Patent Application
20250060138
The present disclosure relates to heat pumps and more specifically to heat pumps that include a plurality of mini-compressors disposed in a parallel arrangement.
Heat pumps are generally used in water heating systems and in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. Heat pumps may be used in a variety of applications, including residential, commercial, and industrial applications. A conventional heat pump works by extracting heat from a source and transferring the heat to a medium, e.g., air, water, by using a refrigerant. The heat pump may include a plurality of components, including a compressor, an evaporator, one or more fans, one or more expansion valves, a condenser, etc., that enable efficient heat pump operation.
A heat pump used in a water heating system may operate on a larger temperature differential as compared to a heat pump that may be used in an HVAC system. Therefore, the heat pump used in the water heating system may include a relatively larger compressor as compared to a compressor used in the heat pump for the HVAC system. Larger compressors typically generate more noise or sound waves that may cause inconvenience to users.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. Elements and/or components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, depending on the context, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.
The present disclosure is directed towards a heat pump assembly or a refrigerant circuit that may generate less noise than a conventional heat pump. The refrigerant circuit may be a vapor compression cycle system that may be part of a water heating system configured to heat water. The refrigerant circuit may include a first heat exchanger configured to output a low-pressure refrigerant in a vapor state. In some aspects, the first heat exchanger may be an evaporator. In some instances, the refrigerant circuit may further include a plurality of compressors (e.g., a first compressor and a second compressor) that may be configured to receive the refrigerant from the first heat exchanger (i.e., be in fluid communication with the first heat exchanger). The first and the second compressors may be configured to increase pressure and temperature of the refrigerant and output high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant in vapor state. The refrigerant circuit may further include a second heat exchanger that may be configured to receive the refrigerant from the first compressor and/or the second compressor when the first compressor and/or the second compressor may be activated (i.e., the second heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the first compressor and/or the second compressor). In some aspects, the second heat exchanger may be a condenser that may be configured to output the refrigerant in a liquid state.
In certain embodiments, the plurality of compressors may be disposed in a parallel arrangement between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. In some instances, each compressor of the plurality of compressors may be a mini-compressor (e.g., having a displacement capacity of less than 10 cubic centimeters, or of 5 cubic centimeters or less) that may generate less noise than a conventional relatively larger compressor (e.g., having a displacement capacity of 10 cubic centimeters or more). As an example, a conventional larger compressor may generate noise in a range of 50-52 decibel (dB), and a mini-compressor may generate noise in a range of 38-42 dB. By disposing two, three, four, or more mini-compressors in the parallel arrangement, as described in the present disclosure, the combined noise generated by the plurality of compressors may be in a range of 42-44 dB, which is considerably lower than the noise generated by the conventional larger compressor.
In some aspects, each compressor of the plurality of compressors may be the same size. In other aspects, one or more compressors of the plurality of compressors may be different sizes. For example, one or more compressors of the plurality of compressors may have a displacement capacity of about 5 cubic centimeters, while other compressors of the one or more compressors may have a displacement capacity of less than 5 cubic centimeters.
The refrigerant circuit may further include a controller that may control operation of the plurality of compressors. Specifically, the controller may activate one or more compressors of the plurality of compressors based on at least one of data and time information, an ambient temperature, a compressor health status, a flow of water intake into the water heating system, and a desired water temperature. For example, the controller may activate the first and second compressors together when a system user may desire quick water heating. As another example, if the heat pump has four compressors disposed in a parallel arrangement, the controller may activate the first and second compressors, and third and fourth compressors on alternate days to increase longevity of the plurality of compressors.
The refrigerant circuit may further include an expansion valve that may receive the refrigerant from the second heat exchanger and may output the refrigerant in a low-pressure state to the first heat exchanger, thus enabling the refrigerant to flow through the refrigerant circuit and completing the vapor compression cycle.
The present disclosure describes a heat pump assembly that includes a plurality of mini-compressors disposed in a parallel arrangement. The plurality of mini-compressors may collectively provide similar output and efficacy as a single larger compressor; however, the plurality of mini-compressors may generate less noise, thus enhancing user convenience of operating heat pump assembly in a water heating system. Further, the plurality of mini-compressors may work in tandem or in an alternate manner based on heated water usage requirements and the health condition of each compressor. Furthermore, heat pump longevity may be increase when the plurality of compressors are operated in alternate manner. That is, some compressors may be used at certain times while other compressors may be used at other times in order to reduce the wear and tear on each compressor and thus extend the life of the heat pump. In addition, the plurality of mini-compressors may collectively weigh less than a single conventional larger compressor, thus making it easier for the user to carry or transport the water heating system including the heat pump assembly.
