Air Conditioning System and Transportation System Including Same

This application claims priority to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/790,547, filed Apr. 17, 2025, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/804,889, filed May 13, 2025, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/830,825, filed Jun. 26, 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 19/171,566, filed Apr. 7, 2025, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 19/003,031, filed Dec. 27, 2024, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/816,006, filed Aug. 27, 2024, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,215,908, issued Feb. 4, 2025 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/612,010, filed Mar. 21, 2024, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,103,354, issued Oct. 1, 2024, which claims priority to and claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/559,466, filed Feb. 29, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein in by reference.

Air conditioning (A/C) systems have been known for many years. Generally, it can be said that A/C systems provide cooled air into an environment (e.g., a residential or commercial building) by removing heat from indoor air. As the A/C system is performing this function, it returns the cooled air to the indoor space, and expels hot air outside of the building. Today, known A/C systems use a coolant, such as freon, ammonia, propane, and the like, and circulates this coolant to generate the cooled air. Furthermore, today's A/C systems, such as the prior art A/C systemof, include a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. In operation, these components of the A/C system work to change the coolant from gas to liquid and back to a gas.

More specifically, the compressorincreases the pressure and temperature of the coolant gas and delivers it to the condenser, where it is converted to a liquid, before it is sent back to the evaporator. In the evaporator, the liquid coolant (e.g., freon, ammonia etc.) evaporates and cools the coil of the evaporator. Subsequent to this cooling of the coil of the evaporator, a fanblows air across the cold coil of the evaporatorin order to cool the building (e.g., residence, commercial, or otherwise). Additionally, after being blown into the building, the cooled air is then circulated throughout the building while the heated evaporated gas is sent back outside the compressor. In other words, the A/C systemis a closed loop system, and as such, the heat is then released into the outdoor air as the coolant returns to a liquid state. In operation, this sequence is repeated until the building reaches a desired temperature.

The above-described system/process has a number of drawbacks. First, coolant in A/C systems, such as freon (e.g., refrigerant), is becoming more and more regulated. As a result, the coolant is becoming extremely expensive and inefficient for users, who may be homeowners or commercial building owners, to use in their A/C systems. Second, performing maintenance on today's A/C systems is rather difficult. For example, maintenance technicians who have to replace coolant of a given A/C system with new coolant are forced to turn off an entire A/C system, syphon out the old coolant, and introduce the new coolant. This process can take significant time to perform, costing users money. Third, because the cost of various coolants has gotten so high, owners are often forced to replace entire A/C systems when they have leaks in their coils, rather than simply introduce new coolant. This is not desirable. Fourth, because coolant and today's A/C systems (e.g., evaporators and condensers) are so expensive, many places in the world, such as hot desert regions, are unable to afford the same, thereby making withstanding the heat rather difficult. Fifth because powering air compressors requires users to draw power from a power grid, regions of the world with less sophisticated electric power capabilities are undesirably deprived of air conditioning. Finally, because today's A/C systems are closed loop systems, users are forced to keep their windows and doors closed, in order to prevent cooled air from escaping, and/or to minimize A/C bills.

Other systems which cause gases to move between states, besides the A/C system, include air separation systems at air separation plants. These systems have been known for a long time. However, the primary purpose of most all if not all air separation systems at these plants is to liquify gases (e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, etc.) for refrigeration purposes. Accordingly, equipment in these plants is uniquely tailored for the purpose of, for example, liquifying oxygen and nitrogen. Furthermore, gases in such plants, such as nitrogen gas, are lethal if breathed in by a human.

Additionally, transportation systems, such as cars, buses, trucks, sports utility vehicles, and the like, have been around for around one hundred years. It is common for operating systems in such transportation systems to include fuel burning engines. Some problems that have existed since the first fuel burning engines were developed include how to keep the systems cool, how to simplify manufacture, and how to improve fuel efficiency.

One way in which manufacturers have sought to address these problems is with the use of wheeled devices. For example, one known wheeled device is a turboexpander, and one known use of a turboexpander in transportation systems involves using exhaust gases as mechanical energy in order to cause a first wheel to rotate, and which, via a drive shaft connection thereby causes a second wheel to rotate. In such uses, it is common that the second wheel pulls in ambient air, pressurizes the ambient air due to rotation, and delivers the pressurized ambient air to a cylinder of a fuel burning engine, where it mixes with fuel that is injected into the cylinder. This process of delivering pressurized air to a cylinder of a transportation system's engine is known to improve fuel economy by delivering more oxygen to the cylinder during combustion.

