Patent Application
20250155143
The specification relates generally to heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and to Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and retrieval systems, and specifically to HVAC systems integrated with TES and retrieval systems.
Heating systems traditionally operate by generating heat within a building and distributing it to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature while losing some energy as waste in the process. Air conditioning systems traditionally operate by absorbing heat from within a building through the refrigeration cycle and releasing that heat outside as waste. Systems have been developed to recover waste heat from heating systems and from air conditioning systems, however, these systems are expensive and difficult to implement as they require extensive work, additional major components and ductwork compared to heating and/or air conditioning systems that are not configured to recover waste heat.
An aspect of the specification provides a heating and cooling system including a heat pump system and a thermal energy storage (TES) and retrieval or heat exchange system. The heat exchange system includes a Phase Change Material (PCM) unit housing a PCM and a first refrigerant line extending through the PCM for the PCM to exchange heat with refrigerant in the first refrigerant line, the refrigerant received from a compressor of the heat pump system and returned to the reversible heat pump system. The heat exchange system further includes a first water line extending through the PCM unit for the PCM to exchange heat with water in the first water line.
Another aspect of the specification provides a method of operating a heating and cooling system. The method includes circulating a refrigerant from a compressor of a heat pump through a heat exchange system; storing heat from the refrigerant in a phase change material of the heat exchange system as latent heat; and heating water in a water line extending through the phase change material of the heat exchange system using the latent heat stored in the phase change material.
Another aspect of the specification provides a heat exchange system including: a housing; a refrigerant line extending through the housing, the refrigerant line configured to receive refrigerant circulated from a heat pump system; a fluid line extending through the housing, the fluid line configured to contain a fluid; wherein the refrigerant line and the fluid line are configured for heat exchange between the refrigerant and the fluid.
Embodiments are described with reference to the following figures. In the figures provided, certain components or details may have been omitted for clarity and conciseness. However, it is understood that these elements will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and are considered within the scope of the disclosure.
Regions of the world that have large seasonal temperature variations, for example North America, require both heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. As climate change leads to more frequent extreme weather events, installing HVAC systems is becoming more important for people living in these regions, however, rising energy costs and high installation costs associated with implementing a heating and air conditioning system in a building can prevent people from taking action.
Heat pumps are highly efficient systems for fulfilling HVAC needs in a building as they can both heat and cool a space using the same technology. Heat pumps transfer heat between the inside and outside of a building: in heating mode, they extract heat from the outside air (even in cold temperatures) and bring it indoors, and in cooling mode, they absorb heat from inside and release it outside. This dual functionality reduces the need for separate heating and cooling systems, leading to lower installation and operating costs. However, both in heating and cooling operational modes, heat pumps produce waste heat. Implementing a cost-effective Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and retrieval system that is configured to capture waste heat from both cooling and heating operational modes of a heat pump would be greatly beneficial, as it would enable further energy and economic savings while improving the functionality and service provided by the heat pump. Additionally, a heating and cooling system with heat recovery capabilities requiring minimal additional components and minimal additional ductwork would be highly beneficial as it would enable a greater portion of the population living in regions of the world with large seasonal temperature variations to afford implementing such a system in residential and commercial buildings.
The first system portion 100 includes a series of units which include a first blower unit 102 (also known as an air handler unit). The first blower unit 102 includes a first blower housing 104 with an air inlet 108 and an air outlet 112. The air inlet 108 and outlet 112 may be provided with filter units to prevent debris from entering the first blower housing 104. The first blower unit 102 further includes a first blower 116 housed in the first blower housing 104. The first blower 116 is configured to blow or direct air (such as, for example, indoor air) from the air inlet 108 through the first blower housing 104 to the air outlet 112. The first blower unit 102 further includes a first blower refrigerant line 120 through which a refrigerant can flow and a blower water line 124 through which water can flow. The lines 120 and 124 can be at least partially housed in an interior of the first blower housing 104 or can be at least partially embedded within the first blower housing 104, for example, within a wall of the blower housing 104 so that air (such as, for example, indoor or ambient air) in the interior of the first blower housing 104 surrounds the lines 120 and 124. The lines 120 and 124 can have a straight shape, a coil shape, a serpentine shape, etc.; the shape of the lines 120 and 124 can be selected for maximizing heat transfer, for minimizing pressure loss, etc. The air can exchange heat with the refrigerant flowing through the first blower refrigerant line 120 and/or with the water flowing through the blower water line 124 as the air flows through the first blower housing 104. As used herein, refrigerant is described as being the working fluid of the heating and cooling system; in other examples other suitable working fluids are also contemplated.