Although certain examples of the disclosed technology are explained in detail herein, it is to be understood that other examples, embodiments, and implementations of the disclosed technology are contemplated. Accordingly, it is not intended that the disclosed technology is limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components expressly set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosed technology can be implemented in a variety of examples and can be practiced or carried out in various ways. In particular, the presently disclosed subject matter is described in the context of being a system and method for heating water with a heat pump. The present disclosure, however, is not so limited, and can be applicable in other contexts. The present disclosure, for example and not limitation, can be applied to HVAC systems as well. Furthermore, the present disclosure can include other fluid heating systems configured to heat a fluid other than water such as process fluid heaters used in industrial applications. Such implementations and applications are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, when the present disclosure is described in the context of being a system and method for heating water with a heat pump, it will be understood that other implementations can take the place of those referred to.
Although the term “water” is used throughout this specification, it is to be understood that other fluids may take the place of the term “water” as used herein. Therefore, although described as a system and method to heat water, it is to be understood that the system and methods described herein can apply to fluids other than water. Further, it is also to be understood that the term “water” can replace the term “fluid” as used herein unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Turning now to the drawings,
In certain embodiments, the refrigerant circuit 100 may include a first heat exchanger 105, a compressor 110, a second heat exchanger 115 and an expansion valve 120 connected in series by refrigerant tubing 125 through which, during heat pump operation, a refrigerant may flow in the indicated clockwise direction. Specifically, the refrigerant may sequentially flow from an outlet of the first heat exchanger 105, through the compressor 110, through the second heat exchanger 115, through the expansion valve 120, and back to an inlet of the first heat exchanger 105. The refrigerant may be, for example, R22 or R410A. Any suitable refrigerant may be used herein.
In some embodiments, the first heat exchanger 105 may be an evaporator, and the second heat exchanger 115 may be a condenser. In some instances, the first heat exchanger 105 may include a fan (not shown) that may draw heat from ambient environment and may output the refrigerant in low-pressure, vapor state. The compressor 110 may receive the refrigerant from the first heat exchanger 105 via the refrigerant tubing 125. The compressor 110 may “compress” the refrigerant to output the refrigerant in a high pressure, high temperature vapor state. In some aspects, the compressor 110 may be a pump that provides additional pressure to the refrigerant to enable the refrigerant to flow through the defined path, as indicated in
The second heat exchanger 115 may output the refrigerant in the liquid state towards the expansion valve 120 (that may be connected between the first heat exchanger 105 and the second heat exchanger 115, as shown in
The first heat exchanger 105 may receive the refrigerant from the expansion valve 120 and may convert and output the refrigerant as a low pressure, vapor state refrigerant, as described above. In this manner, the refrigerant may flow in the refrigerant circuit 100, facilitating heating of water through the second heat exchanger 115.
The compressor 110 may be of any type. For example, the compressor 110 may be a positive displacement compressor, a reciprocating compressor, a rotary screw compressor, a rotary vane compressor, a rolling piston compressor, a scroll compressor, an inverter compressor, a diaphragm compressor, a dynamic compressor, an axial compressor, or any other form of compressor that can be integrated into the heat pump assembly for the particular application.
In an exemplary aspect, the compressor 110 may be a relatively larger conventional compressor having a displacement capacity of around 10 cubic centimeters (when the water heating system may have a capacity in a range of 6,000-8,000 BTUs). In this manner, the compressor 110 may generate noise or sound waves in a range of 50-52 decibel (dB) when the compressor 110 is operational.
In some instances, the refrigerant circuit 200 may include a first heat exchanger 205, a first compressor 210, a second compressor 215, a second heat exchanger 220, an expansion valve 225 and refrigerant tubing 230. The first heat exchanger 205 may be same as the first heat exchanger 105, the second heat exchanger 220 may be same as the second heat exchanger 115, the expansion valve 225 may be same as the expansion valve 120, and the refrigerant tubing 230 may be same as the refrigerant tubing 125.