However, this process and its associated system have a number of drawbacks. For example, by relying on exhaust gases in order to cause the wheels to rotate, the whole system becomes very hot. As a result, these systems commonly include heat exchanges (e.g., coolers) between an outlet of a first wheel and an inlet of a cylinder of an engine, in order to remove heat from this system. This often involves pumping anti-freeze from a radiator to the coolers and removing heat therefrom. This adds cost to the transportation system, complicates assembly, and still results in the system running hotter than is desired.

It is with respect to these and other considerations that the instant disclosure is concerned.

In one aspect of the disclosed concept, an air conditioning system is provided. The air conditioning system includes an air compressor configured to pull in ambient air and pressurize the ambient air in order to generate pressurized air, and a coolant-free expansion apparatus fluidly coupled to the air compressor and configured to receive the pressurized air and convert the pressurized air into expanded and cooled air for delivery to an environment.

In another aspect, a transportation system comprises at least one element configured to move the transportation system between an IDLING state corresponding to the transportation system being turned on and not moving, and an OPERATING state corresponding to the transportation system being turned on and moving, and the aforementioned air conditioning system.

As employed herein, the term “coupled” shall mean connected together either directly or via one or more intermediate parts or components.

As employed herein, the term “number” shall mean one or an integer greater than one (i.e., a plurality).

As employed herein, the term “air compressor” shall mean a device which generates pressurized air from ambient air, and delivers the pressurized air at an outlet at a pressure greater than the pressure of the ambient air entering the inlet. Air compressors in accordance with the disclosed concept may use electrical energy in order to generate a flow of pressurized gas. Air compressors may include an electric air compressor motor. Air compressors in accordance with the disclosed concept, unlike nitrogen compressors (or compressors configured for other gases besides air), may not have gas coolers, inlet and outlet dampers, and asynchronous motors.

As employed herein, the term “blower” shall mean an apparatus configured to produce air movement to a space.

As employed herein, the term “generator” shall mean a device configured to convert mechanical energy obtained from an external source into electrical energy as an output. Generators in accordance with the disclosed concept may convert mechanical energy from rotation of a drive shaft of a turboexpander into electrical energy, and may do so by moving at least one electrical conductor in a magnetic field in order to create a voltage difference between two ends of the electrical conductor.

As employed herein, the term “coolant” shall mean a substance configured to change states between liquid and gas, and as employed in a coil of an evaporator of an A/C system, such as the A/C system. Non-limiting examples of coolants include freon, propane, and ammonia.

As used herein, the term “air” shall mean an atmospheric gas comprised of Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon. Air in accordance with the disclosed concept preferably includes indoor and outdoor air, as well as both purified and non-purified air, wherein purified air includes, but is not limited to, air in which moisture and/or carbon dioxide have been removed. In one non-limiting example, air in accordance with the disclosed concept is non-toxic (e.g., breathable) to human beings.

As employed herein, the term “valve” shall mean a device for causing an opening area of a region of a conduit to be changeable as the valve opens and closes. Valves in accordance with disclosed concept may include guide vanes, as well as devices which move between FULLY OPEN states and FULLY CLOSED states. Joule-Thomson valves in accordance with the disclosed concept utilize the Joule-Thomson effect to cool air by rapidly expanding it, wherein such expansion may be achieved by throttling the air through the Joule-Thomson valve, causing a pressure drop and a corresponding temperature decrease.

As employed herein, the terms “inlet” and “outlet” shall each correspond to a “conduit”, whether a metallic or non-metallic pipe, or other type of conduit.

As employed herein, the term “control system” shall mean a system for directing the flow of air in an air conditioning system by causing any number of valves to independently move to predetermined positions, including fully open positions, fully closed positions, and positions therebetween. Control systems in accordance with the disclosed concept include programmable logic control systems.

As employed herein, the phrase “combustion reaction involving burning of fuel” shall mean a reaction involving an explosion between a gas, such as air, and a combustible fuel (e.g., oil including byproducts such as gasoline and aviation fuel, and natural gas including byproducts such as hydrogen fuel). A “combustion reaction involving burning of fuel” does not include the discharge of energy from an energy storage device such as a battery, and associated powering of an air compressor motor therewith.