The first system portion 100 further includes a fluid mover unit 126 with a fluid mover housing 128. The fluid mover housing 128 houses a compressor 132 which compresses the refrigerant, a heat recovery valve 136, which can be a 3-way valve to direct the flow of the refrigerant in one of two directions, a reversing valve 140, which can be a 4-way valve to direct the flow of the refrigerant in two circuits, a first metering valve 144 to regulate the flow of the refrigerant as it enters the first blower refrigerant line 120, a water flow switch 148 which can be configured to detect the flow (demand) of water and selectively allow or prevent its flow, a water check valve 152 to limit the flow of the water to one direction, and a water circulating pump 156 for circulating the water. The fluid mover unit 126 is further provided with a cold-water inlet connection 160 and a hot-water outlet connection 164 and with refrigerant connections 168 and 172 to provide (feed) and retrieve water and refrigerant to and from the first system portion 100. The hot-water outlet 164 can include an actuatable switch or valve, for example responding to the state of the water flow switch 148, to selectively allow or prevent water from exiting the fluid mover unit 126 through the hot-water outlet 164.
The first system portion 100 further includes a Phase Change Material (PCM) unit 174 (also commonly referred to as a PCM battery) with a PCM housing 176 which houses a PCM 178 for storing heat for later usage. The PCM 178 can be contained inside the PCM housing 176 as a free-flowing material, in an encapsulated form such as, for example in macrocapsules or microcapsules, and combinations thereof. The PCM 178 may be a material that changes its phase between a slurry or a solid and a liquid when storing or delivering stored thermal heat. The PCM 178 may include various materials, for example organic materials such as paraffin wakes, fatty acids, polyethylene glycol, etc., inorganic materials such as sodium sulfate decahydrate, sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate, calcium chloride hexahydrate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, lithium nitrate trihydrate, etc., metals such as eutectic alloys like bismuth-lead alloys and tin-lead alloys, gallium etc., salt hydrates such as sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, etc., water, and combinations thereof, the composition of the PCM 178 can be selected based on the desired operating temperature for the PCM 178 to store and deliver latent thermal heat by changing phase. The PCM housing 176 further houses a PCM water line 180 fluidly connected to the first blower water line 120 and a PCM refrigerant line 184 fluidly connected on one end to the compressor 132 through the heat recovery valve 136 and to the reversing valve 140 on another end, with which the PCM 178 can exchange heat. The lines 180 and 184 can be at least partially immersed in the PCM 178 or can be at least partially embedded within the PCM housing 176, for example, within a wall of the PCM housing 176. Similarly to the lines 120 and 124, the lines 180 and 184 can have a straight shape, a coil shape, a serpentine shape, etc.; the shape of the lines 180 and 184 can be selected for maximizing heat transfer, for minimizing pressure loss, etc.
The units 102, 126 and 174 may be designed as modular units configured to be arranged in different configurations with respect to each other so that modules can be installed adjacent to each other, separate from each other or combinations thereof so that the first system portion 100 can be installed in a wider variety of indoor spaces of different dimensions and with different space layouts. Connections to allow attachment of ducts from each modular unit to the next may be provided on the walls of the housings 104, 128 and 176 of each of the modular units 102, 126 and 174 as required, for example, fluid mover housing to first blower housing connections 188-1 to 188-4 (collectively referred to as the connections 188 and individually referred to as a connection 188, the nomenclature used elsewhere in the specification) can be provided to connect water and refrigerant lines between the first blower unit 102 and the fluid mover unit 126. The connections 188 can be configured so that terminals of the connections 188 of the first blower unit 102 engage with terminals of the connections 188 of the fluid mover unit 126, for example by having complimentary threaded surfaces. The connections 188 can be provided in recessed portions of an exterior wall of at least one of the housings 104 and/or 128 so that the units 102 and 126 can be installed adjacent to each other. Additionally or alternatively, a series of spacing posts can be provided on the wall where the connections 188 of least one of the housings 104 and 128 are located to allow the units 102 and 126 to be installed adjacent to each other. Additionally, connecting ducts with sealing ends configured to engage with the connections 188 can be used to connect the water and refrigerant lines of the units 102 and 126 when installing the units 102 and 126 non-adjacent to each other. Similar to connections 188, connections 192 can be provided to connect water and refrigerant lines between the fluid mover unit 126 and the PCM unit 174.
