Abstract: An HVAC controller may be controlled in response to a natural language audio message that is not recognizable by the HVAC controller as a command, where the natural language audio message is translated into a command recognizable by the HVAC controller. The HVAC controller may be a thermostat and may include a housing that at least partially houses a control module, a microphone, a speaker, a display, and a voice recognition module. The voice recognition module recognizes a predetermined audible trigger from a recorded voice message or streamed voice message, and in response, provide one or more audio clips via the speaker and/or video clips via the display to assist users in operating the thermostat. A user may communicate with the thermostat via the thermostat and/or a remote device.

Abstract: A personal comfort system, for use with a bedding assembly having a mattress, includes an air conditioning system configured to condition air within an air flow and a delivery system to receive and provide the conditioned air to a mattress. The air conditioning system includes a housing coupled with a fan and a thermal transfer device having a thermoelectric engine operable for conditioning air within the air flow.

Abstract: A system and method provides for controlling condensation generation in an air conditioning system for use in a bed (mattress). During active operation of the air conditioning system to generate conditioned air, the relative humidity of ambient air is measured and operation of one or more thermoelectric devices (TEDs) within the air conditioning system in response to the measured relative humidity is adjusted to control condensate buildup. During a subsequent drying operation, the relative humidity of the ambient air is measured and the drying operation is adjusted or otherwise controlled based on the measurement.

Abstract: A transport refrigerant vapor compression system includes a controller for controlling operation of the transport refrigerant vapor compression system. The controller is configured to modulate a discharge pressure of the refrigerant compression device to control a cooling capacity of the transport refrigerant vapor compression system. The controller is configured to modulate the discharge pressure of a refrigerant compression device to control the cooling capacity of the transport refrigerant vapor compression system using both a refrigerant reservoir and an auxiliary expansion device without affecting superheat of the transport refrigerant vapor compression system.

Abstract: A method for controlling an air handler including a fan and a heater or a compressor, the method including installing an energy saving controller (“ESC”) between a thermostat and the air handler, monitoring by the ESC of ON and OFF durations of the heater if the air handler is in a heating mode, or the compressor if the air handler is in cooling mode, in a first cycle and of ON duration of a second cycle, and determining the fan's first run time extension amount based on the ON and OFF durations of the first cycle and the ON duration of the second cycle.

Abstract: A drilling mud cooler includes a first mud heat exchanger that is adapted to receive a flow of drilling mud, a first closed-loop cooling system that is adapted to cool a first cooling fluid that is circulated through the first mud heat exchanger so as to reduce a temperature of the flow of drilling mud from a first temperature to a second temperature, a second mud heat exchanger that is adapted to receive the flow of reduced temperature drilling mud from the first mud heat exchanger, and a second closed-loop cooling system that is adapted to cool a second cooling fluid that is circulated through the second mud heat exchanger so as to further reduce the temperature of the flow of drilling mud from the second temperature to a third temperature.

Abstract: A vehicle including a vehicle body, an air conditioning unit, and a fairing. The vehicle body includes a roof having a front portion and a rear portion. The air conditioning unit is disposed within the vehicle body and includes a condenser configured to receive air from outside the vehicle body through an opening in the rear portion of the roof. The fairing is disposed over the rear portion of the roof and the opening thereby defining an interior volume between the fairing and the rear portion of the roof. The fairing includes a leading portion oriented toward the front portion of the roof. The leading portion has an air inlet such that when the vehicle moves in a forward direction air from outside the vehicle body enters the interior volume through the air inlet, passes through the opening, and passes through the condenser.

Abstract: An energy recovery system includes a heating or cooling system and an energy recovery ventilator operably connected to a component of the heating or cooling system. The energy recovery ventilator includes a supply port extending into the component to provide a supply of fresh airflow from the energy recovery ventilator to the component for use by the component. A return port extends into the component configured to receive a flow of stale air from the component while minimizing ingestion of the fresh air flow from the component into the return port. A method of operating an energy recovery system includes flowing a flow of fresh air from an energy recovery ventilator through a supply port into a component of a heating or cooling system. Stale air is flowed from the component through a return port into the energy recovery ventilator.

Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a glass body having a first flat face and a second flat face on opposing ends, and defining a longitudinal axis therebetween. A plurality of holes in the glass body are elongated along the longitudinal axis by extending from said first flat face to said second flat face. The plurality of holes are configured to receive and direct a gas therethrough, to exchange heat between the gas and the glass body.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a method of managing defrost operations in HVAC systems. In one embodiment a primary defrost operation comprises allowing a cooling cycle of the heat pump and a secondary defrost operation comprises allowing fans of the heat pump to operate at a low speed.

Abstract: A point-of-use food holding cabinet keeps food products hot and cold in different compartments, which are heated and refrigerated respectively. Solid state heat pumps such as Peltier devices absorb heat on one side and emit heat on the other. By configuring the solid state heat sinks appropriately, one compartment or shelf of a holding cabinet can be refrigerated while an adjacent compartment can be kept warm.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for uniformly cooling a cooling plate of a heat generating device. Sub-cooled refrigerant is flowed through a thermal expansion valve and then into the cooling plate as a two-phase refrigerant where the refrigerant is superheated. Any refrigerant remaining in a fluid state before reaching a sensing portion associated with the thermal expansion valve and exiting the cooling plate can be completely vaporized by a recuperative heat exchanger. The superheated refrigerant is then passed to the sensing portion so that the superheated refrigerant directly transfers heat to a fluid within the sensing portion and causes a pressure change that is communicated to a needle of the thermal expansion valve.

