US 12,460,846 B2
Multi-level oil vaporizer for refrigeration system
Anthony S. Molavi-Tabrizi, Mooresville, NC (US)
Assigned to CARRIER CORPORATION, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (US)
Filed by Carrier Corporation, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (US)
Filed on Jan. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/156,561.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/300,702, filed on Jan. 19, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0228471 A1, Jul. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. F25B 43/02 (2006.01)
CPC F25B 43/02 (2013.01) [F25B 2400/01 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vaporizer of a chiller system, comprising:
an inner shell through which a refrigerant and oil mixture is flowed;
one or more hot gas pathways extending through the inner shell from a hot gas inlet to a hot gas outlet, through which a hot gas is flowed to boil refrigerant in the refrigerant and oil mixture;
an outer shell in which the inner shell is embedded, the outer shell defining a sump fluidly connected to the inner shell via a sump inlet line to deliver the refrigerant and oil mixture from the inner shell to the sump;
a sump heater disposed in the sump, configured to boil additional refrigerant from the refrigerant and oil mixture;
a vaporizer vent port to remove boiled vapor refrigerant from the inner shell; and
a sump vapor refrigerant outlet separated from the vaporizer vent port to remove boiled refrigerant from the sump;
wherein the boiled refrigerant from the inner shell and the boiled refrigerant from the sump are combined along a compressor return line upstream of a compressor inlet.