooling subcircuit 2 are thermally connected to the desorber 12 of the resorption subcircuit 1, in order to allow the operation that will be detailed later.

In the operation and use of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention, the fluid mixture follows a cyclical route through the circuit 10, passing through the different elements present in the same circuit 10, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1.

The present explanation of the operation of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the present invention, and therefore the explanation of the subsequent cyclical route through circuit 10 of the fluid mixture with variable proportion of water and ammonia (respectively absorbent medium and refrigerant fluid), begins with the arrival of the fluid mixture in absorber 11 of resorption subcircuit 1.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the absorber 11 of the resorption subcircuit 1 receives a fluid mixture in vapor phase rich in ammonia, and also simultaneously and separately receives another fluid mixture in liquid phase rich in water, with a partial change from vapor phase to liquid phase taking place in the same absorber 11 and a generation and supply of heat towards the outside of the same absorber 11, which turns out to be the useful heat generated towards the outside of the circuit 10.

This useful heat can be supplied as useful heat by a closed loop of pressurized hot water, as shown in Figure 1.

After the partial change from vapor phase to liquid phase in the absorber 11, and after the aforementioned generation of heat, a subsequent exit of a mixture of predominantly vapor phase takes place from the same absorber 11, and separately another exit of a mixture of predominantly liquid phase takes place from the same absorber 11.

The outlet of the predominantly vapor phase mixture is directed to the rectifier 23 of the cooling subcircuit 2, and the same rectifier 23 returns a mixture of liquid phase rich in water already rectified or reflux to the same absorber 11, as can be seen by the arrows in Figure 1.

On the other hand, the same rectifier 23 receives the predominantly vapor phase mixture from absorber 11 and carries out its rectification. As a result, it communicates a vapor phase mixture almost pure in ammonia to the condenser 21, and also communicates a liquid phase mixture very rich in water back to the absorber 11, as shown in Figure 1, generating heat in the rectifier 23 resulting from a condensation of water from the same rectification.

Likewise, the outlet from the absorber 11 of the predominantly liquid phase mixture, which includes the very water-rich liquid mixture from the previous rectifier 23, is conducted to the solution heat exchanger 13, and from there to the solution expansion valve 15 where it expands isenthalpically and reaches the desorber 12.

According to what has been explained, the condenser 21 receives the almost pure vapor phase mixture in ammonia from the rectifier 23, carrying out a condensation of said vapor mixture received at high pressure, generating a heat resulting from the same condensation, as can be seen in figures 1 and 2.

As can be seen in figures 1 and 2, the heat generated in the condenser 21 and in the rectifier 23 are transmitted to the desorber 12. Said heat is used to heat and boil the mixture in the predominantly liquid phase present in the same desorber 12 and coming from the solution expansion valve 15, as can also be seen in figures 1 and 2, and thus achieve a desorption of the ammonia present in this liquid mixture.

Furthermore, as a result of the above boiling, the same desorber 12 is enabled to output a predominantly vapor-phase mixture rich in ammonia, and also a separate output of a liquid-phase mixture rich in water. Accordingly, the predominantly vapor-phase mixture is communicated to the low-pressure compressor 16, and the liquid-phase mixture is communicated to the solution pump 14.

According to different preferred embodiments of the invention, the solution pump 14 can be mechanically and/or electrically driven, or also be thermally driven.

The liquid phase mixture, after being driven by the solution pump 14, and the predominantly vapor phase mixture, after being compressed in a dry compression stage by the low pressure compressor 16, enter the vapor-liquid heat exchanger 18, where heat is transferred from the vapor mixture to the liquid mixture, as can be deduced from the observation of Figure 1.

The predominantly vapor phase mixture rich in ammonia, after being cooled in the vapor-liquid heat exchanger 18, enters the high pressure compressor 17, and the other mixture in liquid phase, after being heated in the same vapor-liquid heat exchanger 18, enters the solution heat exchanger 13 where it is also heated, thanks to a heat transfer from the predominantly liquid mixture coming from the absorber 11, as can be seen in Figure 1 and which had been referred to previously.

According to different preferred embodiments, the low pressure compressor 16 and/or the high pressure compressor 17 are mechanically and/or electrically driven.

The predominantly vapor phase mixture rich in ammonia, after its new dry compression by the high pressure compressor 17, enters the heat exchanger 19 where it is cooled and from there enters the absorber 11, and the other liquid phase mixture after its heating in the solution heat exchanger 13 also enters the same absorber 11, the cycle being repeated again in the resorption subcircuit 1.