Abstract: A condenser and evaporator system includes (i) a condenser system positioned to receive a gaseous refrigerant from a compressor system and configured to condense the gaseous refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant, (ii) a controlled pressure receiver (CPR) positioned to receive and store the liquid refrigerant, (iii) an evaporator system including a conduit, an expansion valve, and a fan, and (iv) a controller. The conduit is positioned to receive the liquid refrigerant from the CPR. The expansion valve is positioned between the CPR and the conduit, and configured to facilitate modulating an amount of the liquid refrigerant that flows into the conduit from the CPR. The fan is positioned to facilitate providing a cooling operation to an area associated with the evaporator system through evaporation of the liquid refrigerant flowing through the conduit. The controller is configured to control a stage of the condenser system and/or the evaporator system.

Abstract: An exemplary ventilation air mixer includes a branch air duct and a trim air mixer. The branch air duct has an inlet that is configured to be coupled to a takeoff port of a main air source duct. The branch air duct has multiple holes arranged about a wall of a mixing portion. The trim air mixer at least partially surrounds the branch air duct and forms a cavity extending from the inlet of the branch air duct to at least the mixing portion. The trim air mixer has a trim air source duct connection coupled at an angle about a midsection. The angle is substantially acute relate to a longitudinal axis of the branch air duct such that trim air entering into the trim air mixer via the trim air source duct connection is directed toward the inlet of the branch air duct.

Abstract: An air-cooled air-conditioning apparatus including a heat source side heat exchanger comprising a plural number of heat source side heat exchanger parts that are connected together, and each of the heat source side heat exchanger parts is connected by a corresponding flow switching valve to a compressor. The air-cooled air-conditioning apparatus includes a controller configured to perform a defrosting operation in which a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is caused to flow separately through each of the heat source side heat exchanger parts by opening and closing the corresponding flow switching valves. The controller performs the defrosting operation on the basis of the heat exchanger capacity of each of the heat source side heat exchanger parts, the necessary heating capacity of each of the heat source side heat exchanger parts, and the arrangement of the heat source side heat exchanger parts.

Abstract: A transport refrigeration system having one or more compressors forming part of a refrigeration circuit for cooling an interior compartment of a container or refrigerated trailer; and one or more fans powered by direct current (DC) power, the one or more fans being at least one of an evaporator fan, a condenser fan and a ventilation fan.

Abstract: An Environmental Control System (ECS) which includes a heat exchanger (HX) and an air conditioning unit (ACU) upstream of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger receives flows of hot air bled from a plurality of aircraft engines and flows of cold ambient air drawn from the aircraft exterior for use by the heat exchanger and the air conditioning unit for heating and cooling the interior cabin of the aircraft. The environmental control system may operate in one of several modes, whether the heat exchanger and air conditioning unit are operating normally or have failed. In a normal mode, the air conditioning unit and heat exchanger operate in series. In an “ACU only” mode, the air conditioning unit operates without the heat exchanger. In an “HX only” mode, the heat exchanger operates without the air conditioning unit. In an “ECS off” mode, both the heat exchanger and air conditioning unit are bypassed.

Abstract: An apparatus for cooling a telecommunication device includes a controller, a first cooling unit, a second cooling unit, and at least one sensor. The first cooling unit includes a heat sink that dissipates heat from the telecommunication device. The second cooling unit includes an airflow generator that, when activated, provides an airflow that dissipates heat from the telecommunication device. The at least one sensor is operably connected with the telecommunication device. The controller is configured to compare a temperature detected by the at least one sensor to a first threshold temperature specified such that a load of the telecommunication device shall be reduced when the temperature detected by the at least one sensor exceeds the first threshold temperature. The controller is configured to activate or increase the airflow provided by the second cooling unit if the temperature detected by the at least one sensor exceeds the first threshold temperature.

Abstract: A refrigeration system and a method eliminate compressor-generated noise within a predetermined interval during operation of the refrigerator system wherein an interior of a refrigerator normally is maintained within a desired cool temperature range by operation of a compressor-driven refrigeration device. A thermo-electric refrigeration device is placed in communication with the interior of the refrigerator for cooling the interior of the refrigerator.

Abstract: A method of controlling a heat exchanger including thermoelectric coolers to maintain set point temperature of a chamber. The method includes receiving temperature data indicative of a temperature of the chamber and selectively controlling two or more subsets of thermoelectric coolers based on the temperature of the chamber. Selectively controlling the two or more subsets includes operating each thermoelectric cooler in a first subset at or near the point where the coefficient of performance is maximized (QCOPmax) by providing a current or voltage with amplitude corresponding to QCOPmax (ICOPmax, VCOPmax) when the temperature of the chamber is within a predefined steady state range including the set point temperature.