Energy saving environmental chamber temperature control system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling the temperature of an environmental chamber by controlling the flow of refrigerant, the number of compressors and fans as necessary to produce and preserve precise temperature conditions within the chamber which uses less energy than available systems.

Description

This application claims Priority 2 Provisional Application No. 60/655,486 filed Feb. 23, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally, but is not limited to Controlled temperature chambers as often used in Bio-Medical Research, Pharmaceuticals, Teaching Universities and any other operation requiring special constant temperature needs within a confined space or chamber, often called “Environmental Rooms” or “Cold Rooms”.

2. Background of the Invention

Medical Research and other Bio-Medical functions are often done in cold (4° C.) or warm (37° C.) rooms. Other frequently used applications are −20° C. and +25° C. As technology over the years has become increasingly precise, the need to have closer temperature control tolerances, faster recovery rates, and wider ranges of operation has impacted Environmental Room design.

To insure close temperature control, quick recovery from door openings, higher levels of lighting within the chamber, humidity control, electronic equipment used within the chamber and wider ranges of operation, the sizes of the compressor and air handler unit have gradually become larger and larger. This increased size and capacity has resulted in increased power consumption.

In the last several years, the concern for ever increasing costs of power and the efforts to design more efficient buildings has had little impact on the design for an environmental chamber or cold storage room.

The Green Building Council is a national organization formed to aid in the development of more energy efficient and environmentally friendly building designs. Buildings that are built under these guidelines utilize products and equipment, which may have Leed Ratings indicating that they are environmentally friendly or require less power. There is currently no manufacturer of environmental or cold storage rooms with a Leed Rating. Information on Green Building Design can be obtained from www.greenbuildingsolutions.org and other places.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention, (the Green Room), is a method and apparatus for adjusting and maintaining the desired temperature within an Environmental Room while reducing the power to produce the required cooling as compared to conventional Environmental Room systems and standard cold storage mechanical equipment. This is accomplished with a special HVAC system capable of operating at low power/capacity levels when the internal environment is within temperature specs and instantly supply more capacity when needed while maintaining the critical research or storage environment within the chamber. Refrigeration system redundancy is achieved by the ability of the controller to determine within seconds that either the primary system is off or the chamber load has exceeded its capacity and can turn on the secondary mechanical system before the internal temperature of the chamber has only changed by a few tenths of a degree.

While the basic equipment used in the new design is essentially standard and available from most equipment distributors, three things make this new design more efficient than conventional systems.

First is the basic design of the heat exchangers. Both the primary and secondary refrigeration systems can be incorporated into a single evaporator and condenser heat exchanger assembly, each with two individual refrigerant circuits. The circuiting of the evaporator and condenser coils is done in such a way that when operating as a single system, the evaporator and condenser both operate as though they have much larger heat exchangers resulting in more efficient operation of the primary compressor. This is accomplished by interlacing the heat exchanger circuits. While interlacing the circuits is beneficial, it is not essential to still achieve substantial energy savings.

Second is the design of the control system. The controller for the system monitors the chamber temperature and controls normally as long as the temperature is within specified limits. If the chamber temperature rises over a preset level, the secondary system can be immediately started. Further, if the primary system does not achieve the necessary temperature within a programmable time, the secondary system again can be started and specified conditions achieved.

If the primary system fails, the secondary system can be started when the temperature has risen to a programmed level above setpoint or a programmed time has elapsed and the system has not satisfied the temperature requirements. The backup system can be started in as little as a 0.2 degree C. rise in temperature above setpoint.

Third, the controller can cycle the airhandler fans on and off depending on phase of operation. When the chamber is cooling, a minimum of cubic feet per minute of air must pass over the heat exchanger for it to operate efficiently. When the temperature is satisfied and the compressor is turned off or is idled, the fans cannot be cut off because the temperature uniformity within the chamber must be maintained. The chamber does not require as much circulation when the temperature is satisfied so some of the fans in the airhandler can be cut off or slowed to reduce power consumption. Generally, fan power is being consumed within the chamber and adds to the total heat load of the chamber. Reducing evaporator fan power saves energy twice, once to not run the fan and again to not have the cooling system remove the heat generated by the fans had they not been turned off.