In the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the present invention, a low-pressure compressor 16 and a high-pressure compressor 17 arranged in series one after the other are suitable simultaneously in the resorption subcircuit 1, due to the high temperature rise required for simultaneous heating and cooling performances in the proposed invention.

As regards the previous heat exchanger 19, it is enabled to take advantage of the heat from the discharge stream of the high pressure compressor 17 which is at a higher temperature than the absorber 11 and thus be able to increase the temperature of the heat produced in the absorber 11.

As can also be seen in Figure 1, the heat generated in the heat exchanger 19 to cool the ammonia-rich vapour phase mixture coming from the high-pressure compressor 17 before entering the absorber 11, is also used as useful heat delivered from the circuit 10. For this purpose, the heat generated in the heat exchanger 19 is also used to reheat the closed loop of pressurised hot water exiting the absorber 11, as can be seen in Figure 1.

In this way, useful heat can be supplied at high temperatures in the resorption subcircuit 1, with temperature jumps even above 25°C and up to 100°C or more, and with wide design flexibility in the temperature glide of the closed loop of pressurized hot water leaving the absorber 11.

In addition to all of the above and as can also be seen in Figure 1, in the cooling subcircuit 2, the liquid phase mixture rich in ammonia from the condenser 21 passes through the refrigerant heat exchanger 25 where it is heated, and then enters the refrigerant expansion valve 24 where it expands to low pressure, and then enters the evaporator 22 where it evaporates by absorbing heat from outside the circuit 10, that is, generating cold and cooling towards the outside of the circuit 10, as also indicated in Figure 2.

The resulting vapor phase mixture rich in ammonia that exits the evaporator 22 is what preheats the same mixture in liquid phase in the refrigerant heat exchanger 25 prior to its passage through the refrigerant expansion valve 24, thus improving the cooling effect that occurs in the evaporator 22, as also observed in Figure 1.

This same resulting vapor phase mixture rich in ammonia, after passing through the refrigerant heat exchanger 25, enters the desorber 12.

It is thus explained that in the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the present invention, the resorption subcircuit 1 can generate useful heat outside the circuit 10, and simultaneously the cooling subcircuit 2 can absorb heat from outside the same circuit 10, that is, generate cold.

In different preferred embodiments of the same invention, the absorber 11 and the desorber 12 may have very important particularities in their arrangement and operation.

As can be seen in Figure 3, in the case of the absorber 11 of the resorption subcircuit 1, in different preferred embodiments of the invention, and as it appears schematically delimited by a dashed box in the same Figure 3, said absorber 11 may comprise a first part 111, a second part 112 and a third part 113 differentiated.

In the first part 111, the vapor phase mixture of the ammonia-rich mixture originating from the heat exchanger 19, also simultaneously merges with the other liquid phase mixture, richer in water, originating from the solution heat exchanger 13.

As a result, in said first part 111, a partial and adiabatic absorption of the vapor phase mixture into the other liquid phase mixture received first takes place, giving rise to a resulting biphasic mixture of liquid and vapor with an increase in temperature and which then passes to the second part 112.

In the second part 112, said two-phase mixture undergoes a new absorption of the vapor in the liquid, where the heat supplied to the outside of the same absorber 11 is actually generated, as can be seen in figure 3, with the resulting mixture, which is mostly liquid, then passing to the third part 113.

Said third part 113, also indicated schematically by another dashed box in the same figure 3, also comprises a separator 114 enabled for separating the vapor from the liquid and a mixer 115. In the third part 113, the mostly liquid mixture is introduced into the separator 114 where the vapor is separated from the liquid. The separated vapor is the one sent to the rectifier 23 of the cooling subcircuit 2 indicated in figure 3. On the other hand, the liquid separated in the same separator 114 is the one mixed in the mixer 115 with the water-rich liquid mixture coming from the rectifier 23 of the cooling subcircuit 2, as can be seen in figure 3, and said liquid mixture resulting from the mixer 115 is the one that finally exits the absorber 11 to go to the solution heat exchanger 13 of the resorption subcircuit 1, as can be seen in figure 3.

Also in different preferred embodiments of the invention, in the case of the desorber 12 it may have a layout that is also schematically represented delimited by another dashed box in the same figure 3, and may be enabled so that the mixture in the liquid phase rich in water resulting from the heating and boiling, exits directly from the desorber 12 to go to the solution pump 14.

At the same time, in this arrangement of the desorber 12 shown in Figure 3, the same desorber 12 also includes a mixer 121, and the predominantly vapor phase mixture rich in ammonia resulting from the same previous heating and boiling, is mixed in said mixer 121 directly with the vapor phase mixture rich in ammonia coming from the refrigerant heat exchanger 25 of the refrigeration subcircuit 2 and resulting from the evaporation in the evaporator 22, and then the mixture resulting from both and coming from the mixer 121 is directed to the low pressure compressor 16, as can be seen in Figure 3.

