Provided is a supercritical fluid chromatography system, and components comprising such a system, including one or more of a supercritical fluid chiller, a supercritical fluid pressure-equalizing vessel, and a supercritical fluid cyclonic separator. The supercritical fluid chiller and the use of the chiller allow efficient and consistent pumping of liquid-phase gases employing off-the-shelf HPLC pumps in the supercritical chromatography system using liquid-phase gas mobile phase. The pressure equalizing vessel allows the use of off the shelf HPLC column cartridges in the supercritical chromatography system. The cyclonic separator efficiently and effectively allows for separation of sample molecules from a liquid phase or gas phase stream of a supercritical fluid.

Embodiments as disclosed herein are directed to a heat pump that employs at least two different refrigerants, each of which is optimized for either a cooling operation mode or a heating operation mode. The embodiments as disclosed herein can help increase the capacity and/or efficiency of a heat pump in both the cooling operation mode and the heating operation mode. In addition, the embodiments as disclosed herein may also eliminate the need for a ground source in a relatively low ambient temperature environment.

An air-conditioning apparatus includes a high-pressure side pressure detection device detecting high-pressure side pressure, a low-pressure side pressure detection device detecting low-pressure side pressure, a high-low pressure bypass pipe connecting a pipe on a discharge side of a compressor and a pipe on a suction side of the compressor, a bypass expansion device disposed in the high-low pressure bypass pipe, a high-pressure side temperature detection device detecting high-pressure side temperature, and a low-pressure side temperature detection device detecting low-pressure side temperature; an outdoor unit side controller that detects circulation composition of refrigerant on the basis of the high-pressure side pressure, the low-pressure side pressure, the high-pressure side temperature, and the low-pressure side temperature; and a relay unit side controller performing at least one of a calculation of evaporating temperature and degree of superheat, and a calculation of condensing temperature and degree of subcooling on the basis of the circulation composition.

A computing device calculates an evaporating temperature Te* and a dew-point temperature Tdew* from a quality X, a temperature glide ΔT determined by a difference between a boiling temperature and a dew-point temperature at a predetermined pressure, and a refrigerant temperature detected by second temperature detection device.

A defrost system includes: a cooling device in a freezer, and includes a casing, a heat exchanger pipe with a difference in elevation in the casing, and a drain receiver unit below the heat exchanger pipe; a refrigerating device to cool and liquefy CO.sub.2 refrigerant; and a refrigerant circuit for permitting the cooled and liquefied CO.sub.2 refrigerant to circulate to the heat exchanger pipe. The defrost system includes a bypass pipe of the heat exchanger pipe to form a CO.sub.2 circulation path; an on-off valve in the heat exchanger pipe to be closed during defrosting so that the CO.sub.2 circulation path is a closed circuit; a pressure adjusting unit for adjusting pressure of the CO.sub.2 refrigerant during defrosting; and a brine circuit as a first heating medium, in which the defrost system permits the CO.sub.2 refrigerant to naturally circulate in the closed circuit during defrosting by a thermosiphon effect.

A defrost system includes: a cooling device in a freezer, and includes a casing, a heat exchanger pipe with a difference in elevation in the casing, and a drain receiver unit below the heat exchanger pipe; a refrigerating device to cool and liquefy CO.sub.2 refrigerant; and a refrigerant circuit for permitting the cooled and liquefied CO.sub.2 refrigerant to circulate to the heat exchanger pipe. The defrost system includes a bypass pipe of the heat exchanger pipe to form a CO.sub.2 circulation path; an on-off valve in the heat exchanger pipe to be closed during defrosting so that the CO.sub.2 circulation path is a closed circuit; a pressure adjusting unit for adjusting pressure of the CO.sub.2 refrigerant during defrosting; and a brine circuit as a first heating medium, in which the defrost system permits the CO.sub.2 refrigerant to naturally circulate in the closed circuit during defrosting by a thermosiphon effect.

A cryocooler includes a displacer, a cylinder that forms an expansion space, a Scotch yoke mechanism configured to drive the displacer in a reciprocating manner, a first rod that extends from the Scotch yoke mechanism, a housing that includes an assist chamber, a rotary valve configured to switch between a state in which the expansion space and a discharge side of a compressor are connected and the assist chamber and a suction side of the compressor are connected and a state in which the expansion space and the suction side of the compressor are connected and the assist chamber and the discharge side of the compressor are connected, a motor configured to drive the Scotch yoke mechanism and the rotary valve, and an on-off valve configured to open and close a gas flow path through which the rotary valve and the assist chamber are connected.

A motor vehicle may have a cylindrical component having two grooves aligned orthogonally to a cylinder axis, recessed into local areas of a lateral surface, and running parallel to each other, and a blind hole in an end of the cylindrical component. A fastening component for the cylindrical component may include a holding device having a U-shaped socket and a head portion having a through opening. The holding device may be matched to the cylindrical component in such a way that the cylindrical component is positively insertable via the two grooves into the U-shaped socket until the blind hole in the end is in alignment with the through opening in the head portion of the holding device. The fastening arrangement may also have a fastening element that is insertable and screwable through the through opening in the head portion into the blind hole in the cylindrical component.

An apparatus for using nitrogen within a closed loop cryogenic system is described. A cryochamber is provided that has a first nitrogen flow line with an inlet for connection to a nitrogen source and an outlet. At least one cryogenic cooling loop is provided that has a nitrogen inlet and a nitrogen outlet. The nitrogen inlet and outlet are in fluid communication with the first nitrogen flow line. The nitrogen inlet is positioned upstream of the nitrogen outlet. A heat exchanger is provided on the at least one cryogenic cooling loops through which the nitrogen passes. The heat exchanger has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. A turbo expander is in fluid communication with the outlet of the first nitrogen flow line and the nitrogen source. The turbo expander re-cools the nitrogen that passes through the first flow line and the at least one cryogenic cooling loop.

An electrochemical compressor utilizes an anion conducting layer disposed between an anode and a cathode for transporting a working fluid. The working fluid may include carbon dioxide that is dissolved in water and is partially converted to carbonic acid that is equilibrium with bicarbonate anion. An electrical potential across the anode and cathode creates a pH gradient that drives the bicarbonate anion across the anion conducting layer to the cathode, wherein it is reformed into carbon dioxide. Therefore, carbon dioxide is pumped across the anion conducting layer. The compressor may be part of a refrigeration system that pumps the working fluid in a closed loop through a condenser and an evaporator.