In prototype installations, the Green Room System has achieved up to 49% energy savings and in actual working environments, the Green Room System has exhibited energy savings in the 40-45% range.

DRAWINGS

Drawing 1 of 3:

This drawing shows fans, compressors, heat exchangers, refrigerant controls, receivers and detailed piping of the mechanical system. It is also divided up into three sections:

a) Condensing units

b) Field piping

c) Temperature adjustment unit, (evaporator/s)

Drawing 2 of 3:

This drawing is an illustration of the interlaced piping of the heat exchangers and how when operating normally, will allow the refrigeration circuit to operate more efficiently than when both systems are running. The basic premise being that the larger the heat exchanger surface, the more efficient the refrigeration system can be. The green room system will operate without this interlaced circuitry but will not be as efficient.

Drawing 3 of 3:

This drawing is a simplified drawing of the electrical and refrigerant controls required to operate the Green Room System.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

1. Refrigeration system

• • a) The refrigeration system on an environmental or cold storage chamber often experiences two extremes of operation. One is that the temperature is good and there is little or no traffic or heat being generated within the chamber. The other is just the opposite, the temperature is slightly high, people or materials are being brought in or out of the chamber and the system is running at full capacity to maintain temperature.
  • b) A large system designed to take care of the most extreme loads is substantially oversized when compared to what is needed during periods of inactivity. It is those times where the standard system is most ineffcient.
  • c) The Green Room System consists primarily of two components. One is the mechanical equipment, consisting of the compressors, receivers, evaporator fans, condenser fans, refrigerant controls and heat exchangers. The mechanical system is composed primarily of two components, the condensing unit and the Evaporator.
  • d) The condensing unit houses the compressors, fans, refrigerant receivers, condensing heat exchangers, various solenoids, regulators and shut off valves. The condensing unit can easily be located up to 150 feet from the Evaporator. The condensing unit collects and discharges heat absorbed from the chamber by the evaporator.
  • e) The Evaporator, (Air Handler), is generally located inside the cold room but can be connected via ducts, plenums or penthouse type enclosures. The evaporator section holds the heat exchangers, fans and various refrigerant controls. The evaporator absorbs heat from the chamber by boiling off liquid refrigerant.
  • f) The Green Room System consists of 2 or more totally independent refrigeration systems although they use common components where necessary to save energy and space.
  • g) Because projects come in all shapes and sizes, the refrigeration components chosen for a given project may differ from what is described here while maintaining the basic system design.
  • h) The condensing unit generally will consist of two even or uneven sized compressors. Those compressors, (Primary or Secondary Compressor, item 3 or 4, Drawing 1), are connected to two condensing coils which may be incorporated into a single heat exchanger assembly with two individual refrigeration circuits, (Split Circuit Condenser, item 1 in Drawing 1). The heat is generally removed by blowing air across the heat exchanger with a fan or fans, (item 12 in drawing 1). The fans may be cycled on and off to reduce power consumption by use of a head pressure fan cycle switch, (HPFC in drawing 3), while maintaining satisfactory condensing temperatures. It is possible to use water cooled condensers and other types of heat exchangers if practical.
  • i) The condensing unit may require Liquid Receivers, (Item 5; 6 in Drawing 1), to maintain stable operation in different operating conditions. Items 7, 8, 13, 14 and 10 may or may not be required for proper operation and complexity of system based on performance specifications.
  • j) Special construction of the condensing unit heat exchanger, (item 1 drawing 1) can be used to enhance energy savings. The larger the fin surface area of a condensing coil the more efficiently the system can operate. The basic condensing coil of a Green Room incorporates two individual circuits. One circuit is connected to each compressor. Approximately 95% of the time, a Green Room will only have one of those circuits active. When the circuits of a coil are alternated, each pass through the condensing units coil is spaced with a pass from the other system in between. This method of “interlaced” coil design results in the appearance of a larger heat exchanger when operating on only one system. The result is that the compressor operates more efficiently because of higher suction pressures and the fans run less to transfer heat to the air. This is the normal mode of operation for a properly configured Green Room application.
    2. Air Handler
  • a) The construction of the air handler is similar to the condensing unit in that it has a heat exchanger which is split into two circuits and independently controlled fans. Each of the circuits is connected to its respective compressor.
  • b) The air handler is generally mounted on the ceiling with fans, heat exchangers and refrigerant controls all located inside. Air handlers can be mounted outside the chamber and all air ducted to and from the air handler. Plenum walls, floor or ceiling level returns may be necessary for specific operating requirements.
  • c) The airhandler heat exchanger will have the same interlaced coil circuitry described above to maximize the efficiency of the compressor and fans.
  • d) The airhandler fans operate differently from the condenser fans. When the system is cooling, all of the fans will normally be running. When the system is satisfied and not cooling, only as many fans are left running as is necessary to keep the temperature within the room uniform. Typically, a 3 fan airhandler will leave only one fan running when satisfied. A 4 fan coil would leave 2 fans running. A fan motor radiates heat when running. The motors running within the chamber have to be cooled by the refrigeration system. If you turn off a fan, you do not use the electrical power to operate the fan and you do not have to operate the refrigeration system to remove the heat from the motor that was turned off. A 100 watt fan motor requires approximately 30 watts of additional refrigeration to cool a motor that is unnecessarily running.