The double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention has great technical advantages.

In addition to being able to generate heat and cold simultaneously, the heat supply temperature and the cold supply temperature can be very far apart, as can be seen in Figure 2. Likewise, both temperatures can be chosen or selected and regulated by the user, offering great flexibility.

The double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention uses components and equipment already known and also common in absorption cycles.

On the one hand, the only external energy input required is mechanical, to drive the compressors of the two compression stages, and to drive the pump for the liquid, low-ammonia ammonia/water solution, with no external heat source being required.

Likewise, the cycle of the proposed invention provides the great technical advantage of being able to supply heat at temperatures even higher than 100°C, and simultaneously operate with temperature jumps to provide cooling below 0°C, using only components available on the known market of ammonia heat pumps (R717), and all this with good design and operation flexibility.

In addition to the above, the cycle of the invention also offers the advantage that its operation and service do not require dissipating condensation heat, as occurs in conventional compression refrigeration systems by sending excess, unused heat to the outside, which results in greater energy efficiency of the system and a reduction in thermal emissions with the added environmental benefit that this entails.

The details, shapes, dimensions and other accessory elements, as well as the materials used in the manufacture of the double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device of the invention, may be conveniently replaced by others that are technically equivalent and do not depart from the essence of the invention or from the scope defined by the claims included below.

Claims (7)

