Fluid heating and/or cooling system and related methods
AssigneeEsg Pool Ventilation Limited
InventorAnthony Robinson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of and system for heating and/or cooling a fluid, the method comprising moving the fluid through a secondary side of a heat exchanger and controlling the temperature of a primary side of the heat exchanger such that the temperature of the primary side of the heat exchanger is maintained substantially at a determined temperature interval from a reference temperature which is a function of at least one of: a temperature of an inlet to the secondary side and a temperature of an outlet of the secondary side.
Claims19
A fluid heating and/or cooling system arranged to heat and/or cool a fluid to a desired temperature, the desired temperature being the temperature to which fluid within the fluid heating and/or cooling system is to be heated or cooled, the fluid heating and/or cooling system comprising:
- a heat pump comprising a compressor, an evaporator having an evaporating temperature at which refrigerant therein evaporates and a condenser having a condensing temperature at which refrigerant therein condenses, connected by a refrigerant pipe-work system arranged to carry a refrigerant;
- wherein one of the condenser and the evaporator provides a heat exchanger between the fluid and the refrigerant;
- the heat exchanger having:
- (i) a primary inlet arranged, in use, to receive the refrigerant;
- (ii) a secondary inlet arranged, in use, to receive the fluid;
- and
- (iii) a secondary outlet arranged, in use, to output the fluid;
- a fluid storage vessel arranged, in use, to allow fluid therefrom to be circulated through the heat exchanger via the secondary inlet, and to receive fluid returned from the secondary outlet, in a heating pipe-work system;
- at least one temperature sensor arranged to monitor a temperature of the fluid and to generate a temperature output;
- and
- a system controller arranged to have input thereto the at least one temperature output and to generate a reference temperature from the at least one temperature input thereto, wherein the reference temperature is a function of the temperature of at least one of a secondary inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger and the controller is further arranged to control a temperature of the primary side of the heat exchanger in response to the reference temperature such that the temperature of the primary side of the heat exchanger is repeatedly adjusted so as to remain substantially at a determined temperature interval from the reference temperature as the fluid approaches the desired temperature.
A control system arranged to control the heating and/or cooling of a volume of fluid contained within a fluid storage vessel to a desired temperature, the desired temperature being the temperature to which the volume of fluid is to be heated or cooled using a heat exchanger, the control system comprising:
- at least one input arranged to have input thereto the output of a temperature sensor arranged to monitor a temperature of the fluid to be heated or cooled;
- and
- wherein a controller is arranged to generate a reference temperature from the at least one temperature input thereto, wherein the reference temperature is a function of the temperature of at least one of a secondary inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger, through which the fluid flows, and the controller is further arranged to control a temperature of a primary side of the heat exchanger, through which refrigerant flows, in response to the reference temperature such that the temperature of the primary side of the heat exchanger is repeatedly adjusted so as to remain substantially at a determined temperature interval from the reference temperature as the fluid approaches the desired temperature.
A method of heating and/or cooling a fluid within a fluid storage vessel to a desired temperature, the desired temperature being the temperature to which fluid within the fluid storage vessel is to be heated or cooled, the method comprising moving the fluid from the storage vessel through a secondary side of a heat exchanger and back to the fluid storage vessel, and controlling the temperature of a primary side of the heat exchanger such that the temperature of the primary side of the heat exchanger is repeatedly adjusted so as to remain substantially at a determined temperature interval from a reference temperature which is a function of at least one of a temperature of an inlet to the secondary side and a temperature of an outlet of the secondary side as the fluid approaches the desired temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.