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BR-102024017628-A2 - Direct liquid cooling system in reservoirs.

BR102024017628A2BR 102024017628 A2BR102024017628 A2BR 102024017628A2BR-102024017628-A2

Abstract

The present invention falls within the field of technologies for heat exchange apparatus and systems, in which the heat exchange media come into direct contact without chemical interaction. To this end, the technology relates to a direct liquid cooling system in reservoirs with a branched distributor of injector tubes, installed at the bottom of the reservoir, for injecting refrigerant fluid and for direct contact with the liquid product, resulting in sensible and latent heat exchange through the formation of refrigerant fluid bubbles, and subsequently integrated into the compression refrigeration circuit.

Inventors

  • VIVALDO SILVEIRA JUNIOR
  • WILLIAN DOS ANJOS VISCARDI
  • HÉRCULES ROCHA MONTENEGRO

Assignees

  • UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL DE CAMPINAS

Dates

Publication Date
20260310
Application Date
20240827

Claims (17)

  1. 1. Direct liquid cooling system in reservoirs (1), characterized in that it comprises: - a liquid product (2); - a gear pump (3); - an external heat source (4); - an internal capillary distributor (5); - a compressor (6); - a condenser (7); - a fan (8); - a thermostatic expansion valve (9); - a temperature bulb (10); and - in which a refrigerant fluid circulates along the cooling system.
  2. 2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the refrigerant fluid, which circulates along the system, performs direct cooling of the liquid product (2), and is condensed by the condenser (7).
  3. 3. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid product (2) to be cooled is stored in the reservoir (1).
  4. 4. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid product (2) to be cooled can be any liquid, such as oil, fermentation wort and beverages.
  5. 5. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid product (2) is recirculated by the gear pump (3) to add a thermal demand by the external heat source (4).
  6. 6. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the internal capillary distributor (5) is attached to the base of the reservoir (1), and in that the internal capillary distributor (5) is the outlet of the refrigerant fluid onto the liquid product (2).
  7. 7. System according to claim 6, characterized in that the refrigerant fluid, when injected into the liquid product (2) by the internal capillary distributor (5), comes into direct contact with the liquid product (2) and performs a sensible and latent heat exchange.
  8. 8. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid product (2) is cooled, and the refrigerant fluid is heated.
  9. 9. System according to claim 6, characterized in that the bubbles of the refrigerant fluid, inside the liquid product (2), generate agitation of the liquid product (2) throughout the entire height of its liquid column.
  10. 10. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the refrigerant fluid, in its vapor state, is compressed by the compressor (6).
  11. 11. System according to claim 10, characterized in that the compressor (6) draws these vapors from the top of the reservoir (1).
  12. 12. System according to claim 10, characterized in that, after compression by the compressor (6), the pressurized vapors are directed to the condenser (7).
  13. 13. System according to claim 12, characterized in that the condenser (7) dissipates heat to the ambient air by forced convection by the fan (8).
  14. 14. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the refrigerant fluid, in the liquid state, is directed to the thermostatic expansion valve (9).
  15. 15. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the mechanical and automatic control of the thermostatic expansion valve (9) occurs via a closed loop by the temperature bulb (10).
  16. 16. System according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the reservoir (1) with the liquid product (2) is interconnected with the cooling system.
  17. 17. System, according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the product cooling operating range in the reservoir (1) is from 40 to 85 °C to 10 to 20 °C using refrigerant fluid R-134a in the refrigeration circuit.

Description

Field of invention [001] The present invention falls within the field of technologies for heat exchange apparatus and systems, in which the heat exchange media come into direct contact without chemical interaction. Fundamentals of the invention [002] Currently, liquid cooling processes in reservoirs have low heat exchange efficiency. This is because large reservoirs do not have mechanical agitators, and when they are jacketed, it results in lower heat exchange efficiency. Due to these factors, the liquids in these reservoirs exhibit little temperature homogeneity throughout the volume. [003] These problems also occur in the cooling of liquids in reservoirs that is done by circulation in external heat exchangers, which depend on limited flow and distribution conditions. In addition, some liquids cannot be agitated, and other mixtures, being exothermic, must be cooled locally to specific temperatures to maintain process efficiency. [004] The cooling of liquid products in reservoirs can be carried out by: [005] a) forced circulation of the product in external heat exchangers (in fermenters of sugar and alcohol plants or high-voltage electrical transformers, for example), requiring energy for pumping and availability of external thermal fluid for cooling the liquid product, but a cooled product front is returned, resulting in temperature heterogeneity in the reservoir itself; [006] b) cooling by heat exchange with the jacket of reservoirs (in jacketed tanks for beer fermentation, for example), which is characterized by a limited heat exchange due to the reduced availability of contact area, causing a radial temperature profile for tanks without agitation; and [007] c) forced convection cooling of air at lower temperature over the surfaces of small volume tanks (drums), which causes a slow cooling rate of the product inside the tank, due to greater internal resistance to heat exchange by natural convection that limits overall cooling, even with high convection on the outer wall. [008] Other liquid product cooling methods involving direct insertion and mixing with another component can also be seen on a small scale, such as: [009] a) incorporation of ice in the processing of sausages or in beverages; and [010] b) spraying water into the air to obtain adiabatic or evaporative cooling. [011] It is observed that the larger existing solutions do not sum up the heat transfer efficiency for cooling fluids stored in non-agitation reservoirs, resulting in non-homogeneity of temperature in the total volume, especially on a large scale. [012] Other existing direct insertion heat exchange processes are for heating, such as incorporating water vapor to heat tanks of aqueous solutions or products that undergo dilution. State of the art [013] The search for historical background led to some documents that reveal matters within the technological field of the present invention. [014] The state-of-the-art document ES 310765 A1 discloses a method and a system for cooling a liquid substance by absorbing heat from bubbles (vapor) formed by a liquefied gas when a refrigerant liquid is introduced into the system. It further describes that the liquefied gas, after leaving the system, is condensed back into its liquid phase and reintroduced into the system. [015] The document, ES 310765 A1, does not have flow control and does not have a declared expansion device; the condensation stage of the cycle has an undefined cooling component, and there is a necessary product circulation (the fluid has its temperature reduced from 85 °C to 20 °C; considering the boiling point of butane at 1 atm is -0.5 °C). The technology of the present invention has flow control via a thermostatic expansion valve and has a declared expansion device; the condensation stage of the cycle uses air as a cooling component. Product circulation is unnecessary and the operating conditions are different. [016] The state-of-the-art document “FREEZING-MELTING PROCESS AND DESALINATION: I. REVIEW OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART” describes an existing application of the primary refrigerant in direct contact with a solution to be frozen, for example, the cryo-concentration desalination process. Primarily, this method has operating temperatures below -5 °C, characterizing it as a process with low power consumption compared to other types of processes. This direct freezing process uses a suitable refrigerant with a boiling point below -5 °C, immiscible, non-toxic, non-flammable, chemically stable, as well as inexpensive and commercially available. Alongside all these requirements, good mixing of the refrigerant with the solution is essential for the production of ice crystals with fewer aggregated components. [017] The document “FREEZING-MELTING PROCESS AND DESALINATION: I. REVIEW OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART” differs from the present invention, since the present technology does not involve crystallization and involves recycling of the primary refrigerant, thus configuring a refrigeration cyc