System and method for controlling a refrigeration desuperheater

1. A system for controlling a desuperheater comprising:

a first temperature sensor coupled to a refrigerant discharge gas line of a compressor;

a second temperature sensor coupled to a water inlet line of the desuperheater; and

a controller operatively coupled to at least the first temperature sensor, the second temperature sensor, the compressor, and the desuperheater,

wherein the controller starts or stops a desuperheating function of the desuperheater by;

i) turning on a circulation pump of the desuperheater when the first temperature sensor determines that a temperature at the discharge gas line of the compressor is above an upper threshold temperature; and

ii) turning off the circulation pump of the desuperheater when either the first temperature sensor determines that a temperature at the discharge gas line of the compressor is below a lower threshold temperature or the second temperature sensor determines that a temperature of water entering the desuperheater has reached a maximum set point temperature.

2. The system as defined claim 1 , wherein the upper threshold temperature is a temperature that is high enough to heat water to a maximum set point temperature.

3. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the upper threshold temperature and the lower threshold temperature are set by a user inputting values to the controller.

4. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first temperature sensor is one of a thermistor, an RTC, and a thermocouple.

5. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second temperature sensor is one of a thermistor, an RTC, and a thermocouple.

6. The system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a display for displaying temperatures determined by the first temperature sensor, the second temperature sensor, or any combination thereof.

7. A method of controlling a desuperheater comprising the steps of:

a) providing a first temperature sensor coupled to a refrigerant discharge gas line of a compressor;

b) providing a second temperature sensor coupled to a water inlet line of the desuperheater;

c) providing a controller operatively coupled to at least the first temperature sensor, the second temperature sensor, the compressor, and the desuperheater, wherein the controller includes a display and a user interface;

d) selecting a mode of operation of the desuperheater using the user interface of the controller;

e) turning on a circulation pump for a pre-programmed interval of time in order to sample a water inlet temperature with the second temperature sensor; and

f) continuously monitoring a refrigerant discharge gas temperature with the first temperature sensor and starting or stopping a desuperheating function of the desuperheater by:

i) turning on, based at least in part on a signal provided by the controller, a circulation pump of the desuperheater when the first temperature sensor determines that a temperature at the discharge gas line of the compressor is above an upper threshold temperature; and

ii) turning off, based at least in part on a signal provided by the controller, the circulation pump of the desuperheater when either the first temperature sensor determines that a temperature at the discharge gas line of the compressor is below a lower threshold temperature or the second temperature sensor determines that a temperature of water entering the desuperheater has reached a maximum set point temperature.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the upper threshold temperature is a temperature that is high enough to heat water to a maximum set point temperature.

9. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the upper threshold temperature and the lower threshold temperature are set by a user inputting values to the controller.

10. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the first temperature sensor is one of a thermistor, an RTC, and a thermocouple.

11. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the second temperature sensor is one of a thermistor, an RTC, and a thermocouple.