A refrigeration system includes a rotary pressure exchanger fluidly coupled to a low pressure branch and a high pressure branch. The rotary pressure exchanger is configured to receive the refrigerant at high pressure from the high pressure branch, to receive the refrigerant at low pressure from the low pressure branch, and to exchange pressure between the refrigerant at high pressure and the refrigerant at low pressure, and wherein a first exiting stream from the rotary pressure exchanger includes the refrigerant at high pressure in the supercritical state or the subcritical state and a second exiting stream from the rotary pressure exchanger includes the refrigerant at low pressure in the liquid state or the two-phase mixture of liquid and vapor.

A refrigerator and a method of controlling a refrigerator are provided. The refrigerator may include a machine room defined in or at one side of a storage compartment, a base that defines a bottom surface of the machine room, a compressor seated on the base to compress a refrigerant, a condenser that condenses a refrigerant compressed in the compressor, the condenser being disposed on or at one side of the compressor, a drain pan disposed on the base to store condensed water generated in the condenser, and a fan assembly coupled to the base to generate an air flow within the machine room. The fan assembly may include a plurality of condensation fans.

A refrigerator and a method of controlling a refrigerator are provided. The refrigerator may include a machine room defined in or at one side of a storage compartment, a base that defines a bottom surface of the machine room, a compressor seated on the base to compress a refrigerant, a condenser that condenses a refrigerant compressed in the compressor, the condenser being disposed on or at one side of the compressor, a drain pan disposed on the base to store condensed water generated in the condenser, and a fan assembly coupled to the base to generate an air flow within the machine room. The fan assembly may include a plurality of condensation fans.

A refrigeration cycle device is configured to be selectively switchable between an air-cooling first refrigerant circuit that causes refrigerant to flow out of a liquid-phase refrigerant outlet of a gas-liquid separator, and an air-heating second refrigerant circuit that causes the refrigerant to flow out of a gas-phase refrigerant outlet of the gas-liquid separator. In the refrigeration cycle device, an oil separator is disposed in a refrigerant passage that leads from a heat dissipation device to a first expansion valve. Thus, when the first refrigerant circuit is configured in the refrigeration cycle device, the refrigerant passing through the oil separator is in a single gas phase or in an almost gas phase, so that oil can be easily separated from the refrigerant. Furthermore, when the refrigerant circulates through the first refrigerant circuit, oil can be retained at a position other than the gas-liquid separator.

The invention relates to a refrigerant circuit (10) of a vehicle air-conditioning system (12), in particular for electric vehicles, comprising a compressor unit (14) which includes a first compressor (16) and a second compressor (18) arranged downstream for compressing a refrigerant (20), a condenser (22) for heating air (24) which can be supplied to a vehicle interior, a first pressure reducing unit (26) arranged downstream of the condenser (22) for decompressing the refrigerant (20) from the condenser (22), a heat exchanger (28) through which refrigerant flows for heat exchange with vehicle ambient air (30), an evaporator (32) for cooling air (24) which can be supplied to a vehicle interior, and a second pressure reducing unit (34) arranged upstream of the evaporator (32) for decompressing the refrigerant (20) from the heat exchanger (28), the second compressor (18), the condenser (22) and the first pressure reducing unit (26) being bypassed in a cooling mode of the vehicle air-conditioning system (12), and the evaporator (32) and the second pressure reducing unit (34) being bypassed in a heating mode of the vehicle air-conditioning system (12). The invention furthermore relates to a method of air-conditioning a vehicle interior, in particular by means of the refrigerant circuit (10) described above.

An air-conditioning apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting, with pipes, a compressor, a first refrigerant flow switching device, a heat-source-side heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a plurality of intermediate heat exchangers. A heat medium circuit is formed by connecting, with pipes, a plurality of pumps configured to pressurize and circulate the heat medium subjected to heat exchange in the plurality of intermediate heat exchangers, a plurality of use-side heat exchangers each configured to exchange heat between the heat medium and air in an air-conditioned space, and a heat-medium flow switching/control device configured to switch which of the heat medium is to be allowed to flow into and out of each of the use-side heat exchangers; and a controller configured to perform processing for controlling the switching performed by the heat-medium flow switching/control device, in accordance with a capacity of each of the use-side heat exchangers.

A refrigerant evaporator includes: a first heat exchange part in which refrigerant flows; a second heat exchange part in which the refrigerant flows; a first tank arranged below the first heat exchange part to distribute the refrigerant to the first heat exchange part; a second tank arranged below the second heat exchange part to collect the refrigerant flowing through the second heat exchange part; and a third tank joined to the first tank and the second tank to introduce the refrigerant collected by the second tank to the first tank. A clearance is defined among the first tank, the second tank, and the third tank. At least one of a joint portion between the first tank and the third tank and a joint portion between the second tank and the third tank defines a drainage passage to discharge water trapped in the clearance.

A refrigerant evaporator includes: a first heat exchange part in which refrigerant flows; a second heat exchange part in which the refrigerant flows; a first tank arranged below the first heat exchange part to distribute the refrigerant to the first heat exchange part; a second tank arranged below the second heat exchange part to collect the refrigerant flowing through the second heat exchange part; and a third tank joined to the first tank and the second tank to introduce the refrigerant collected by the second tank to the first tank. A clearance is defined among the first tank, the second tank, and the third tank. At least one of a joint portion between the first tank and the third tank and a joint portion between the second tank and the third tank defines a drainage passage to discharge water trapped in the clearance.

Provided is a refrigeration cycle apparatus capable of achieving an improvement in heat exchange performance during a heating operation and during a cooling operation, while suppressing increases in manufacturing cost and volume required for packaging. The outdoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger are connected in parallel to the indoor heat exchanger via the branch portion. The flow path switching device includes a first port, a second port, and a third port. The first port is connected with a third refrigerant flow path. The second port is connected with the outdoor heat exchanger. The third port is connected with a fourth refrigerant flow path. The second port is configured to switch between a state in which the second port is connected to the first port and a state in which the second port is connected to the third port.

Provided is a refrigeration cycle apparatus capable of achieving an improvement in heat exchange performance during a heating operation and during a cooling operation, while suppressing increases in manufacturing cost and volume required for packaging. The outdoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger are connected in parallel to the indoor heat exchanger via the branch portion. The flow path switching device includes a first port, a second port, and a third port. The first port is connected with a third refrigerant flow path. The second port is connected with the outdoor heat exchanger. The third port is connected with a fourth refrigerant flow path. The second port is configured to switch between a state in which the second port is connected to the first port and a state in which the second port is connected to the third port.