In some aspects, the first compressor 210 and the second compressor 215 may be mini-compressors having a displacement capacity of less than 10 cubic centimeters, such as around 5 cubic centimeters or less (when the water heating system may have a capacity in a range of 6,000-8,000 BTUs). In some instances, the first and the second compressors 210, 215 may be of same size. In other aspects, the first and the second compressors 210, 215 may be of different sizes. Further, the first compressor 210 and the second compressor 215 may generate less noise or sound waves during compressor operation as compared to a typical larger compressor in a heat pump system of similar capacity. For example, in some instances, each of the first compressor 210 and the second compressor 215 may generate sound in a range of 38-42 dB during operation.
The first compressor 210 and the second compressor 215 may be disposed in a parallel arrangement between the first heat exchanger 205 and the second heat exchanger 220. In this manner, each of the first compressor 210 and the second compressor 215 may be configured to receive the refrigerant from the first heat exchanger 205 and output the refrigerant in a high-pressure vapor state to the second heat exchanger 220 via the refrigerant tubing 230 when respective compressors are activated.
The second heat exchanger 220 may be configured to receive the refrigerant from at least one of the first compressor 210 and the second compressor 215 based on respective compressor activation status. For example, the second heat exchanger 220 may receive the refrigerant from the first compressor 210 when the first compressor 210 is activated and may receive the refrigerant from the second compressor 215 when the second compressor 215 is activated. The second heat exchanger 220 may receive the refrigerant from both compressors when both the compressors are activated. In some instances, one or move valves may be disposed along the refrigerant circuit between the first heat exchanger and the two compressors in order to control to flow of refrigerant to one or both of the compressors.
Although
The refrigerant circuit 200 may further include a heat pump controller (shown as controller 300 in
As another example, the controller may activate only the first compressor 210 when the second compressor 215 is detected or determined to be faulty or vice-versa.
In additional aspects, when the refrigerant circuit 200 is part of a water heating system, the controller may activate the first compressor 210 and/or the second compressor 215 based on at least one of an ambient temperature, a flow of water intake into the water heating system or hot water demand scenario, a desired water temperature, a water tank temperature profile, and/or the like. For example, the controller may activate both the first and second compressors 210, 215 simultaneously when the ambient temperature is low (e.g., in a range of 15 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit) or when a system user may desire quick water heating or high water temperature (e.g., greater than a predefined threshold, such as 110 or 120° F.).
When the first and second compressors 210, 215 (or more mini-compressors) operate simultaneously, the first and second compressors 210, 215 may collectively generate noise in a range of 42-44 dB. Since this noise level is considerably lower than the noise generated by a conventional large-sized compressor (that may generate noise in range of 50-52 dB) installed in a water heating system of similar capacity, the present disclosure facilitates in reducing noise generation from the compressors (and hence from the heat pump assembly). Further, each mini-compressor (e.g., the first and second compressors 210, 215) may weigh in a range of less than 10 lbs, such as less than 5 lbs, or 2-3 lbs and a conventional large-sized compressor may weigh more than 10 lbs. Therefore, a refrigerant circuit/heat pump including 3-4 mini-compressors may weigh less than a heat pump including a large-sized compressor, thus enhancing user convenience of carrying or transporting the water heating system for installation and/or maintenance. Furthermore, the controller may selectively activate more than one compressors simultaneously based on demand of heated water, thereby enhancing water heating system usability.
Functions of different components associated with the refrigerant circuit 200 and the process of refrigerant flow in the refrigerant circuit 200 are same as the functions of components associated with the refrigerant circuit 100 and the process of refrigerant flow described above in conjunction with
The controller 300 may include a plurality of components including, but not limited to, a processor 305, a memory 310, and a communication interface 315. The controller 300 may be a computing device configured to receive data, determine actions based on the received data, and output a control signal instructing one or more refrigerant circuit components to perform one or more actions. In some aspects, the controller 300 may be configured to receive ambient temperature data from one or more ambient temperature sensors that may be part of the heat pump assembly or may be external to the heat pump assembly. In additional aspects, the controller 300 may be configured to receive a water intake flow rate into the water heating system from one or more inlet sensors that may be part of the water heating system, compressor health status from respective compressors (e.g., the first and second compressors 210, 215), and/or date and time information from a system timer (not shown).
In some aspects, the controller 300 may be configured to send and receive wireless or wired signals, and the signals may be analog or digital signals. The wireless signals may include Bluetooth®, BLE, WiFi®, ZigBee®, infrared, microwave radio, or any other type of wireless communication signals as may be suitable for a particular heat pump application. The hard-wired signals can include communication signals between any directly wired connections between the controller 300 and other heat pump components. For example, the controller 300 can have a hard-wired 24 Volts Direct Current (VDC) connection to the sensors and the compressors (e.g., the first and second compressors 210, 215) described above.
