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US 10,371,428 B2Granted
Subcooling system with thermal storage
AssigneeJohnson Controls Technology Company
InventorsWilliam L. Kopko, Andrew M. Welch, Satheesh Kulankara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward systems and method for cooling a refrigerant flow of a refrigerant circuit with a cool water flow from a cool water storage to generate a warm water flow and to cool the refrigerant flow by a subcooling temperature difference, flowing the warm water flow to the cool water storage, and thermally isolating the warm water flow from the cool water flow in the cool water storage.
Claims10
A method of utilizing a thermal storage unit with a refrigerant circuit, comprising:
- operating the thermal storage unit with the refrigerant circuit in a subcooling mode, comprising:
- subcooling, in a subcooling heat exchanger of the refrigerant circuit, a refrigerant flow of the refrigerant circuit with cool water flowing at a first flow rate from a tank of the thermal storage unit through the subcooling heat exchanger to generate warm water flowing at the first flow rate and to subcool the refrigerant flow within the subcooling heat exchanger by a subcooling temperature difference;
- flowing warm water to an additional tank of the thermal storage unit, wherein the tank and the additional tank are fluidly coupled in series via a conduit during operation of the thermal storage unit with the refrigerant circuit in the subcooling mode;
- and
- regulating the first flow rate of warm water into the thermal storage unit having cool water, such that warm water is stratified above cool water in at least one of the tank and the additional tank of the thermal storage unit;
- flowing a water flow through the conduit from the additional tank to the tank at the first flow rate, wherein the water flow comprises cool water when warm water is stratified above cool water in the additional tank, and the water flow comprises warm water when the additional tank is full with warm water, wherein the first flow rate of warm water to the tank is regulated such that warm water is stratified above cool water in the tank;
- and
- operating the thermal storage unit with the refrigerant circuit in a recharge mode, comprising:
- cooling warm water of the thermal storage unit with the refrigerant flow of the refrigerant circuit to generate a recharge flow, wherein warm water and the refrigerant flow are directed through a cooling heat exchanger disposed along the refrigerant circuit;
- and
- flowing the recharge flow from the cooling heat exchanger to the thermal storage unit.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.