1. A double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device comprising and based on a closed-cycle refrigeration circuit (10) through which a fluid mixture or solution composed of a variable proportion of an absorbent medium and a refrigerant fluid circulates cyclically, and characterized in that the circuit (10) comprises and is divided into a resorption subcircuit (1) and a refrigeration subcircuit (2); wherein the resorption subcircuit (1) is enabled for generating useful heat outside the circuit (10) and simultaneously the refrigeration subcircuit (2) is enabled for absorbing heat from outside the same circuit (10); the resorption subcircuit (1) and the cooling subcircuit (2) being in communication, such that in a condition of use during the cyclic circulation of the fluid mixture or solution through the circuit (10), the fluid mixture travels through the resorption subcircuit (1), and then passes and travels through the other cooling subcircuit (2) to return again to the same resorption subcircuit (1), repeating the same cycle successively; - wherein the resorption subcircuit (1) comprises an absorber (11), a desorber (12), a solution heat exchanger (13), a solution pump (14), a solution expansion valve (15), a low pressure compressor (16) and a high pressure compressor (17), a vapor-liquid heat exchanger (18) and a heat exchanger (19); wherein in a condition of use the absorber (11) has an operating pressure greater than the operating pressure of the desorber (12), said pressure difference being provided jointly by the low pressure compressor (16) and the high pressure compressor (17); - in which the cooling subcircuit (2) comprises a condenser (21), an evaporator (22), a rectifier (23), a refrigerant expansion valve (24) and a refrigerant heat exchanger (25); - the resorption subcircuit (1) and the cooling subcircuit (2) being in communication, such that the absorber (11) of the resorption subcircuit (1) is in communication with the rectifier (23) of the cooling subcircuit (2), and the refrigerant heat exchanger (25) of the cooling subcircuit (2) is in communication with the desorber (12) of the resorption subcircuit (1); and furthermore the condenser (21) and the rectifier (23) of the cooling subcircuit (2) are in thermal communication with the desorber (12) of the resorption subcircuit (1); wherein in a condition of use: - the absorber (11) of the resorption subcircuit (1) receives a fluid mixture in vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid and also simultaneously receives another fluid mixture in liquid phase rich in absorbent medium, a partial phase change from vapor to liquid phase taking place in the absorber (11) and a generation and supply of heat to the outside of the same absorber (11); - after the partial change from vapor phase to liquid phase in the absorber (11), a subsequent and separate exit of a fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase and a fluid mixture of predominantly liquid phase takes place from the same absorber (11); - in which the outlet of the fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase is directed to the rectifier (23) of the cooling subcircuit (2) and the same rectifier (23) returns a fluid mixture of liquid phase rich in absorbent medium already rectified to the same absorber (11), generating heat in the rectifier (23) resulting from the same rectification; and in which the same rectifier (23) communicates a vapor phase mixture very rich in refrigerant fluid to the condenser (21); - in which the outlet from the absorber (11) of the fluid mixture of predominantly liquid phase is conducted to the solution heat exchanger (13) and from there to the solution expansion valve (15) where it expands and reaches the desorber (12); - in which the condenser (21) receives the fluid mixture of vapor phase very rich in refrigerant fluid and carries out a condensation of said vapor mixture received, generating a heat resulting from the same condensation; - in which the heat generated in the condenser (21) and in the rectifier (23) are transmitted to the desorber (12); said heat being used for heating and boiling the fluid mixture in the predominantly liquid phase present in the same desorber (12) and coming from the solution expansion valve (15); - in which the desorber (12) is enabled for an outlet of a fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid resulting from the previous boiling, and also for another separate outlet of another fluid mixture in liquid phase rich in absorbent medium, so that the fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase is communicated to the low pressure compressor (16) and the fluid mixture of liquid phase is communicated to the solution pump (14); - in which the fluid mixture of liquid phase after being driven by the solution pump (14) and the fluid mixture in predominantly vapor phase after being compressed by the low pressure compressor (16) enter the vapor-liquid heat exchanger (18), where heat is transferred from the vapor fluid mixture to the liquid fluid mixture; - in which the fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid after its cooling in the vapor-liquid heat exchanger (18) enters the high pressure compressor (17), and the other fluid mixture in liquid phase after its heating in the same vapor-liquid heat exchanger (18) enters the solution heat exchanger (13) where it is also heated; - the fluid mixture of predominantly vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid after its compression by the high pressure compressor (17), enters the heat exchanger (19) where it is cooled and from there enters the absorber (11), and the other fluid mixture of liquid phase after its heating in the solution heat exchanger (13) also enters the same absorber (11), the cycle being repeated again in the resorption subcircuit (1). - in which the fluid mixture in liquid phase rich in refrigerant fluid coming from the condenser (21) passes through the refrigerant heat exchanger (25) where it is heated, and then enters the refrigerant expansion valve (24) where it expands and then enters the evaporator (22) where it evaporates by absorbing heat from outside the circuit (10); - in which the resulting vapor phase fluid mixture rich in refrigerant fluid that exits the evaporator (22) preheats the same mixture in liquid phase in the refrigerant heat exchanger (25) prior to its passage through the refrigerant expansion valve (24); - and the same fluid mixture in vapor phase resulting in refrigerant fluid rich in refrigerant fluid after passing through the refrigerant heat exchanger (25) enters the desorber (12). 2. Double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device according to claim 1, wherein the absorber (11) of the resorption subcircuit (1) comprises a first part (111), a second part (112) and a third part (113) differentiated; - wherein in the first part (111) the fluid mixture in vapor phase rich in refrigerant fluid coming from the heat exchanger (19) first converges, and where the other fluid mixture in liquid phase richer in absorbent medium and coming from the solution heat exchanger (13) also converges; wherein in said first part (111) a partial and adiabatic absorption of the fluid mixture in vapor phase takes place in the other fluid mixture in liquid phase received, giving rise to a resulting two-phase mixture of liquid and vapor with an increase in temperature and which passes to the second part (112); - where in the second part (112) said two-phase mixture undergoes a new absorption of the vapor in the liquid, with a generation and supply of heat towards the outside of the same absorber (11), the resulting mixture, which is mostly liquid, passing to the third part (113); - wherein said third part (113) comprises a separator (114) enabled for separating vapor from liquid and a mixer (115), wherein in the third part (113) the predominantly liquid mixture is introduced into the separator (114) where the vapor is separated from the liquid; and wherein the vapor separated in the separator (114) is sent to the rectifier (23) of the cooling subcircuit (2); and wherein the liquid separated in the same separator (114) is mixed in the mixer (115) with the liquid rich in absorbent medium coming from the rectifier (23) of the cooling subcircuit (2), and said liquid mixture resulting from the mixer (115) being the one that exits the absorber (11) to go to the solution heat exchanger (13) of the resorption subcircuit (1). 3. Double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the desorber (12) comprises a mixer (121), and wherein in the same desorber (12) the liquid phase mixture rich in absorbent medium resulting from the heating and boiling exits directly from the desorber (12) to go to the solution pump (14); and wherein the predominantly vapor phase mixture rich in refrigerant fluid resulting from the same previous heating and boiling is mixed directly in the mixer (121) with the resulting vapor phase mixture rich in refrigerant fluid coming from the refrigerant heat exchanger (25) of the refrigeration subcircuit (2), the resulting mixture of both coming from the mixer (121) being directed towards the low pressure compressor (16). 4. Double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the solution pump (14) is mechanically and/or electrically driven. 5. Double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the solution pump (14) is thermal. 6. Double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the low pressure compressor (16) and/or the high pressure compressor (17) are mechanically and/or electrically driven. 7. Double temperature rise compression-resorption heat pump device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the absorbent medium comprises water, and the refrigerant fluid comprises ammonia.