This guy gets it. I'm an engineer for a company that supplies A/C compressors to car companies (being vague on purpose) and we test A/C systems and parts. When I saw your system my first thought was "damn it, he did it first".
My approach is (or will be) slightly different though. I've been DYING to try one of these puppies on my GLHS:
They are refrigerant to coolant heat exchangers, with their own expansion valves (TXV). I have a bunch of different sizes, one even bigger than the one on the left. I also have a few refrigerant solenoid valves (normally open or normally closed) to shut off the flow to the evaporator if necessary. They're primarily used to cool batteries in hybrid/electric cars, but their capacity is surprising compared to their size.
All I need to do is get my GLHS to run for an appreciable amount of time without breaking. Currently putting the engine back together after ALL the valve stem seals popped off.
Thanks for your contribution to the community!
Jeff
You just made my heart skip a beat! .....my God the times I've had to choke on my words and take a deep sigh when I hear people talking about the "Freon" in their cars. So few people care about the difference between R-12 and R-134a, or even what a "trade name" is.