Furthermore, additional water and refrigerant connections 188 and 192 can be provided on more than one wall of the housings 104, 128 and 176, the water and refrigerant lines leading to the connections 188 and 192 in each of the units 102, 126 and 174 converging at manifolds. Each of the additional connections 188 and 192 can be provided with a removable seal and/or valve to selectively set each connection 188 and 192 in or out of service, so that the units 102, 126 and 174 can be arranged at different locations and orientations with respect to each other.
Furthermore, each of the housings 104, 128 and 176 can be provided with one or more removable covers for easily accessing the components located inside the units 102, 126 and 174 and/or for easily coupling and uncoupling connections 188 and 192.
Similarly to housings 104, 128 and 176, the second blower housing 202 can be provided with one or more removable covers for easily accessing the components located inside the second blower line unit 200.
With reference to
The heat exchange system 308 may further include the water line 124 fluidly connected to the water line 180. The water line 124 may form a loop, such that the water line 124 draws heated water from an outlet end of the water line 180 and returns water to an inlet end of the water line 180. The water line 124 may further be configured for heat exchange with ambient air surrounding the water line 124 surrounding the water line 124, in particular to heat the ambient air, for example to provide secondary heating in addition to the heating provided by the heat pump system 304. Accordingly, system may additionally include a blower to blow the heated ambient air for the secondary heating operation. Alternately, the second water line 124 may be disposed to be within the heat pump system 304, such that the blower 116 may act on and distribute the heated ambient air to enable the secondary heating operation of the water line 124. That is, the blower configured to blow the ambient air for secondary heating may be the blower 116 integrated into the heat pump system 304. Further, water may be drawn into and/or circulated in the loop formed by the first and second water lines 180 and 124 by the check valve 152 or the pump 156.
The heat recovery valve 136 can be configured to continuously direct the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to the PCM refrigerant line 184 for continuously maintaining the PCM 178 charged when the refrigerant is circulating through the heat pump system 304. Alternatively, the heat recovery valve 136 can be configured to selectively direct the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to either the PCM refrigerant line 184 (for heat exchange between the refrigerant and the PCM 178) or to the reversing valve 140 (bypassing the PCM refrigerant line 184), for example, to reduce a pressure loss of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 132 when manually actuated by a user or automatically, for example, in response to a PCM charge/discharge signal that can be submitted by the user through an electronic input device, generated automatically based on a predetermined scheduled, when the PCM 178 is determined to be fully charged, not fully charged, above or below a threshold temperature, etc. That is, the heat recovery valve 136 can be configured to selectively direct the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to bypass the heat exchange system 308 and return to the heat pump system 304 in response to detecting any suitable bypass condition.
