Patents by Inventor Mark Mitchell MacCracken

Mark Mitchell MacCracken has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12123630
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system includes a heating fluid circuit, a cooling fluid circuit, and a storage fluid circuit. A thermal system of the HVACR system absorbs energy from the storage fluid circuit and rejects it to the heating fluid circuit. The storage fluid circuit includes s containing thermal storage material that can provide energy for heating or absorb energy for cooling depending on the state of the thermal storage material. Heating can be provided using the heating fluid circuit and the heat provided by the thermal system. Cooling can be provided using the cooling fluid circuit by absorbing energy from the conditioned space using a cooling fluid and rejecting energy from the cooling fluid to the storage fluid circuit. The thermal storage tanks can have heat added to them using an air source heat pump system to support heating operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Mark Mitchell MacCracken, Susanna Staubly Hanson
  • Publication number: 20230332807
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system includes a heating fluid circuit, a cooling fluid circuit, and a storage fluid circuit. A thermal system of the HVACR system absorbs energy from the storage fluid circuit and rejects it to the heating fluid circuit. The storage fluid circuit includes thermal storage tanks containing thermal storage material that can provide energy for heating or absorb energy for cooling depending on the state of the thermal storage material. Heating can be provided using the heating fluid circuit and the heat provided by the thermal system. Cooling can be provided using the cooling fluid circuit by absorbing energy from the conditioned space using a cooling fluid and rejecting energy from the cooling fluid to the storage fluid circuit including the thermal storage tanks. The thermal storage tanks can also have heat added to them using an air source heat pump system to provide sufficient storage for heating operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Mark Mitchell MacCracken, Susanna Staubly Hanson
  • Patent number: 11680733
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system includes a heating fluid circuit, a cooling fluid circuit, and a storage fluid circuit. A thermal system of the HVACR system absorbs energy from the storage fluid circuit and rejects it to the heating fluid circuit. The storage fluid circuit includes thermal storage tanks containing thermal storage material that can provide energy for heating or absorb energy for cooling depending on the state of the thermal storage material. Heating can be provided using the heating fluid circuit and the heat provided by the thermal system. Cooling can be provided using the cooling fluid circuit by absorbing energy from the conditioned space using a cooling fluid and rejecting energy from the cooling fluid to the storage fluid circuit. The thermal storage tanks can have heat added to them using an air source heat pump system to support heating operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Mark Mitchell MacCracken, Susanna Staubly Hanson
  • Patent number: 11680754
    Abstract: Heat exchangers for thermal storage systems include a valve that can direct process fluid passing through the heat exchanger through supplemental heat exchanger tubing based on a temperature of the process fluid. The supplemental heat exchanger tubing can be located in areas where ice formation can occur during freezing of the storage fluid of the thermal storage system, but apart from the standard flow path for the heat exchanger. The valve can be a thermally-actuated valve. The thermally actuated valve can be set to divert flow of the process fluid to the supplemental tubing when the process fluid is at or above a melting temperature of the storage fluid. Methods can include selectively flowing process fluid through supplemental heat exchange tubing when it is at a temperature greater than the melting point of a storage material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Brian Silvetti, Mark Mitchell MacCracken
  • Publication number: 20220325963
    Abstract: Heat exchangers for thermal storage systems include a valve that can direct process fluid passing through the heat exchanger through supplemental heat exchanger tubing based on a temperature of the process fluid. The supplemental heat exchanger tubing can be located in areas where ice formation can occur during freezing of the storage fluid of the thermal storage system, but apart from the standard flow path for the heat exchanger. The valve can be a thermally-actuated valve. The thermally actuated valve can be set to divert flow of the process fluid to the supplemental tubing when the process fluid is at or above a melting temperature of the storage fluid. Methods can include selectively flowing process fluid through supplemental heat exchange tubing when it is at a temperature greater than the melting point of a storage material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Brian Silvetti, Mark Mitchell MacCracken
  • Publication number: 20220205686
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system includes a heating fluid circuit, a cooling fluid circuit, and a storage fluid circuit. A thermal system of the HVACR system absorbs energy from the storage fluid circuit and rejects it to the heating fluid circuit. The storage fluid circuit includes thermal storage tanks containing thermal storage material that can provide energy for heating or absorb energy for cooling depending on the state of the thermal storage material. Heating can be provided using the heating fluid circuit and the heat provided by the thermal system. Cooling can be provided using the cooling fluid circuit by absorbing energy from the conditioned space using a cooling fluid and rejecting energy from the cooling fluid to the storage fluid circuit including the thermal storage tanks. The thermal storage tanks can also have heat added to them using an air source heat pump system to provide sufficient storage for heating operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Mark Mitchell MacCracken, Susanna Staubly Hanson