“Fuel” in accordance with the disclosed concept shall include oil including byproducts such as gasoline and aviation fuel, and natural gas including byproducts such as hydrogen fuel.

As employed herein, the phrase “sole source of kinetic energy” shall mean a source of kinetic energy, such as a flow of pressurized air, in whose absence another object, such as a compressor wheel of a turboexpander, is configured to be in a static state (e.g., at rest), with respect to a ground.

As employed herein, the term “turboexpander” shall mean a device comprising a drive shaft, and first and second wheels coupled to the drive shaft, wherein the first wheel is configured to compress a gas and the second wheel is configured to expand the gas.

shows an example A/C system, in accordance with one non-limiting embodiment of the disclosed concept. The A/C systemin one example is preferably a coolant-free air conditioning system such that it functions without circulating coolant into a coil of an evaporator or other device. This is highly beneficial, as compared to the A/C system(), which is required to use coolant to cool buildings and the like. More specifically, by being coolant-free, the A/C systemcan, among other advantages, save users money and minimize maintenance. That is, large evaporators and the like do not have to be replaced, and expensive coolant does not have to be employed in order to cool a building.

The A/C systemwill now be discussed in detail, and the aforementioned advantages as well as others will be made apparent. As shown in, the systemincludes an air compressor, a turboexpander, a generatorcoupled to the turboexpander, an energy storage device(e.g., without limitation, a battery, a capacitor, or another different type of energy storage device) electrically connected to the generator, and a blower. The turboexpanderis coupled to the air compressor, the generator, and the blower. In one non-limiting example, the A/C systemis configured to deliver expanded and cooled air to ductwork, which may be coupled to the blowerand configured to deliver the expanded and cooled air from the turboexpanderthroughout a building.

In operation, aspects of the A/C systemcomprising the air compressor, the turboexpander, the generator, the energy storage device, and the blowermay be located outside of a building, and may be fluidly coupled to the ductwork, which may extend throughout the interior of the building. In a suitable alternative example, the air compressor, the turboexpander, the generator, and the blowermay all be located in an interior of a building and be a self-contained subassembly that is configured to pull indoor air into the air compressorfor cooling, wherein the cooled air may be delivered back into the indoor environment.

The turboexpanderincludes a drive shaft, a compressor wheelcoupled to the drive shaft, an expander wheelcoupled to the drive shaftand the compressor wheel(e.g., via the drive shaft), a first inletand a first outleteach associated with the compressor wheel, and a second inletand a second outleteach associated with the expander wheel. Furthermore, as shown, the generatorincludes a rotor (“R”)coupled to the drive shaftof the turboexpanderand configured to be rotated during operation of the turboexpander.

Moreover, the air compressormay include an air compressor motor, which may be an electric motor. Additionally, the generatoris preferably electrically connected to the air compressor motorin order to power the air compressor, and/or is configured to be electrically connected to an electrical apparatus(shown in dashed line drawing in) in order to power the electrical apparatus. The electrical apparatusmay be an operating system of a building (e.g., a restaurant, hospital, and the like), such as a lighting system, refrigeration system, freezer system, etc., in a manner wherein the A/C systemis configured to deliver air conditioning to the building, and also supply power to the lighting, refrigeration, and/or freezer system, as well as various other systems within the building. Furthermore, the generatormay be configured to power, e.g., fully power, the electrical apparatus(e.g., the operating system of the building) while the bloweris delivering the expanded and cooled air to the building. After discussion of the operation of the A/C system, below will be discussion of an example implementation of the A/C system, wherein an electrical apparatus is in the form of an electric motor() of a transportation system (e.g., vehicle, shown in), such that the vehicleincludes the A/C systemas an integral operating system.

Continuing to refer to, the energy storage deviceis electrically connected to the air compressor motor, the generator, and the electrical apparatus. Additionally, in non-limiting examples of the disclosed concept, the A/C systemdoes have the capability to receive power from a grid (e.g., from a power source-, shown in dashed line drawing in), should the need arise.

