During a normal operation, a refrigeration cycle device is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which heat contained in a high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of an interior radiator is stored in a heat storage member. When frost is formed on an evaporator, the refrigeration cycle device is switched to another refrigerant circuit in which the exterior heat exchanger is heated and defrosted using heat stored in the heat storage member as a heat source. The heat storage member uses a material formed by adding W (tungsten) as an additive to VO.sub.2 (vanadium dioxide) which is a transition metal oxide having a property of a phase transition between a metal and an insulator. The heat storage member effectively stores or dissipates heat depending on a temperature zone of the refrigerant, thereby suppressing an increase in energy consumption of a compressor.

An evaporator includes a housing having a first end longitudinally opposing a second end. The evaporator includes an inlet disposed on the housing and configured to receive a fluid. The evaporator also includes a tube bundle disposed in the housing and configured to evaporate the fluid to provide a vapor stream arranged to exit through an outlet on the housing. Additionally, the evaporator has a flow balancer provided between the tube bundle and the outlet on the housing, and the flow balancer is configured to balance refrigerant quality between the first end and the second end of the evaporator by controlling the vapor stream.

An expansion valve control method for a multi-split air-conditioning system to solve the problem of detecting leakage of an expansion valve of a multi-split air-conditioning system. The system includes an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, each of the indoor units is connected to the outdoor unit by a first pipeline and a second pipeline. The expansion valve control method includes acquiring an indoor temperature of an environment where an indoor unit is located; acquiring the temperature of a first pipeline of the indoor unit and the temperature of a second pipeline of the indoor unit when the indoor unit is in a shutdown state; and according to at least the indoor temperature of the environment where the indoor unit is located, determining the leakage condition of an expansion valve of the indoor unit.

A one-piece part based on a magnetocaloric material not comprising an alloy comprising iron and silicon and a lanthanide is provided. The part comprises a base in a first plane defined by a first and second direction and a set of N unitary blades secured to the base; the blades having a first dimension in the first direction, a second dimension in the second direction and a third dimension in a third direction at right angles to the first and second dimensions; an ith blade being separated from an (i+1)th blade by an ith distance; the ratio between the second dimension and first dimension being at least 10; the ratio between the third dimension and first dimension being at least 6; the first dimension being the same order of magnitude as the distance separating an ith blade from an (i+1)th blade. A thermal generator comprising one-piece parts is provided.

A method of improving the efficiency of the heat exchange system using variable superheat and sub cooling values for a wide range of ambient conditions is provided. The heat exchange system comprises an efficiency enhancing apparatus positioned between the condenser and evaporator. Data analytics software module and artificial intelligence techniques are used to obtain optimum system parameters for achieving maximum efficiency.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and controller therefor to operate with thermal energy reservoirs is provided to set a four-way valve to route a refrigerant through a refrigerant circuit in a first direction when the HVAC system is set to a cooling mode or in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, when the HVAC system is set to a heating mode; and set bypass valves in the refrigerant circuit based on a temperature of a temperature holding material in a thermal energy reservoir and which of the heating mode and the cooling mode the four-way valve is set to, wherein the bypass valves route the refrigerant through the thermal energy reservoir to transfer thermal energy between the refrigerant and the temperature holding material.

An apparatus includes a captured carbon dioxide input. The captured carbon dioxide input is coupled to receive captured carbon dioxide from a direct air capture system. The apparatus uses the captured carbon dioxide as a low global warming refrigerant to provide cooling functionality in automotive, commercial, and industrial applications, or other operations involving low global warming refrigerants. In various embodiments, the apparatus is a refrigeration apparatus or a heat pump apparatus. Low global warming carbon dioxide refrigerant is natural, non-toxic, non-flammable, and abundant when obtained from a direct air capture system. Moreover, carbon dioxide refrigerant has a high heat transfer coefficient and has a global warming potential (GWP) of one. Carbon dioxide refrigerant is a more sustainable and efficient coolant option than common refrigerants, such as R22, R152, R404a, and R1234yf refrigerants.

A medical contact shock freezer (10) adapted for fast freezing a plurality of individual bags containing a medical liquid, notably blood plasma, the medical contact shock freezer comprising:a first pair of freezing plates (11), at least one of the freezing plates of the first pair of freezing plates being moveable between i) a loading position of the freezing plates in which sufficient separation is provided between the freezing plates to load or unload the individual bags between the freezing plates and ii) a freezing position in which the individual bags arranged between the freezing plates are clamped between the freezing plates; anda first refrigeration circuit (15) configured when in a refrigeration mode to remove heat from the first pair of freezing plates to freeze the individual bags clamped between the first pair of freezing plates; in whichthe first refrigeration circuit comprises a cascade refrigeration circuit comprising a first stage refrigeration circuit (S1), a second stage refrigeration circuit (S2) and an inter-stage heat exchanger (17).

A refrigeration unit and methods of operating a refrigeration unit for an HVACR system are disclosed. The refrigeration unit includes a refrigerant circuit, including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator fluidly connected. The condenser includes a condenser portion and a subcooler portion. A single receiver tank is fluidly connected to an output of the condenser portion and an input of the subcooler portion. A restrictor is fluidly connected to the receiver tank. The restrictor can induce a pressure drop in a working fluid flowing from the subcooler portion.

Task: To provide a high quality air conditioner with high efficiency and stability, preventing adverse effect of manufacturing variation on the refrigerant distribution. Solution: The air conditioner having an expansion valve for decompressing a refrigerant, and a heat exchanger for heat exchange between the refrigerant and air. The air conditioner includes a first linearly shaped piping that is connected to the expansion valve and vertically disposed, a branch pipe connected to the first piping for branching a refrigerant flow path into a plurality of sections, a plurality of second pipings connected to the branch pipe, and a plurality of distributors connected to the second piping for further branching the refrigerant flow path to the heat exchanger.