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US 10,502,461 B2Granted
CO2 refrigeration system with direct CO2 heat exchange for building temperature control
AssigneeHill Phoeniz, Inc.
InventorsKim Christensen, Paul Hallett, Tony Mills
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A CO2 refrigeration system includes a CO2 refrigeration subsystem that provides cooling for a refrigeration load using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant. The CO2 refrigeration system further includes a direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem that uses the CO2 refrigerant from the CO2 refrigeration subsystem to provide heating or cooling for a building zone. The direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem includes a heat exchanger that exchanges heat directly between the CO2 refrigerant and an airflow provided to the building zone.
Claims19
A CO2 refrigeration system comprising:
- a CO2 refrigeration subsystem that provides cooling for a refrigeration load using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant;
- a direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem that uses the CO2 refrigerant from the CO2 refrigeration subsystem to provide heating or cooling for a building zone, the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem comprising a heat exchanger that exchanges heat directly between the CO2 refrigerant and an airflow provided to the building zone;
- a gas cooler/condenser that cools the CO2 refrigerant and discharges the cooled CO2 refrigerant into a cooled refrigerant line;
- wherein the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem receives the cooled CO2 refrigerant from the cooled refrigerant line and delivers the cooled CO2 refrigerant to the heat exchanger to provide cooling for the building zone;
- wherein the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem further comprises a cooled refrigerant intake line connecting the cooled refrigerant line to the heat exchanger;
- and an expansion valve located along the cooled refrigerant intake line upstream of the heat exchanger;
- a controller configured to operate the expansion valve to control an amount of the cooled CO2 refrigerant provided to the heat exchanger;
- a high pressure valve that receives the cooled CO2 refrigerant from the cooled refrigerant line, expands the cooled CO2 refrigerant, and discharges the expanded CO2 refrigerant into an expanded refrigerant line;
- wherein the controller monitors a position of the high pressure valve and operates the expansion valve based on the position of the high pressure valve.
6 more elements
A CO2 cooling system for a building, the CO2 cooling system comprising:
- a CO2 refrigeration subsystem that provides cooling for a refrigeration load using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant;
- a gas cooler/condenser that cools the CO2 refrigerant and discharges the cooled CO2 refrigerant into a cooled refrigerant line;
- a heat exchanger that receives the cooled CO2 refrigerant from the cooled refrigerant line and exchanges heat directly between the cooled CO2 refrigerant and an airflow provided to the building zone;
- and
- a high pressure valve that receives the cooled CO2 refrigerant from the cooled refrigerant line, expands the cooled CO2 refrigerant, and discharges the expanded CO2 refrigerant into an expanded refrigerant line;
- wherein the heat exchanger discharges the CO2 refrigerant into the expanded refrigerant line.
3 more elements
A CO2 heating system for a building, the CO2 heating system comprising:
- a CO2 refrigeration subsystem that provides cooling for a refrigeration load using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant;
- a compressor that compresses the CO2 refrigerant to a high temperature high pressure state and discharges the hot compressed refrigerant into a hot compressed refrigerant line;
- a heat exchanger that receives the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant from the hot compressed refrigerant line and exchanges heat directly between the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant and an airflow provided to the building zone;
- a hot refrigerant discharge line that receives the CO2 refrigerant from the heat exchanger and provides the CO2 refrigerant to the hot compressed refrigerant line;
- a control valve operable to control an amount of the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant provided to the heat exchanger;
- wherein the control valve is a three-way valve that receives the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant from the hot refrigerant intake line and directs the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant to either the heat exchanger or the hot refrigerant discharge line based on a position of the control valve.
3 more elements
A CO2 refrigeration system comprising:
- a CO2 refrigeration subsystem that provides cooling for a refrigeration load using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant;
- a direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem that uses the CO2 refrigerant from the CO2 refrigeration subsystem to provide heating or cooling for a building zone, the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem comprising a heat exchanger that exchanges heat directly between the CO2 refrigerant and an airflow provided to the building zone;
- a gas cooler/condenser that cools the CO2 refrigerant and discharges the cooled CO2 refrigerant into a cooled refrigerant line;
- a high pressure valve that receives the cooled CO2 refrigerant from the cooled refrigerant line, expands the cooled CO2 refrigerant, and discharges the expanded CO2 refrigerant into an expanded refrigerant line;
- wherein the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem receives the cooled CO2 refrigerant from the cooled refrigerant line and delivers the cooled CO2 refrigerant to the heat exchanger to provide cooling for the building zone;
- and
- wherein the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem includes a discharge line that receives the CO2 refrigerant from the heat exchanger and discharges the CO2 refrigerant into the expanded refrigerant line.
4 more elements
A CO2 refrigeration system comprising:
- a CO2 refrigeration subsystem that provides cooling for a refrigeration load using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant;
- a direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem that uses the CO2 refrigerant from the CO2 refrigeration subsystem to provide heating or cooling for a building zone, the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem comprising a heat exchanger that exchanges heat directly between the CO2 refrigerant and an airflow provided to the building zone;
- wherein the CO2 refrigeration subsystem comprises a compressor that compresses the CO2 refrigerant to a high temperature high pressure state and discharges the hot compressed refrigerant into a hot compressed refrigerant line;
- wherein the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem receives the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant from the hot compressed refrigerant line and delivers the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant to the heat exchanger to provide heating for the building zone;
- wherein the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem includes a hot refrigerant intake line that receives the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant from the hot compressed refrigerant line and provides the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant to the heat exchanger and a hot refrigerant discharge line that receives the CO2 refrigerant from the heat exchanger and provides the CO2 refrigerant to the hot compressed refrigerant line;
- wherein the direct CO2 heat exchange subsystem comprises a three-way control valve that receives the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant from the hot refrigerant intake line and directs the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant to either the heat exchanger or the hot refrigerant discharge line based on a position of the control valve to control an amount of the hot compressed CO2 refrigerant provided to the heat exchanger.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.