By controlling the heat recovery valve 136, waste heat recovery from the heat pump system 304 into the TES and retrieval system 308 can be controlled. Similarly, by controlling the water flow switch 148, usage of recovered waste heat for heating water can be controlled, and by controlling the water circulating pump 156 (and optionally, by additionally controlling the first blower 116), usage of recovered waste heat for heating a building (through heating air circulating through the building) can be further controlled. At least the heat recovery valve 136, and optionally additionally the water flow switch 148 and the water circulating pump 156 and further optionally additionally the first blower 116 can be electronic devices or be connected by electronic drivers so that the operation of the TES and retrieval system 308 can be automatically or semi-automatically controlled within the heating and cooling system 300, for example, in response to signals provided by input devices communicatively connected to them such as, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, thermostats, user input devices such as an electronic display, etc. Furthermore, the control of the TES and retrieval system 308 can be performed by a central control device to which at least the heat recovery valve 136, and optionally additionally the water flow switch 148 and the water circulating pump 156 and further optionally additionally the first blower 116 can be communicatively connected to as explained further below with reference to
The control device 400 is configured to receive input from one or more input devices 404-1 to 404-m communicatively connected to the control device 400. The input devices 404 can include user input devices such as, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, interactive display devices, etc., can further include dedicated-purpose input devices such as a thermostat, can further include sensor devices such as for example, temperature, pressure and flow sensors of the system, and can further include devices of the heating and cooling system 300 such as for example valves such as anyone of valves 136, 140, 144, 152 and 228, the compressor 132, switches such as switch 148, pumps such as pump 156, blowers such as blowers 116 and 212, and any other components of the heating and cooling system if the devices of the system 300 are further configured to provide a feedback or status signal to a computing device such as the control device 400 such as, for example, a device out of service signal (i.e. without power), a device open signal, a device closed signal, etc.
The control device 400 is configured to provide outputs to one or more output devices 406-1 to 406-n. The output devices 406 include the heat recovery valve 136 or an electronic driver connected to the heat recovery valve 136 for controlling the direction of flow of the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to the PCM refrigerant line 184 or to the reversing valve 140. The output devices 406 can further include user output devices such as, for example, display devices, LED lights, speakers, printing devices, etc. and can further include other devices of the heating and cooling system 300 such as for example valves such as anyone of valves 140, 144, 152 and 228, the compressor 132, switches such as switch 148, pumps such as pump 156, blowers such as blowers 116 and 212, and any other components of the heating and cooling system 300 and/or driver devices of any of the components of the heating and cooling system 300 that are configured to control the operation of the heating and cooling system, for example, by being configured to selectively allow or prevent the flow of a fluid through the component, to direct the flow of the fluid to a different component, etc. in response to a command from the control device 400.
The control device 400 includes a processor 408 that may be implemented as a plurality of processors or one or more multi-core processors. The processor 408 may be configured to execute different programing instructions responsive to the input received via the one or more input devices 404 and to control one or more output devices 406 to generate outputs on those devices and to control the heating and cooling system 300.
The control device 400 further may include a network interface 410 to which processor 408 may be connected to access a network 412 such as the internet, for example, to receive input from an input device 404 or to provide output to an output device 406 connected to the network 412. The control device 400 may further access remote devices such as, for example, weather reporting and/or forecasting remote devices, devices reporting on the cost of electricity, remote monitoring devices, etc. by means of the network interface 410.
To fulfill its programming functions, processor 408 is configured to communicate with one or more memory units, including non-volatile memory 416 and volatile memory 420. Non-volatile memory 416 can be based on any persistent memory technology, such as an Erasable Electronic Programmable Read Only Memory (“EEPROM”), flash memory, solid-state hard disk (SSD), other type of hard-disk, or combinations of them. Non-volatile memory 416 may also be described as a non-transitory computer readable media. Also, more than one type of non-volatile memory 416 may be provided.
Volatile memory 420 is based on any random-access memory (RAM) technology. For example, volatile memory 420 can be based on a Double Data Rate (DDR) Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (SDRAM). Other types of volatile memory 420 are contemplated.
Programming instructions in the form of applications 424-1 to 424-q are typically maintained, persistently, in non-volatile memory 416 and used by the processor 408 which reads from and writes to volatile memory 420 during the execution of applications 424. Various methods discussed herein can be coded as one or more applications 424. One or more tables or databases 428-1 to 428-r are maintained in non-volatile memory 416 for use by applications 424. Alternatively, one or more of the databases 428 may be remote to the control device 400 and connected to the network 412 so that they may be accessed by the control device 400 through the network interface 410.
At block 505, the control device 400 determines whether the heating and cooling system 300, and more particularly, the heat pump system 304 is configured to operate in a conditioning mode. For example, if a heating condition is detected based on a detected air temperature being below a threshold temperature, based on an explicit heating condition such as according to user input, based on a scheduled heating operation, or other suitable heating conditions, then the control device 400 may make an affirmative determination at block 505. Similarly, if a cooling condition is detected based on a detected air temperature being above another threshold temperature, based on an explicit cooling condition such as according to user input, based on a scheduled cooling operation, or other suitable cooling conditions, then the control device 400 may also make an affirmative determination at block 505. Other heating and/or cooling and/or other conditioning conditions are also contemplated, which may cause the heat pump system 304 to operate in a conditioning mode.
