HEAT PUMP ADDITIVE PROVIDING ENHANCED EFFICIENCY

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention deals with improvements in the efficiency of heat pump systems including refrigeration units, heating and air conditioning systems and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For many years, efforts have been made to improve the energy efficiency of heating and cooling units which function on the heat pump principle.

Once such improvement can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,280, that issued on Oct. 16, 1990 to Wilkins, et al in which there is disclosed a method of improving the efficiency of a heat pump system by introducing into the pump's oil system a polar compound which is liquid under said system's operating conditions. The problem with the method is that the polar compound has chlorine in it which eventually is displaced from the compound by the presence of water, which chlorine is destructive to the metal components of the pump.

THE INVENTION

Thus, what is disclosed and claimed herein is an additive for compressor pump oil providing enhanced efficiency to the pump. The pump oil comprises a compressor oil and, a material selected from the group consisting of an organic phosphate and mixtures of organic phosphates and, a hydro-treated heavy naphthenic distillate. As used herein, “organic phosphates” means all valence states of phosphorus, including phosphates and phosphites.

In addition, the compressor oil can also contain polycarboxylate based natural fatty acids or mixtures of polycarboxylate based natural fatty acids, antioxidants, mixtures of antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors, mixtures of corrosion inhibitors, non-ferrous metal deactivators, and, mixtures of non-ferrous metal deactivators.

What is preferred in this invention is an oil containing a compressor oil and a material selected from the group consisting of: organic phosphates or mixtures of organic phosphates; at least one hydrotreated heavy naphthenic distillate; at least one polycarboxylate based natural fatty acid; at least one antioxidant; at least one corrosion inhibitor, and, at least one non-ferrous metal deactivator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention deals with improvements in the efficiency of heat pump systems. Such systems include, for example, centrifugal compressors, diagonal or mixed-flow compressor, axial-flow compressors, reciprocating compressors, rotary screw compressors, rotary vane compressor, scroll compressors, diaphragm compressors, air bubble compressor, and hermetically sealed, open, or semi-hermetic compressors. There are two main compressor types, namely, positive displacement and dynamic. The dynamic contains centrifugal and axial pumps, and the positive displacement has two kinds, reciprocating and rotary. The reciprocating variety contains diaphragm, double acting and sing acting and the rotary contains lobes, screw, liquid ring, scroll and vane pumps.

In particular, this invention deals with compressible fluids that are used in such pumps. Most early prior art commonly used materials for this application were Freon® (Dupont) and ammonia. Today, more and more compressible fluids are used in such pumps. In order to prolong the usefulness of such fluids, additives are put into the fluids.

The fluids (oils) of this invention are comprised of conventional oils for this use. The inventor herein has discovered that the addition of organic phosphates or mixture of organic phosphates, in conjunction with hydrotreated heavy naphthenic distillates provide useful fluids.

As noted Supra, the “phosphates” useful herein can be phosphates and/or phosphites and one such phosphate is, for example, Doverphos 613 Alkyl (C12-C15) bisphenol A Phosphite sold by Dover Chemical Co., Dover, Ohio, USA. Dover also supplies Doverphos 253, Dioleyl hydrogen phosphite.

The materials are merely blended together to create the inventive compositions described herein.

EXAMPLES

Stability Aging at Ambient (23 C/50% R.H.) for 2+ years

Performance

A York Model water-cooled, self-contained air conditioner of 3.3 ton cooling capacity, powered by a 3.0 horsepower compressor drives by a 208/220 v, three phase, 60 hertz electric motor was used. A hermetically sealed compressor with condenser, expansion valve, evaporator and attendant Freon R-22 control system was used for performance testing. The York system contained 0.875 gallons of York “C’ oil. The amount of product added to the York C oil was 2.5% additive to the oil in the system.

The KWH consumed by the inventive compositions over time was significantly reduced compared to the control.