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CN-122002763-A - Method for controlling temperature in cabinet and air conditioning system for cabinet

CN122002763ACN 122002763 ACN122002763 ACN 122002763ACN-122002763-A

Abstract

A method of controlling temperature in a cabinet is provided. The method includes flowing a refrigerant through a circuit of an air conditioning system, the circuit including, in order, a condenser, a capillary tube, an evaporator, and a compressor. The air conditioning system further includes an evaporator airflow generator for blowing air across the evaporator and a cabinet heater for heating air to be blown across the evaporator by the evaporator airflow generator. The method further includes turning on the cabinet heater when an ambient temperature outside the cabinet falls below a threshold temperature.

Inventors

  • G. Joslan
  • P. Kolov
  • J. Harlop
  • N. JOHNSON

Assignees

  • 赛默奥尼克斯有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20251105
Priority Date
20241106

Claims (15)

  1. 1. A method of controlling temperature in a cabinet, comprising: A circuit for flowing a refrigerant through an air conditioning system, the circuit comprising, in order, a condenser, a capillary tube, an evaporator, and a compressor, wherein the air conditioning system further comprises: an evaporator air flow generator for blowing air through the evaporator, and A cabinet heater for heating the air to be blown through the evaporator by the evaporator airflow generator, and And when the ambient temperature outside the cabinet falls below a threshold temperature, turning on the cabinet heater.
  2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the air conditioning system further comprises a hot gas bypass valve configured to control flow of refrigerant to pass directly from the compressor to the evaporator and bypass the condenser and the capillary tube, and the method further comprises the steps of: the hot gas bypass valve is opened and closed at regular intervals.
  3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fixed interval is between 30 seconds and 60 seconds.
  4. 4. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the threshold temperature is 25 ° or less, preferably 20 ° or less.
  5. 5. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising the step of purging gas in the cabinet.
  6. 6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the cabinet is a cabinet for a mass spectrometer, optionally for use in an explosive environment.
  7. 7. An air conditioning system for a cabinet, comprising: a circuit of refrigerant comprising, in order, a condenser, a capillary tube, an evaporator and a compressor; An evaporator air flow generator for blowing air through the evaporator; A cabinet heater for heating the air to be blown through the evaporator by the evaporator airflow generator; a controller configured to operate the cabinet heater in response to an ambient temperature outside the cabinet falling below a threshold temperature, and At least one sensor in communication with the controller, the at least one sensor configured to monitor the air conditioning system.
  8. 8. The air conditioning system of claim 7, further comprising a hot gas bypass valve configured to allow the refrigerant to pass directly from the compressor to the evaporator and bypass the condenser and the capillary tube, wherein the controller is configured to open and close the hot gas bypass valve at a fixed interval, optionally the fixed interval is between 30 seconds and 60 seconds.
  9. 9. The air conditioning system according to any of claims 7 to 8, wherein the threshold temperature is 25 ° or less, preferably 20 ° or less.
  10. 10. The air conditioning system of any of claims 7 to 9, further comprising a high voltage switch configured to detect a failure of the condenser, wherein the controller is configured to shut down the compressor in response to the high voltage switch detecting the failure of the condenser.
  11. 11. The air conditioning system of any of claims 7 to 10, further comprising a low voltage switch configured to detect a loss of the refrigerant, wherein the controller is configured to turn off the compressor in response to the low voltage switch detecting the loss of the refrigerant.
  12. 12. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the at least one sensor comprises any one of: an ambient temperature sensor; a cabinet temperature sensor; Evaporator air flow generator sensor, and/or An evaporator temperature sensor.
  13. 13. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the heater includes: one or more cartridge heaters mounted within the thermally conductive block, and One or more heat sinks.
  14. 14. The air conditioning system of any of claims 7 to 13, wherein one or more of the cabinet heater, the compressor, and/or the hot gas bypass valve are controlled by a solid state relay.
  15. 15. The air conditioning system of any of claims 7 to 14, wherein the system is for a mass spectrometer and comprises: a processor configured to control operation of the mass spectrometer, the processor in communication with the controller, optionally the mass spectrometer for use in an explosive environment.