If the determination at block 505 is affirmative, then the control device 400 proceeds to block 510-1 to set the reversing valve 140 in accordance with the heating or cooling condition detected to enable the corresponding heating or cooling operation. In particular, in the heating mode, the control device 400 sets the reversing valve 140 to direct the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to the first blower line 120 to allow heat transfer to ambient air which is distributed by the blower 116 for the heating operation (e.g., for an interior or indoor space of a building in which the system 300 is employed). Conversely, in the cooling mode, the control device 400 sets the reversing valve 140 to direct the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to the line 216 to allow heat transfer to ambient air which is dispelled from the system 300 (e.g., into an exterior or outdoor space) by the blower 212. The cooled refrigerant is then circulated back to the first blower line 120 and heat is absorbed into the refrigerant from the ambient air, and the cooled ambient air is subsequently distributed by the blower 116 for the cooling operation.
If the determination at block 505 is negative, then the control device 400 proceeds to block 510-2 to turn the blower 116 off so that no conditioned air (i.e., either heated or cooled) is distributed.
The control device 400 then proceeds to block 515. At block 515, the control device 400 controls the heat pump system 304 to circulate the refrigerant. For example, the control device 400 may actuate one or more pumps, motors, or the like (not shown) to circulate the refrigerant through the various lines and valves of the heat pump system 304.
At block 520, the control device 400 determines whether a bypass condition is detected. For example, the bypass condition may be based on at least one of: a PCM charge signal, a temperature measurement of the PCM, an indication of a state of charge of the PCM, an air temperature measurement, and an indication of a hot air demand. For example, the bypass condition may include detecting that the PCM is at or above a threshold heat storage capacity. This determination may be made, for example, based on the temperature measurement of the PCM. In other examples, the bypass condition may include detecting a threshold working requirement of the heat pump system 304, for example based on an indication of hot air demand, air temperature, or a combination of the above. For example, if the detected air temperature is greater than a threshold delta below a target air temperature, the control device 400 may determine that the hot air demand is sufficient that the heat stored by the compressed refrigerant is to be used for heat exchange to heat the ambient air in the blower line to be distributed by the blower 116. In still further examples, other bypass conditions, including combinations of the above and other suitable conditions, are also contemplated.
If the determination at block 520 is affirmative, then the control device 400 proceeds to block 525 to control the heat recovery valve 136 to bypass the heat exchange system 308 and simply direct the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to return to or stay within the heat pump system 304. The control device 400 may then return to block 515 to continue circulating the refrigerant in accordance with the operation of the heat pump system 304.
If the determination at block 520 is negative, then the control device 400 proceeds to block 530 to control the heat recovery valve 136 to circulate the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to the heat exchange system 308.
At block 535, the refrigerant is received in the heat exchange system 308, and particularly, in the refrigerant line 184 extending through the PCM 178. Since the refrigerant is received from the compressor 132, the refrigerant received in the refrigerant line 184 is be a hot, compressed vapor, and may therefore heat the PCM 178. The refrigerant may then be returned to the heat pump system 304, in a cooler state. Preferably, the refrigerant may maintain sufficient heat (e.g., based on the amount of length and/or time the refrigerant is maintained in the refrigerant line 184) to enable the operations of the heat pump system 304. For example, on subsequent operations, when the PCM 178 is charged to at least a threshold amount, the refrigerant may lose less heat to the heating or charging of the PCM 178 due to the smaller difference in temperature between the refrigerant received from the compressor 132 and the PCM 178.
At block 540, when the PCM 178 is at least sufficiently charged (e.g., to at least a threshold temperature or the like), then the PCM 178 may also heat the water in the water line 180 extending through the PCM 178. In particular, heat exchange may occur between the PCM 178 and the water in the water line 180 until an equilibrium is reached, and the water is approximately the same temperature as the PCM 178. Accordingly, the material of the PCM 178 may be selected according to water heating requirements (e.g., as determined by local regulations or the like) and/or a temperature regulator may be added to the water line 180 to regulate the temperature of the water that is drawn from the water line 180 for distribution to a residential or commercial building for example.
