HEAT EXCHANGE SYSTEM
A modular heat exchange system having a refrigerant system for cycling a refrigerant through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, a heat source circulation system which circulates a heat exchange fluid, and a heat sink circulation system which circulates a heat absorption fluid, wherein the refrigerant cycles through the evaporator in a direction parallel relative to a direction of circulation of the heat exchange fluid flowing concurrently through the evaporator, and wherein the refrigerant flows through the condenser in a direction opposite relative to the circulation direction of the heat absorption fluid flowing concurrently through the condenser. In another aspect, the heat source circulation system includes a heat source and a fluid flow conduit connecting the heat source to the evaporator. In another aspect, the heat sink circulation system includes a heat sink and a hot fluid flow conduit connecting the heat sink to the condenser.
1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a portable and scalable heat exchange system. More particularly, aspects of the invention relate to a high-efficiency water-to-water heat exchange system for providing an efficient, portable, and/or scalable heating and/or cooling source.
2. Background of the Technology
In many conventional residential heat pump systems, for example, for supplying heat, the heat exchanging condenser 20 extracts heat energy from the superheated refrigerant vapor during Phase 2 of the cycle by using a blower 50 to direct cool air across condenser coils carrying the hot vapor (see
For supplying cool air, the blower 50 may instead be used to direct hot air across evaporator coils carrying the cooler fluid refrigerant during Phase 4 of the cycle 2. The cooler fluid refrigerant conducts heat energy from the hot air, and the resulting cooler air may be supplied to the home. Under such circumstances, the condenser 20 relies on the outside air to cool the superheated vapor during Phase 2 of the vapor-compression cycle 2
In some conventional systems, the heat pump may be designed with a reversible valve and specialized heat exchangers, for example, allowing the vapor-compression cycle 2 to operate in either direction, with each heat exchanger serving as either a condenser or an evaporator. The cycle of the heat pump can thus be reversed, so that, depending on the desired climate, a single blower may be used to direct hot or cool air across coils, for example, carrying the cooler refrigerant fluid or the superheated refrigerant vapor, respectively.
A typical air-source heat pump, as described above, works harder to transfer heat from a cooler place to a warmer place as the temperature difference increases between the cooler and warmer places. Accordingly, the performance of an air-source heat pump deteriorates significantly, for example, during the winter months in a very cold climate, as the temperature difference between the air outside a home becomes significantly less than the desired temperature inside the home.
A ground source heat pump system, which typically extracts heat from the ground, or a body of water, may be used to counteract the effect of significant temperature gradients between the heat source and the heat sink. This is because the ground below a certain depth, and water below a certain level, maintains a fairly constant temperature year round, leading to generally lower temperature differentials throughout significant periods of the year, allowing for increased performance of the heat pump. As shown in
A typical ground source system, such as the ground source loop 3 described above, is expensive to construct and can be extremely disruptive to install because thousands of feet of piping may need to be placed in horizontally dug trenches or wells dug vertically deep into the ground, to effectively tap into the thermal energy contained therein. And although the thermal conductivity of water is greater than that of the ground, generally allowing for less piping to be placed into a body of water, access to a body of water close enough to the home for the purpose of creating a ground source system is often unfeasible.
There exists a need for a heat exchange system which combines the efficiencies of the thermal conductivity of a fluid, such as water and a specially tuned vapor-compression cycle to produce an efficient, portable, and scalable heat exchange system for simultaneously providing heating and/or cooling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAspects of the present invention provide for a heat exchange system that combines a thermally conductive fluid and a specially tuned vapor-compression cycle in an extremely efficient, modular, portable, and scalable system for providing superior heat exchange capabilities for heating and/or cooling in almost any environment. As a result, the heat exchange system in accordance with aspects of the present invention may be disassembled and assembled with ease and without causing damage to the structural components of the system to permit convenient installation in residential, commercial and industrial settings. Aspects of the present invention include operation of the system using a portable generator, allowing deployment in remote locations, such as forward operating military outposts, or to provide heating, cooling, hot water and chilled water to people in need around the world, such as victims in disaster relief centers and in refugee camps.