In operation, the generatorreliably supplies power to a number of devices. For example, the energy storage deviceis electrically connected to and configured to be charged by the generatorof the A/C system. Moreover, the energy storage deviceis also configured to power the air compressor motor. Specifically, during operation of the A/C system, power may first be drawn by the air compressor motorfrom the energy storage device.

In one non-limiting example, the A/C systemfurther includes a moisture separator (“MS”), which may be a filter, fluidly coupled to an outletof the air compressorand the first inletof the turboexpanderin order for moisture (e.g., water) to be removed from the pressurized air before the pressurized air is delivered to the turboexpander. As such, the air compressormay be configured to pull in ambient air at an inletof the air compressorfrom the atmosphere, generate pressurized air from the ambient air, and cause the pressurized air to exit via the outletbefore being passed through the moisture separator.

It will be appreciated that the ambient air may be pressurized to any number of different pressure ranges, depending on the environment for the A/C system. In one example, the ambient air is pressurized to between 130-180 psi. In an alternative example, an air compressor is configured to generate higher or lower pressures higher than 130-180 psi, provided suitable materials are employed, such as thicker and higher-grade steels for higher pressures.

Continuing to refer to, it will be appreciated that the air compressormay, in one example, be fluidly coupled to the turboexpanderwithout any intermediate air processing apparatuses (e.g., a heat exchanger, distillation column, etc.) therebetween, such that the pressurized air flows directly from the air compressorinto the turboexpander. As used herein, the moisture separatoris not considered an air processing apparatus. In a further example, the outletof the air compressoris directly coupled to and engaged with the first inlet, such that air flows directly from the outletthrough the moisture separatorand into the first inletof the turboexpander, without passing through any other intermediate parts or components. It will also be appreciated that the blowermay be fluidly coupled to the second outletwithout any intermediate air processing apparatuses (e.g., a heat exchanger, distillation column, etc.) being located therebetween. In other words, the blowermay have an inletthat is directly coupled with and engaged with the second outlet.

In one example, a suitable alternative air compressor (not shown) may be fluidly coupled to the first inletof the turboexpander via a side stream, shown in. In such an embodiment, the alternative air compressor (not shown) may be an existing air compressor at a garage, air separation facility, or the like. In such an example embodiment of the disclosed concept, the side stream, and a valve-coupled to the side stream, may be one of a plurality of streams of the air compressor (not shown), wherein other of the streams may separately be configured to be directed to, for example, a fork-lift (not shown) in a garage or other location. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that air from the alternative air compressor (not shown) may likewise not be processed (e.g., in a heat exchanger, distillation column, or the like) when passing through the valve-of the side streamto the first inlet. Furthermore, in such an example of the disclosed concept, an air conditioning system preferably includes the turboexpander, the generator, the energy storage device, and the blower, which are configured to receive the pressurized air from the separate air compressor (not shown) via the side streamand valve-.

Continuing to refer to, coupled to the outletof the air compressoris a valve-, and coupled to the first inletof the turboexpanderis another valve-. In operation, the valves-,-function to control the volume and speed of air both exiting the air compressorand entering the first inletof the turboexpander. As a result, volume flow of air moving through the A/C systemis configured to be reliably controlled by opening and closing the valves-,-.

More specifically, the A/C systemmay further include a control system. In one example, the control systemis wirelessly connected and/or electrically connected to the air compressorand the valves-,-, such that responsive to actuation of the control system(e.g., wherein a user presses a button on a control panel or sends a signal to the control systemwith a wireless device), the air compressoris configured to generate the pressurized air at a predetermined first pressure, thereby causing the turboexpanderto generate expanded and cooled air at a predetermined second temperature. This is achieved by the valves-,-being opened and closed to predetermined opening areas by the control system.

Once inside the turboexpander, the compressor wheelmay generate boosted air from the pressurized air from the air compressor, and the expander wheelmay generate expanded and cooled air from the boosted air, as will be discussed below. For example, the compressor wheelboosts the pressurized air from the air compressorto an even greater pressure. As such, by employing the compressor wheel, a size of the air compressoris advantageously able to be relatively small. In one example, the compressor wheelreceives the pressurized ambient air at 130-180 psi and boosts the pressurized ambient air to a pressure even greater thanpsi. After being boosted by the compressor wheel, the even higher pressurized air exits the compressor wheelvia the first outlet, which is fluidly coupled to the second inletof the expander wheel.