At block 545, the control device 400 determines whether a secondary heating condition is detected. For example, the secondary heating condition may be detection of at least a threshold difference between a detected air temperature and a target air temperature when the system 300 is in a heating mode. Accordingly, in such situations, enabling a secondary heating operation may reduce the amount of time for the heating and cooling system 300 to heat the air temperature to reach the target temperature. Other secondary heating conditions are also contemplated.
If the determination at block 545 is affirmative, then the control device 400 proceeds to block 550 to draw heated water from the water line 180 into the second water line 124. For example, the control device 400 may actuate the check valve 152 or the pump 156 to draw the heated water from an outlet end of the line 180. The heated water may heat the ambient air surrounding the line 124 and the heated ambient air may be distributed by the blower 116 or a dedicated blower for the secondary heating circuit. The water may then be returned to an inlet end of the water line 180 to re-circulate through the PCM 178 to be reheated.
If the determination at block 545 is negative, then the control device 400 may end a current iteration of the method 500. In practice, the control device 400 may continue iterating through the method 500 to monitor whether a condition mode is necessary, for bypass conditions, secondary heating conditions, and the like.
The example method 500 or modifications thereof can further be used to control the heating and cooling system 300 to satisfy requests such as heating and cooling requests as well as hot-water requests in a residential or commercial building by recovering heat from the heat pump system 304 in the TES and retrieval system 308 for later use in the building to satisfy future requests. Furthermore, the example method 500 or modifications thereof can be used to satisfy heating requests and hot-water requests in the building by using previously stored waste heat, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the building to satisfy its heat demand, and consequently reducing the operational costs associated with satisfying the heat demand. Different operational modes and associated services to the operational modes that the system 300 can provide are further discussed below with reference to
Further possible modes of operation of the heating and cooling system 300 achievable by controlling the different components of the heating and cooling system 300, for example by a control device such as control device 400 performing a method such as method 500 or modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The water cooled in the water conditioning unit 1602 can be used, for example, in a further heat exchanger to recover heat from another source. The other source could be a drain collecting drain water after use in the building (e.g., from a shower drain), a set of solar panels, or other sources. Since the water is cooled by the conditioning unit 1602, including potentially to be super cooled, the difference in temperature between the cooled water and the other source will be higher (e.g., as compared to non-cooled water from a municipal system), thereby increasing the efficiency of the heat exchange in the further heat exchanger. For example, considering drain water flowing through a drain pipe after use in the building, the lower temperature of the water cooled in the water conditioning unit 1602 (for example, cooled to about 35° F. from an ambient water temperature of about 70° F.) recovering a greater amount of heat from the drain water (at for example about 90° F.) than the amount of heat that could be recovered from the drain water if using ambient water. For example, with reference to
With the water conditioning unit 1602, the system 1600 can be used to cool water both when the heat pump system of the system 1600 operating in heating and cooling modes. When the heat pump system of the system 1600 is operating in heating mode, the system 1600 can cool water via the directing valve 1636 being operated to selectively direct the refrigerant from the first blower refrigerant line 120 to the conditioning metering valve 1634. When the refrigerant loop is operating in cooling mode, the system 1600 can cool water via the directing valve 1636 being operated to direct the refrigerant from the second blower line 216 to the conditioning metering valve 1634. At the conditioning metering valve 1634, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant reduces, thereby allowing the refrigerant to absorb heat from the water conditioning line 1616 as the refrigerant flows through the conditioning refrigerant line 1632, where the refrigerant evaporates. The evaporated refrigerant can then be directed (returned) to the compressor 132 by the directing valve 1640 for example, as a low-pressure low-temperature superheated gas so that the compressor 132 may compress and heat the gas to produce a high-pressure high-temperature gas that can be then directed to the PCM 178 for heat recovery, as discussed above. The water conditioning unit 1602 can thereby expand the possible operational modes of the system 1600 compared to the operational modes that can be provided by the system 300, for example, the water conditioning unit 1602 can be used to cool water while charging the PCM 178 and while heating the indoor air. As a further example, water conditioning unit 1602 can be used to cool water while charging the PCM 178 without having to heat or cool the indoor air when the heat pump system of the system 1600 operates in cooling mode.