Alternatively, the controller 300 may communicate with the sensors and the compressors via a digital connection. The digital connection can include a connection such as an Ethernet or a serial connection and can utilize any suitable communication protocol for the heat pump application, such as Modbus, fieldbus, PROFIBUS, SafetyBus, Ethernet/IP, and/or the like. Furthermore, the controller 300 can utilize a combination of wireless, hard-wired, and analog or digital communication signals to communicate with and control the various heat pump components. A person ordinarily skilled in the art may appreciate that the above configurations are given merely as non-limiting examples and the actual configuration can vary depending on the particular heat pump application.
The memory 310 may be configured to store a program and/or instructions associated with the functions and methods described herein. The processor 305 may be configured to execute the program and/or instructions stored in the memory 310. The memory 310 can include one or more suitable types of memory (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash memory, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), and the like) for storing files including the operating system, application programs (including, for example, a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, and or other applications, as necessary), executable instructions and data. One, some, or all of the processing techniques or methods described herein can be implemented as a combination of executable instructions and data within the memory 310.
The communication interface 315 may be configured to send or receive communication signals between the various heat pump components. The communication interface 315 can include hardware, firmware, and/or software that allows the processor 305 to communicate with the other components via wired or wireless networks, whether local or wide area, private or public, as known in the art. The communication interface 315 can also provide access to a cellular network, the Internet, a local area network, or another wide-area network as suitable for the particular heat pump application.
Additionally, the controller 300 may have or be in communication with a user interface (not shown) for receiving inputs from the user. The user interface may be installed locally on the water heating system (of which the heat pump assembly may be a part). In an exemplary aspect, the user may provide inputs to the controller 300, via the user interface, indicating ambient temperature ranges in which the compressors (e.g., the first compressor 210 and the second compressor 215) may be activated independently or simultaneously. Similarly, the user may provide an input indicating the water intake flow rate and/or desired water temperature at which the compressors may be activated independently or simultaneously. In some aspects, the controller 300 may store the inputs received from the user via the user interface in the memory 310. In some instances, the user interface may be part of a mobile device.
In operation, the processor 305 may obtain ambient temperature from the ambient temperature sensors, water tank temperature from temperature sensors disposed about the water tank, water intake flow rate or a hot water demand scenario from the inlet sensors, compressor health status from respective compressors, date and time information from the system timer, and/or desired water temperature from the user interface and/or the memory 310. In this manner, the processor 305 may send activation or deactivation signals to the first and second compressors 210, 215 (to activate or deactivate respective compressors) based on the obtained information.
For example, the processor 305 may activate both the first and second compressors 210, 215 simultaneously when the desired water temperature or the water intake flow rate may be greater than a temperature threshold or a flow rate threshold respectively (that may be stored in the memory 310). As another example, the processor 305 may activate the first compressor 210 or the second compressor 215 on alternate days based on the date and time information. As another example, the processor 305 may activate both the first and second compressors 210, 215 simultaneously when the ambient temperature may be lower than a predefined ambient temperature threshold (that may be stored in the memory 310).
The method 400 may start at step 402. At step 404, the method 400 may include obtaining, by the controller 300, at least one of an ambient temperature, date and time information, a compressor health status, a water tank temperature profile, a desired water temperature, a hot water demand scenario or a flow of water intake into the water heating system, as described above. The information may be obtained from one or more sensors associated with various components of the heat pump system. In some instances, the information may be obtained from memory of a control system.
At step 406, the method 400 may include activating, by the controller 300, at least one of the first compressor 210 and/or the second compressor 215 based on the obtained information, as described above in conjunction with
The method 400 may stop at step 408.
In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, which illustrate specific implementations in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other implementations may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, one skilled in the art will recognize such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
It should also be understood that the word “example” as used herein is intended to be non-exclusionary and non-limiting in nature. More particularly, the word “example” as used herein indicates one among several examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is being directed to the particular example being described.
With regard to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. It further should be understood that certain steps could be performed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments and should in no way be construed so as to limit the claims.
Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent upon reading the above description. The scope should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the technologies discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the application is capable of modification and variation.
All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meanings as understood by those knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless an explicit indication to the contrary is made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc., should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments may not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments.
The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/519,313, filed Aug. 14, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63519313 | Aug 2023 | US |