    3. Controls
  • a) The control system is somewhat more complex than standard refrigeration. In addition to a thermostat, time clocks, timers, relays and pressure controls are used to efficiently operate the refrigeration system.
  • b) The condensing unit controls the condenser fans based on load and condensing temperature. That control is independent of the primary controller and is located on the condensing unit, (HPFC on drawing 3). The control is connected to the discharge side of the compressor and has contacts that are wired into the fan power. Maximum benefit may require 2 or more controls.
  • c) The air handler has no independent controls other than heater series limit switches in the event that they are required.
  • d) A central controller monitors the chamber temperature and takes control action of all electrical or electromechanical devices. All of those devices are shown in drawing 1.
    4. Theory of Operation:
  • The Green Room system can be built having uneven sized compressors for maximum energy savings but only one compressor will ever run in normal conditions. When the compressors are even in size, they can be alternated to keep wear even on both compressors. The operational sequence of the system is the same for both systems except that there will be no alternation of the compressors. This is commonly referred to as “lead-lag”. In the following description of the operational sequence, references to lead and lag systems will not apply to uneven sized compressor systems.
  • In some cases, when the temperature tolerance specification is very tight, the compressor is never stopped but “idled” on hot gas until demand returns. Both cases may be illustrated in the following description of the sequential control of the chamber system.
  • a) Normal operation. Lead compressor, if applicable, will be described as system 1. System 2 will be the lag compressor. When room load is within single compressor capability, the thermostat will sense the demand for cooling and start the compressor by sending a signal to the Liquid solenoid valve, (LSV 1). The liquid solenoid valves are shown on drawings 1 and 3. The solenoid will start the flow of refrigerant and the system will cool until the temperature is satisfied. The compressor will then either pump down and stop or the hot gas bypass valve, (Shown on drawings 1 and 3), will open and allow the compressor to continue running. This condition may be referred to generally, in future text, as “stop cooling”. When the temperature again rises, the thermostat will energize LSV 1 again and the cycle will repeat. The power to the fans is divided into two circuits. When the system is in normal operation and the thermostat is satisfied, only one set of fans will continue to operate. This saves on electrical power but maintains air circulation and temperature uniformity within the chamber. Without this minimal circulation, the room would stratify, becoming warm in the upper levels and colder toward the floor. This condition is unacceptable in most cold storage applications. When the thermostat calls for cooling, the LSV is energized the remaining fans are started, providing the proper velocity and cubic feet per minute, (cfm), through the heat exchanger for efficient cooling. Once the thermostat satisfies, the fans will stop, the LSV will close and the system will stop cooling.
  • b) Normal Operation with increased heat load in the chamber. The thermostat will sense the rising temperature and energize LSV 1 and start the remaining air handler fans and compressor. Because of the increased load, the system will not be able to satisfy the thermostat and after a period of time the controller will energize LSV2, starting the lag compressor. Setpoint will be achieved, LSV1 and 2 will be turned off, some evaporator fans will be turned off and the system will stop cooling. This cycle will continue until the load in the chamber is reduced. The use of the lag system allows that the control of temperature in the chamber can be kept within 0.4 degrees C. above setpoint in conditions where the average load has increased to the point that it requires 2 system to maintain the temperature within specifications.
  • c) Normal Operation but with the door to the chamber opened longer than normal to load product in the chamber. The rapidly rising temperature will be sensed and the controller will energize LSV 2, start the fans and enable a rapid recovery in temp, when satisfied, shutting off LSV 1 and 2, stopping fans, stopping cooling.
  • d) Lead Lag operation. A timer in the controller can be programmed to periodically reverse the lead compressor, making the lead compressor the Lag compressor and visa versa. Afterwards, when the thermostat senses rising temperature, the controller will energize LSV2 and start system 2 as the “lead” system as described in paragraph “a” above.
  • e) Lead Lag operation can also substitute as a defrosting system. Rooms running within 8 degrees F. of freezing can easily freeze up the evaporators. Alternating the systems periodically will eliminate the need for a defrost.
  • f) Normal operation with system 1 compressor as “lead” failed and will not run. When the thermostat calls for system 1 to run, no cooling takes place and the controller, sensing that the temperature is not being staisfied, will start the lag system to correct the temperature. Once the temperature has been satisfied, the lag system will shut off. Evaporator fan operation does not change and the fans start as soon as LSV 1 is energized and stop as soon as LSV 1 is de-energized.
    System Operational Summary
  • The Green Room system allows components which cool or use energy to be turned off when not needed and remaining components to run more efficiently at full capacity to maintain temperature over 95% of the time. When increased capacity is needed the standby components are started, satisfying the temperature requirements and again turned off. A side benefit of the Green Room System is that it brings a level of redundancy to the overall package which offers user operational benefits. For example, a system quits running on Friday afternoon. Normally it would have to be fixed on overtime or product moved if there is other space available. The Green Room system allows that work to be scheduled and done on Monday morning at regular rates.