Aspects of the invention, and, in particular, the increased performance of the efficiently designed heat exchange system, permit enhanced heating and cooling while creating a significantly reduced footprint on the environment over conventional heating and cooling systems that rely on fossil fuels to function.
Additional advantages and novel features of aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or upon learning by practice of the invention.
As shown in
As indicated by the longer arrows in the enlarged view of
As shown in
As shown in
As indicated by the longer arrows in the enlarged view of
As shown in
The heat exchange system of the present invention draws on the thermal energy contained in the heat source 200, which may be a tank of water at ambient temperature, for example, and by way of the vapor-compression cycle 2, deposits the withdrawn thermal energy efficiently into the heat sink 300, which may be another tank of water, for example. The heat sink 300 may thus reach temperatures of more than 150° F. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
According to aspects of the present invention, the refrigerant charge in the vapor-compression cycle 2 may be precisely determined in accordance with a length of the refrigerant run (i.e., the length of the and the desired characteristics of a well-balanced heat exchange system. The R-410A refrigerant charge may be intentionally set to a level that allows the system to continue to operate at maximum efficiency, while increasing the discharge temperature of the superheated vapor discharged from the compressor 110. The unexpected results of the present invention call for a substantially lower refrigerant charge than normal to achieve the desired results of an efficient heat transfer between the heat source 200 and the heat sink 300.
The use of R-410A enhances the ability to increase the temperature on the discharge side of the compressor 110, but requires much higher pressures to operate compared to previously used refrigerants. For example, to achieve a condensing temperature value of 140°, an R-410 high-side pressure must approach 550 psi. In other words, for the heat absorption fluid running through the condenser coil section 122, which is generally maintained at a temperature of 140° or higher, to condense the superheated vapor of the refrigerant in the conduit 116, the pressure on the condenser side of the heat exchanger must approach 550 psi or higher. By using a scroll compressor 110 rated to handle 650 psi before disengaging, and using tubes and fittings rated to withstand the elevated temperatures and pressures of an R-410A charged system, the heat exchange system 100 can handle the higher pressures required to produce the higher compressor discharge temperatures necessary to ensure heat exchange occurs in the condenser at temperatures above 140° F.
As heat energy is transferred from the heat source 200 to the heat sink 300, the temperature of the heat source 200 lowers. Depending on the heat load demand, and the size of the body of water, for example, that is serving as the heat source 200, the temperature of the heat source 200 may drop significantly. Due to the parallel, concurrent tubular flow design of the evaporator 140, and the ability to generally maintain the heat source 200 in an ambient environment, the liquid refrigerant is ensured of drawing enough latent heat to effectively boil the liquid refrigerant and deliver vapor with enough pressure to the compressor 110 to function highly efficiently. In fact, a slight lowering of the refrigerant charge so that the intake side pressure is slightly lowered, while still preventing liquid refrigerant from being delivered to the compressor 110, may slightly elevate the compression ratio of the compressor 110. The higher compression ratio in turn may transfer more compression energy to the refrigerant during compression resulting in an even higher discharge temperature so that the heat absorption fluid can be heated to even higher temperatures.
The colder heat source may also be used as a cooling medium for chilling water or providing cool air by employing the same water-to-water or water-to-air heat transfer means discussed above with respect to the hot water side. For example, hydronic coils, which draw upon the cold water created in the heat source 200, may be used in combination with a fan to blow hot air across the hydronic coils to produce cooler air for the air conditioning of a particular structure. Similarly, as in the case of a domestic hot water tank, a separate cold water heat exchange system and storage tank, for example, can provide chilled water for a variety of uses. The heat exchange system may be sized appropriately to achieve a symbiotic balance between the thermal mass of the heat sink 300, and any associated hot side heat exchange systems, and the thermal mass of the heat source 200, and any associated cold side heat exchange systems. For example, by maintaining the heat source 200 in an ambient air environment, such as interior to the same structure receiving thermal energy from the heat sink 300, the heat source 200 may continually recapture a portion of the thermal energy in the air provided from the heat sink 300, rather than that energy simply being lost to the environment.