Description

Method for controlling temperature in cabinet and air conditioning system for cabinet Technical Field The present description relates to a method of controlling the temperature of a cabinet. In particular, the cabinet may be a cabinet for a mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer may in particular be a mass spectrometer for use in an explosive environment. An air conditioning system for a mass spectrometer is also described. Background Process mass spectrometers are typically mounted in cabinets (or shields) and require temperature adjustment to ensure measurement stability and linearity. To keep the temperature stable, an air conditioning system is used to manage the temperature in the cabinet. The air conditioning device is used for cooling the instrument in a high temperature environment. However, it encounters challenges in maintaining temperature control under low temperature conditions. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method of controlling the temperature of a cabinet and associated air conditioning system. US 3,113,439A discloses a heat pump adapted to heat or cool air from a cabinet and more particularly to a control arrangement for a heat pump having an outdoor temperature compensation means adapted to provide a bias to the heat pump control means in accordance with the anticipated heating and cooling demands of the cabinet. The bias heater and the thermistor are connected such that when the outdoor temperature decreases, the thermistor resistance increases and the heating output of the heater decreases. This solves the problem of the temperature sensed by the sensor in the cabinet lagging the actual outdoor temperature by using an offset heater for compensation. Disclosure of Invention A method of controlling temperature in a cabinet is provided. The method includes flowing a refrigerant through a circuit of an air conditioning system that includes, in order, a condenser, a capillary tube, an evaporator, and a compressor, wherein the air conditioning system further includes an evaporator airflow generator for blowing air across the evaporator, and a cabinet heater for heating air to be blown across the evaporator by the evaporator airflow generator, and turning on the cabinet heater when an ambient temperature outside the cabinet falls below a threshold temperature. This allows the temperature to be effectively maintained even during low temperature conditions. The evaporator air flow generator may in particular be an evaporator fan. This is a particular airflow generator that may be effective for the method. The air conditioning system may further include a hot gas bypass valve configured to control a flow of refrigerant to pass directly from the compressor to the evaporator and bypass the condenser and the capillary tube, and the method may further include the step of opening and closing the hot gas bypass valve at regular intervals. This can be used to raise the temperature in the cabinet when needed. The fixed interval may be between 30 seconds and 60 seconds. Such a fixed spacing may be effective to maintain the temperature in the cabinet. The threshold temperature may be 25 ° or less, preferably 20 ° or less. Below this temperature, additional heating of the cabinet heater may help maintain the temperature in the cabinet. The method may further comprise the step of purging the gas in the cabinet. This can empty or purge the cabinet of gas. The cabinet may be a cabinet for a mass spectrometer, optionally for use in an explosive environment. Mass spectrometers may require temperature adjustment to obtain reproducible results. In explosive environments, adjusting the temperature of the cabinet may be more important and/or difficult. An air conditioning system for a cabinet is provided. The air conditioning system includes a circuit of refrigerant comprising, in order, a condenser, a capillary tube, an evaporator, and a compressor, an evaporator airflow generator for blowing air across the evaporator, a cabinet heater for heating air to be blown across the evaporator by the evaporator airflow generator, a controller configured to operate the cabinet heater in response to an ambient temperature outside the cabinet falling below a threshold temperature, and at least one sensor in communication with the controller, the at least one sensor configured to monitor the air conditioning system. The air conditioning system enables efficient maintenance of temperature even during low temperature conditions. The evaporator air flow generator may in particular be an evaporator fan. This is a particular airflow generator that may be effective for the system. The air conditioning system may further include a hot gas bypass valve configured to allow refrigerant to pass directly from the compressor to the evaporator and bypass the condenser and the capillary tube, wherein the controller is configured to open and close the hot gas bypass valve at fixed intervals. This can be used to raise the temper