Claims

1. A temperature-controlled chamber, comprising:

a) a structure defining a work, process or storage area having two sidewalls, a front wall, a ceiling, a floor, one or more doors and a rear wall;

b) wherein one or more air handlers may be installed in or adjacent to the structure;

c) wherein one or more air handlers will provide air circulation and temperature control to the chamber;

d) wherein the chamber may incorporate plenums, ducts, diffusers or other devices to define proper airflow within the chamber;

e) wherein a temperature-adjustment unit is located within the air handler;

f) wherein one or more fans are located in the temperature-adjustment unit;

g) wherein the fan draws air from the chamber and forces the conditioned air into the chamber.

h) wherein the air return can be located at ceiling level, floor level or through a plenum wall or walls;

i) wherein the air supply can be located at ceiling level, floor level or through a plenum wall or walls.

2. A condensing unit, comprising:

a) One or more separate condensing units;

b) Each condensing unit containing two or more compressors;

c) Each condensing unit containing a heat exchanger for each compressor and a method of removing heat from the heat exchanger;

d) Each condensing unit having a method of controlling the fans or rate of heat exchange;

e) Each condensing unit having a method of controlling the average cooling capacity.

3. A Control System, comprising:

a) A method of uniformly maintaining the interior of the chamber at a preselected temperature;

b) A temperature sensor located within the chamber as necessary to properly sense chamber temperature and heat exchanger operation;

c) An adjustable controller which reads temperature conditions within the chamber and sends signals out to the temperature control unit and the amount of cooling supplied to the chamber;

d) A controller which can sense that there has been an event that has introduced heat into the chamber and activate an additional compressor to increase system capacity and closely maintain the preselected temperature within the chamber;

e) A controller, which can sense that heat rather than cooling, is required and can turn on a heater within the temperature adjustment unit.

4. A method of limiting power consumption comprising:

a) A controller or controllers that can turn off fans that are not essential to maintaining the specified temperature conditions within the chamber;

b) A controller that can seperately adjust the flow of refrigerant or heat to one or more compressors and heat exchangers

c) A controller that can utilize any available compressor or fan to maintain temperature in the chamber should any compressor be inoperable.