Accordingly, after exiting through the first outlet, the boosted air enters the expander wheelvia the second inlet. Once inside the expander wheel, the boosted air is expanded by volume, which causes a relatively large pressure and temperature drop in the air. In other words, the expander wheelgenerates expanded and cooled air from the boosted air. In one example, the air is configured to exit the turboexpander at between 3-20 psi of pressure, as well as between 33-45 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be appreciated that inlet and outlet temperatures associated with the turboexpandermay readily be varied.

However, in accordance with the disclosed concept, air is preferably not being liquified during operation of the A/C system(e.g., other than at the moisture separator), and operation of the A/C systemincludes directing the air above a freezing temperature of water. That is, the air compressorand the turboexpanderare together configured to change the ambient air to the expanded and cooled air without causing any of the ambient, pressurized, boosted, and expanded and cooled air to change states between a gas and a liquid. This includes embodiments where air undergoes a purification process corresponding to moisture and carbon dioxide being removed from the air between the air compressorand the first inlet.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the gas which is compressed by the air compressorand the compressor wheel, and then expanded and cooled by the expander wheel, is the same gas which is delivered to the blower. That is, unlike existing systems (e.g., the A/C system) in which coolant changes from liquid to gas in the evaporator in order to cool an entirely separate and distinct gas (e.g., air) which is passed over the coil of the evaporator, the A/C systemis preferably coolant-free. As such, the same air which is pressurized, boosted, and expanded and cooled is also the air that is delivered to the blower, such that the blower receives the expanded and cooled air in order to deliver the expanded and cooled air to an environment. Put another way, substantially all of the air associated with the A/C systementers and passes through each of the compressor, the turboexpander, and the blowersuch that coolant (e.g., being located in coils) is preferably not employed to cool the air. As such, the A/C systemreadily provides tremendous advantages over the prior art A/C system() and improves over the prior art A/C systemin most and/or all of the respects discussed above in connection with the A/C system().

Continuing to refer to, as the expander wheelis dropping the pressure and temperature of the air, the drive shaftis rotating, which in turn powers the windings of the generatorvia the coupling between the rotorand the drive shaft. The purpose of this functionality will be described below. Additionally, once the pressure and temperature of the air have been dropped by the expander wheel, the expanded and cooled (e.g., and also low pressure) air is caused to exit the turboexpandervia the second outlet. In turn, this cool and low-pressure air is advantageously used to cool a building, the cabin of the vehicle(), and/or other environments. More specifically, and continuing to refer to, the inletof the bloweris fluidly coupled to the second outlet. As such, when the cool and low-pressure air is received at the blower, a fan of the blowercan cause that cool and low-pressure air to be excited (e.g., made more turbulent), thereby allowing it to be delivered more effectively to a building.

Furthermore, because the air is rather cold, in one example the A/C systemis configured to be employed with a valve system in the form of a vent stackcoupled to the outlet of the blower. The vent stackmay open and close to an outside environment automatically or from a user. In one example, the control systemis wirelessly connected to the vent stackin order to better control the temperature of cooled air being delivered to a building. For example, a smaller opening of the vent stackvia the control systemis configured cause colder temperatures in a given building. Accordingly, the vent stackmay be a way for the A/C system to regulate temperature in a building. In one example, the vent stackcould be open one at an initial time one hundred percent and then can close in a gradual manner in order to efficiently regulate temperature in a building.

Continuing to refer to, the ductwork, which is coupled to the A/C system, may include a primary branchand a plurality of secondary branches,,fluidly coupled to the primary branch. Additionally, coupled to, located on, and/or provided with an end of each of the secondary branches,,may be a corresponding vent,,(e.g., one which may be positioned adjacent a wall of a room of a commercial building or house). As such, it will be appreciated that the cool and low-pressure air, which has been excited by the blower, will enter the primary branch(e.g., the primary branchis fluidly coupled to the blower) and be forced through each of the secondary branches,,, where it will exit the ductworkthrough the corresponding vents,,, thereby adequately delivering the cooled and low-pressure air throughout a large number of regions of a building. In addition to delivering cooled and low-pressure air to an environment, the A/C systemis also provided with a power generation capability in tandem with the air conditioning capability. More specifically, as stated above, as the drive shaftof the turboexpanderis caused to rotate, the rotorof the generatoris rotated, thus generating power. As shown in, a first electrical lineis electrically connected to the generator, and a number of branch electrical lines,,are each directly or indirectly electrically connected to the first electrical line. In one example, the electrical lines,,,allow electrical power from the generatorto be directed to any combination or all of the air compressor motor, the energy storage device, and the electrical apparatus.