For example, the water conditioning unit 1602 and the TES and retrieval system 308 may each be forms of a heat exchange system as described herein. In particular, the heat exchange system includes a housing, a refrigerant line extending through the housing, and a fluid line extending through the housing. The refrigerant line is configured to receive refrigerant circulated from a heat pump system. According to the application of the heat exchange system, the refrigerant may be circulated from different parts of the heat pump system. For example, for a heating operation of the heat exchange system, the refrigerant may be circulated from the compressor of the heat pump system, which generates heated refrigerant via compression. For a cooling operation of the heat exchange system, the refrigerant may be circulated from another portion of the heat pump system, and may additionally pass through a metering valve to further pressurize and cool the refrigerant. Further, in some examples, the refrigerant line and the fluid line may be configured for direct heat exchange between the refrigerant and the fluid, for example by disposing the refrigerant line and the fluid line within a threshold distance of each other. In other examples, the heat exchange system may include a phase change material, or other intermediary material to act as an intermediate for the heat exchange. That is, heat exchange may occur between the refrigerant and the phase change material (or other suitable heat exchange intermediary material) and subsequently between the phase change material and the fluid. In such examples, the refrigerant line and the fluid line may each extend through the phase change material to enable each heat exchange operation.
The example heating and cooling systems 300 and 1600 or modifications thereof can be used to provide heating and cooling services as well as hot water to a building while additionally recovering waste heat for later use from heating and cooling refrigerant loop operational modes without requiring the excessive ductwork or many additional components that traditional heating and/or cooling systems would require to provide similar services, as the components of the example systems 300 and 1600 and their specific configurations and arrangement enable a wide range of operational modes such as the ones discussed in the present specification. Additionally, if the units 102, 126, 174 and 1602 are configured to be modular units, being able to arrange at least two of the modular units 102, 126, 174 and 1602 adjacent to each other can further help reduce the required ductwork and installation workload of the system and/or enable installing the system in a wider variety of available spaces in a building.
The present invention has been described by way of examples. Modifications and variations to the above-described examples are possible and may occur to those skilled in the art. All such modifications and variations are believed to be within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims. For example, while the heat pump system 304 and the TES and retrieval system 308 that form the heating and cooling system 300 have been described as defined by a series of modular units 102, 126, 174 and 200, in a building already including a heat pump system a heating and cooling system like the heating and cooling system 300 can be implemented by retrofitting the installed heat pump system with the components of the TES and retrieval system 308. Furthermore, while it has been described that the heat recovery valve 136 directs the refrigerant from the compressor 132 to the PCM refrigerant line 184, an alternative heating and cooling system that is configured to maintain the PCM 178 continuously charged while the refrigerant flows through the heat pump system 304 need not include heat recovery valve 136, and instead, the refrigerant can be directly connected from the compressor 132 to the PCM refrigerant line 184 and from the PCM refrigerant line 184 to the reversing valve 140. Furthermore, while the indoor metering valve 144 has been described as being included in the fluid mover unit 126, the indoor metering valve 144 may alternatively be included in the first blower unit 102 or be arranged exterior to the units 102 and 126. Similarly, the outdoor metering valve 228 may be provided elsewhere than in the second blower line unit 200, and if the indoor metering valve 144 is not included in the fluid mover unit 126, the refrigerant connection 172 can be included in the first blower unit 102. Furthermore, the water conditioning unit 2202 or a modification thereof can be used to cool a different fluid other than water for which there may be a demand at the building where the system 2200 or modifications thereof is installed. Furthermore, while the example control device 400 and the example method 500 have been described as configured to control the example system 300, by at least controlling the heat recovery valve 136, the example control device 400 and the example method 500 or modifications thereof can be configured to further control a system like the example system 1600.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments, the functionality of the example method may be implemented using pre-programmed hardware or firmware components (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), etc.), or other related components.
The scope of the claims should not be limited by the embodiments set forth in the above examples but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63548049 | Nov 2023 | US |
