# US 10,309,693 B2 · Thermal energy system and method of operation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,309,693 B2 - Document ID: US10309693B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/003,726 - Filed: 2012-03-08 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2011-03-08 - Assignees: Erda Master IPCO Limited - Applicants: Dmitriy Zaynulin; Graeme Ogilvie; Kevin Stickney; Gregory Davis - Inventors: Dmitriy Zaynulin; Graeme Ogilvie; Kevin Stickney; Gregory Davis - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10309693B2 ## CPC - F25B 9/008: {the refrigerant being carbon dioxide} - F25B 6/00: Compression machines, plants or systems, with several condenser circuits - F25B 6/04: arranged in series - F25B 25/005: {using primary and secondary systems} - F25B 27/00: Machines, plants or systems, using particular sources of energy (F25B30/06 takes precedence) - F25B 30/02: of the compression type - F25B 41/20: Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves (expansion valves F25B41/31) - F25B 49/02: for compression type machines, plants or systems - F25B 2309/061: with cycle highest pressure above the supercritical pressure - F25B 2339/047: Water-cooled condensers - F25B 2400/22: Refrigeration systems for supermarkets - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS ## Abstract A thermal energy system comprising a first thermal system in use having a cooling demand, and a heat sink connection system coupled to the first thermal system, the heat sink connection system being adapted to provide selective connection to a plurality of heat sinks for cooling the first thermal system, the heat sink connection system comprising a first heat exchanger system adapted to be coupled to a first remote heat sink containing a working fluid and a second heat exchanger system adapted to be coupled to ambient air as a second heat sink, a fluid loop interconnecting the first thermal system, the first heat exchanger system and the second heat exchanger system, at least one mechanism for selectively altering the order of the first heat exchanger system and the second heat exchanger system in relation to a fluid flow direction around the fluid loop, and a controller for actuating the at least one mechanism. An alternative embodiment has a heating demand and uses heat sources. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A thermal energy system comprising: a first thermal system in use having a cooling demand; and a heat sink connection system coupled to the first thermal system, the heat sink connection system being adapted to provide selective connection to a plurality of heat sinks for cooling the first thermal system, the heat sink connection system including: a first heat exchanger system adapted to be coupled to a first remote heat sink containing a working fluid, a second heat exchanger system adapted to be coupled to ambient air as a second heat sink, a fluid loop concurrently interconnecting the first thermal system, the first heat exchanger system and the second heat exchanger system, at least one mechanism for selectively altering the order of the first heat exchanger system and the second heat exchanger system in relation to a fluid flow direction around the fluid loop, and a controller for actuating the at least one mechanisms; wherein the fluid loop has an input and an output connected to the first thermal system, and the at least one mechanism is adapted to be actuatable to switch the fluid loop between a first fluid loop configuration in which the first heat exchanger system is upstream of the second heat exchanger system in the direction of fluid flow around the loop from the input to the output and a second fluid loop configuration in which the second heat exchanger system is upstream of the first heat exchanger system in the direction of fluid flow around the loop from the input to the output. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the first heat exchanger system is adapted to be coupled to a plurality of boreholes comprising the remote heat sink. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The thermal energy system according to claim 2 wherein the boreholes are comprised in a closed loop geothermal energy system. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the second heat exchanger system is a condenser, gas cooler or sub-cooler coupled to ambient air. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 further comprising a first temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the first heat sink and a second temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the second heat sink. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The thermal energy system according to claim 5 wherein the controller is adapted to actuate the at least one mechanism by employing the measured temperatures of the first and second heat sinks as control parameters. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The thermal energy system according to claim 6 wherein the controller is adapted to actuate the at least one mechanism at least partly based on a comparison of the measured temperatures of the first and second heat sinks. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the heat sink connection system is configured to provide substantially unrestricted flow between the heat sinks. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the first thermal system comprises a commercial or industrial refrigeration system which utilizes a vapour-compression Carnot cycle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The thermal energy system comprising a commercial or industrial refrigeration system according to claim 9 which utilizes carbon dioxide as a refrigerant. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The thermal energy system according to claim 10 further comprising a first pressure regulating valve on a downstream side of the second heat exchanger system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The thermal energy system according to claim 11 further comprising a bypass of the pressure regulating valve on the downstream side of the second heat exchanger system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The thermal energy system according to claim 10 further comprising a pressure regulating valve on a downstream side of the first heat exchanger system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one mechanism comprises a plurality of switchable valve mechanisms being actuatable for selectively altering the order of the first heat exchanger system and the second heat exchanger system in a fluid flow direction around the fluid loop. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The thermal energy system according to claim 14 wherein the controller is adapted simultaneously to actuate the plurality of switchable valve mechanisms. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the first heat exchanger system comprises a plurality of first heat exchangers. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the second heat exchanger system comprises a plurality of second heat exchangers. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the heat sink connection system further comprises at least one additional heat exchanger system adapted to be coupled to at least one additional heat sink. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The thermal energy system according to claim 1 wherein the fluid loop serially interconnects the first thermal system, the first heat exchanger and the second exchanger system. ### Claim 20 A method of operating a thermal energy system, the thermal energy system comprising a first thermal system, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a first thermal system having a cooling demand, and a heat sink connection system coupled to the first thermal system, the heat sink connection system being adapted to provide selective connection to a plurality of heat sinks for cooling the first thermal system; (b) providing a first heat exchanger system coupled to a first remote heat sink containing a working fluid; (c) providing a second heat exchanger system to be coupled to ambient air as a second heat sink; (d) flowing fluid around a fluid loop concurrently interconnecting the first thermal system, the first heat exchanger system and the second heat exchanger system to reject heat simultaneously to the first and second heat sinks; and (e) selectively altering the order of the first heat exchanger system and the second heat exchanger system in relation to a fluid flow direction around the fluid loop; wherein the fluid loop has an input and an output connected to the first thermal system, and in step (e) switchable valve mechanisms connecting the first and second heat exchanger systems to the first thermal system are actuated simultaneously by a controller to switch the fluid loop between a first fluid loop configuration in which the first heat exchanger system is upstream of the second heat exchanger system in the direction of fluid flow around the fluid loop from the input to the output and a second fluid loop configuration in which the second heat exchanger system is upstream of the first heat exchanger system in the direction of fluid flow around the fluid loop from the input to the output. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein step (e) is carried out by selectively switching valve mechanisms connecting the first and second heat exchanger systems into the fluid loop. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) A method according to claim 21 wherein the valve mechanisms are two-way valves each having at least three ports. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 further comprising the step of measuring the temperature of the first heat sink and the temperature of the second heat sink and in step (e) the measured temperatures of the first and second heat sinks are employed as control parameters for controlling the order of the first and second heat exchanger systems in the fluid flow direction of the fluid loop. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) A method according to claim 23 wherein the order of the first and second heat exchanger systems in the fluid flow direction of the fluid loop is controlled at least partly based on a comparison of the measured temperatures of the first and second heat sinks. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein the first heat exchanger system is coupled to a plurality of boreholes comprising the remote heat sink. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) A method according to claim 25 wherein the boreholes are comprised in a closed loop geothermal energy system. ### Claim 27 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein the second heat exchanger system is a condenser, gas cooler or sub-cooler coupled to ambient air. ### Claim 28 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein in the first fluid loop configuration the first heat exchanger system is arranged to provide primary cooling and condensing of the fluid and the second heat exchanger system is arranged to provide sub-cooling of the fluid. ### Claim 29 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein the first fluid loop configuration is selected when a measured temperature of ambient air as the second heat sink is below a particular threshold in relation to a measured temperature of the working fluid of the first heat sink. ### Claim 30 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein in the second fluid loop configuration the second heat exchanger system is arranged to provide primary cooling and condensing of the fluid and the first heat exchanger system is arranged to provide sub-cooling of the fluid. ### Claim 31 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein the second fluid loop configuration is selected when a measured temperature of ambient air as the second heat sink is higher than a particular threshold in relation to the measured temperature of the working fluid of the first heat sink. ### Claim 32 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein the first thermal system comprises a commercial or industrial refrigeration system applying the vapour-pressure Carnot cycle and employing carbon dioxide as a refrigerant. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) A method according to claim 32 wherein in step (d) the carbon dioxide initially passes through the second heat exchanger system and rejects heat to the second heat sink under transcritical conditions without condensing the carbon dioxide in the second heat exchanger system. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) A method according to claim 33 further comprising regulating the pressure of the carbon dioxide on a downstream side of the second heat exchanger system so as to provide a constant pressure during an initial heat rejecting phase of step (d). ### Claim 35 (depends on 33) A method according to claim 33 further comprising regulating the pressure of the carbon dioxide on a downstream side of the first heat exchanger system so as to provide a constant pressure during an second heat rejecting phase of step (d). ### Claim 36 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein the first heat exchanger system comprises a plurality of first heat exchangers. ### Claim 37 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 wherein the second heat exchanger system comprises a plurality of second heat exchangers. ### Claim 38 (depends on 20) A method according to claim 20 further comprising providing at least one additional heat exchanger system coupled to at least one additional heat sink, the fluid loop interconnecting the first thermal system, the first heat exchanger system, the second heat exchanger system and the at least one additional heat exchanger system to reject heat simultaneously to the first and second heat sinks and to the at least one additional heat sink.