In one example, electric power from the generatoris directed back into the air compressor motorvia the electrical lines,, which may be one single electrical line. In another example, the A/C systemfurther is configured to deliver power to the electrical apparatus, wherein electric power from the generatoris directed to the electrical apparatusvia the electrical lines,, which may be one single electrical line. In yet a further example, electric power from the generatoris directed to the energy storage devicevia the electrical lines,,, which may be one single electrical line, in order that the energy storage devicemay be charged by the generator. Accordingly, the A/C system, unlike the A/C system(), is advantageously configured to deliver cool and low-pressure air to an environment and simultaneously (e.g., at the same time) deliver electric power to electrical apparatuses, including the air compressor motor, the energy storage device, and/or the electrical apparatus.

Continuing to refer to, the air compressorincludes the inletfor receiving the ambient air, and the inletof the blower is configured to receive the expanded and cooled air from the second outletof the turboexpander. Furthermore, as shown in, the A/C systemfurther includes a recirculation conduitfluidly coupled to each of the second outletof the turboexpander, the inletof the blower, and the inletof the air compressorin order to recirculate a first amount of the expanded and cooled air back into the inletof the air compressor after the first amount has exited the turboexpander. In one example, the air compressoris fluidly coupled between the recirculation conduitand the compressor wheelsuch that the first amount is configured to flow directly from the recirculation conduitinto the inletof the air compressorto be pressurized before flowing into and being boosted by the compressor wheel. In other words, the recirculation conduitis preferably spaced from the inletassociated with the compressor wheel. To illustrate, and with continued reference to, the A/C systemmay further include a vent conduit, as well as a plurality of valves-,-,-,-each coupled to a corresponding one of the inletof the air compressor, the inletof the blower, the vent conduit, and the recirculation conduit. The valves-,-,-,-are preferably each wirelessly connected and/or electrically connected to the control system, and function to control the flow of the expanded and cooled air in the system. For example, responsive to actuation of the control system, the valve-may move between fully open and fully closed states, thus causing either large amounts or none, respectively, of the expanded and cooled air to exit the A/C system to an atmosphere via the vent conduit. Similarly, the valves-,-,-control airflow into the blower, through the recirculation conduit, and into the air compressor.

In one example, the valves-,-function to control the first amount of the expanded and cooled air flowing into the inletof the air compressorand a second amount of the expanded and cooled air flowing into the blower. In one example, the vent conduitis fluidly coupled to each of the second outletof the turboexpander, the inletof the blower, and the recirculation conduit, such that the vent conduitis configured to vent a second amount of the expanded and cooled air to an atmosphere. It will thus be appreciated that the valve-is configured to control the second amount of the expanded and cooled air being vented to the atmosphere. In one example, responsive to actuation of the control system, such as a user pressing a button on the control systemor the control systemreceiving a signal from a smart device (e.g., mobile phone, tablet, vehicle, etc.), the amount of the expanded and cooled air passing through the recirculation conduitmay be a predetermined amount.

Continuing to refer to, the air compressor is further configured to startup in a reliable manner. More specifically, the air compressorpreferably further includes a vent conduit, the outlet, a valve-coupled to the vent conduit, and the valve-coupled to the outletof the air compressor. Furthermore, the vent conduitis configured to vent an amount of the pressurized air to an atmosphere, and the valve-is configured to control the amount of the pressurized air being vented to the atmosphere.

Moreover, the valve-is configured to control an amount of the pressurized air exiting the air compressorbefore being delivered to the turboexpander. In turn, responsive to the A/C systemmoving from an INITIAL STATE to an OPERATING state, the amount of pressurized air vented to the atmosphere decreases as the amount of air passing through the outletincreases. Put another way, the vent conduitmay close gradually or entirely after the air compressorgets going, in order to allow for maximum delivery of the pressurized air to the turboexpander.