Features in accordance with aspects of the present invention include configuring the components of the heat exchange system 100 to be compact, modular and/or portable, for example. As shown in
By maintaining the modularity and portability of the heat exchange system 100, the unit 100 may be transported to and employed easily in remote locations. A generator may be used for producing the electricity needed by the compressor 110 and the circulation pumps 215 and 315, and access to a water source may provide both a heat source 200 and a heat sink 300 for heating and cooling purposes.
While this invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary aspects outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and/or substantial equivalents, whether known or that are or may be presently unforeseen, may become apparent to those having at least ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the exemplary aspects of the invention, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, including increasing the size of various components, including the heat source and heat sink, to scale the system appropriately for different applications. Therefore, the invention is intended to embrace all known or later-developed alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and/or substantial equivalents.
Claims
1. A modular heat exchange system comprising:
- a refrigerant system which cycles a refrigerant through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator;
- a heat source circulation system which circulates a heat exchange fluid; and
- a heat sink circulation system which circulates a heat absorption fluid,
- wherein the refrigerant cycles through the evaporator in a direction that is parallel relative to a direction of circulation of the heat exchange fluid flowing concurrently through the evaporator, and
- wherein the refrigerant flows through the condenser in an a direction opposite relative to a circulation direction of the heat absorption fluid flowing concurrently through the condenser.
2. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, wherein the refrigerant is R-410A.
3. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, wherein the heat exchange fluid is water.
4. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, wherein the heat absorption fluid is water.
5. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, further comprising a high pressure conduit connecting the compressor to the expansion valve, wherein the condenser comprises a coiled tubular section, and the high pressure conduit passes through an interior of the coiled tubular section of the condenser.
6. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, further comprising a low pressure conduit connecting the expansion valve to the compressor, wherein the evaporator comprises a coiled tubular section, and the low pressure conduit passes through an interior of the coiled tubular section of the evaporator.
7. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, wherein the heat source circulation system further comprises a heat source and a fluid flow conduit connecting the heat source to the evaporator.
8. The modular heat exchange system of claim 7, wherein the heat source is a body of water.
9. The modular heat exchange system of claim 8, wherein the body of water is contained in a heat source storage tank.
10. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, further comprising a first circulation pump which circulates the heat exchange fluid.
11. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, wherein the heat sink circulation system further comprises a heat sink and a hot fluid flow conduit connecting the heat sink to the condenser.
12. The modular heat exchange system of claim 11, wherein the heat sink is a body of water.
13. The modular heat exchange system of claim 12, wherein the body of water is contained in a heat sink storage tank.
14. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, further comprising a second circulation pump which circulates the heat absorption fluid.
15. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, further comprising a storage tank connected to the heat sink by a closed-loop circulation system, wherein a fluid in the storage tank receives thermal energy from the heat sink through a heat exchange process.
16. The modular heat exchange system of claim 15, wherein the fluid in the storage tank is water.
17. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, wherein a refrigerant charge in the refrigerant system is reduced to increase a discharge temperature of the refrigerant leaving the compressor.
18. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic control unit controlling operation of the compressor.
19. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, further comprising a pressure control device and a pressure transducer, wherein the pressure transducer senses a pressure at a specific point of the refrigerant flow and the pressure control device controls the compressor based on the pressure sensed.
20. The modular heat exchange system of claim 1, further comprising a generator, wherein the generator supplies power to the compressor and at least one circulation pump to operate the heat exchange system.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 18, 2009
Publication Date: Feb 24, 2011
Inventor: James O'BRIEN (Chevy Chase, MD)
Application Number: 12/543,268
International Classification: F25B 27/00 (20060101);