This application incorporates U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/786,444, filed on Oct. 17, 2017, entitled “DC Refrigeration System Controls,” in its entirety by reference.
Thermal climate control is a technology that provides immense capabilities and benefits to the developed world. One example may be advancements in refrigeration or air conditioning. Refrigeration allows items that, under normal environmental conditions, would perish after a particular amount of time common to the item, to be preserved for longer periods of time than is common. For example, the expected useful life for items such as food, pharmaceutical drugs, etc., may be extended from refrigeration. With advancements in technology, refrigeration can now be placed or used in diverse locations or applications. One such application may include the use of reefer units on commercial trucks. These reefer units allow the trailer of a semi-truck to remain at a predetermined temperature for the entire duration of the truck's travel.
However, even in the developed world, refrigeration comes at great cost. The cost associated with the energy required to power refrigeration is often very high. Additionally, refrigeration units do not provide a one size fits all solution. For example, the reefer unit attached to a commercial semi-truck may not provide the best solution for storing food in a warehouse or grocery store. Therefore, these units are often tailored for a specific use to be most efficient for one specific use. This may increase the cost of individual units that need to be form fitted for a specific application. Furthermore, in remote locations or in developing countries, a perfectly tailored solution may not be readily attainable. In remote locations and in developing countries, it can be difficult to bring refrigeration units into these regions. Further, once the refrigeration unit is on site, the unit typically is used in a single application.
Thus, a solution is desired for a single heat transfer system/unit (i.e., heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit, refrigeration unit, etc.) to be implemented in a variety of different applications. Additionally, it is desired that such a solution would allow users to easily configure the unit between different operating modes to accommodate the specific need.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items or features. Furthermore, the drawings may be considered as providing an approximate depiction of the relative sizes of the individual components within individual figures. However, the drawings are not to scale, and the relative sizes of the individual components, both within individual figures and between the different figures, may vary from what is depicted. In particular, some of the figures may depict components as a certain size or shape, while other figures may depict the components on a larger scale or differently shaped for the sake of clarity.
This disclosure is directed to a modular heat transfer unit. While the unit described herein below is referred to as a heat transfer unit, it is to be understood that the unit described may be a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) unit and/or a refrigeration unit, among other possible heat transfer units/systems. More specifically, the heat transfer unit described herein may be implemented in a variety of applications and/or configurations. While this embodiment describes an heat transfer unit used in application to cool an environment, it is contemplated that the heat transfer unit described herein may be further used for heating, ventilation, climate control, refrigeration, etc. The heat transfer unit described herein may operate in multiple modes of operation. For example, the heat transfer unit may operate in a mini-split configuration, or the heat transfer unit may operate in a stacked configuration.
When operating in a mini-split configuration, the heat transfer unit may include an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit may include a compressor/condenser unit and the indoor unit may include the air-handling or evaporator unit. In some mini-split embodiments, the compressor/condenser unit may not be placed in an outdoor location, but may be placed in another environment other than the environment in which the evaporator unit resides. In the mini-split configuration, the outdoor unit and indoor unit may be in fluid and electrical communication with one another. For example, the heat transfer unit may include one or more conduits. The conduits allow for the passage of refrigerant between the compressor/condenser unit and the evaporator unit. The heat transfer unit may further include a conduit for electrical communication between the two units, or the compressor/condenser unit and the evaporator unit may be in wireless communication with each other.
A stacked configuration as described herein may include a configuration in which the mini-split capable evaporator unit is placed on top of the compressor/condenser unit and the two units may operate in conjunction as an adjoined unit. The evaporator unit and the compressor/condenser unit may include ducting that allows air flow through each of the units in such a way that the units operate in conjunction as an adjoined heat transfer unit. In an embodiment, the evaporator unit and/or the compressor/condenser unit may include one or more movable panels, the removal of which may expose openings in the respective units to align with openings in the other/companion unit. A heat transfer unit according to this application is described with respect to the figures as follows.
The one or more conduits 106 may provide fluid communication, electrical communication, etc. between the compressor unit 102 and the evaporator unit 104. The one or more conduits 106 used to flow refrigerant between the compressor unit 102 and the evaporator unit 104 may be pre-charged prior to installation to allow for a quick connection and set up of the heat transfer unit 100. In an embodiment, at least one of the one or more conduits 106 may include quick connect valves (i.e., quick interlock, positive lock connections, etc.). The quick connect valves may ensure that a user does not lose a full charge when switching between configurations. In an embodiment, at least one of the one or more conduits 106 may include flexible hosing.
The heat transfer unit 100 may further be electrically coupled to one or more power sources (not shown in
The compressor unit 102 may include one or more compressors. The one or more compressors may increase the pressure of a refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer unit 100. Such refrigerants may include, but are not limited to one of the following: fluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, non-halogenated hydrocarbons, hydrocarbons, etc. The compressor unit 102 may also include a condenser 108 in fluid communication with the compressor. The condenser 108 may include a series of coils, through which, the refrigerant may flow. The condenser 108 may reduce the temperature of the refrigerant, thus condensing the refrigerant from a gas state to a liquid state. The compressor unit 102 may further include one or more fans 110. The one or more fans 110 may aid in reducing the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the condenser 108 by blowing air over the coils of the condenser 108. In an embodiment, the one or more 110 fans may be disposed adjacent to the condenser 108.
The compressor unit 102 may further include an air duct 112 disposed on a side of a housing of the compressor unit. In an embodiment, the air duct 112 may be disposed on a first side of the compressor unit 102 that is opposite a second side, the second side having an opening(s) through which the one or more fans 110 may flow air. The air duct 112 may include a first opening 114 and a second opening 116. The first opening 114 may be located near a top of the housing of the compressor unit 102. When the heat transfer unit 100 is in the mini-split configuration, as shown in
In an embodiment, the compressor unit 102 may operate in conjunction with a secondary unit. For example, the secondary unit may include at least one of the following: an evaporator unit, a cold plate, or a complementary compressor unit. In another embodiment, the compressor unit 102 may operate in conjunction with any number of secondary units.
As mentioned previously,
The evaporator unit 104 may further include a first opening 122 and a second opening 124. The first opening 122 may be located on a side of a housing of the evaporator unit 104 and may allow air to flow into the evaporator unit 104. The one or more fans 120 may assist this process by pulling air from the room or environment into the evaporator unit 104 and over the evaporator coil 118. The second opening 124 may allow air to pass back out of the evaporator unit 104. In an embodiment, the evaporator unit 104 may pull warm air into the evaporator unit 104 via the first opening 122, then push cold air out of the evaporator unit 104 via the second opening 124. The evaporator unit 104 may further include a third opening 126. The third opening 126 may be located on a bottom side of the housing of the evaporator unit 104. The third opening 126 may be located such that the third opening 126 of the evaporator unit 104 aligns with the first opening 114 of the compressor unit 102 when the evaporator unit 104 is stacked vertically on top of the compressor unit 102. However, in the mini-split configuration, the third opening 126 may be closed by a panel and/or by being placed on a surface (i.e., floor, ground, etc.).
Although
The heat transfer unit 100 may further include one or more control units to control the operation of the heat transfer unit 100. In an embodiment, the one or more control units may allow a user to control the heat transfer unit 100 from a remote location. In such an embodiment, the one or more control units may communicate with a computing device of a user that allows the user to control the operation of the heat transfer unit 100.
Although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed herein as illustrative forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190383515 A1 | Dec 2019 | US |