US 12,163,691 B2Granted

Micro chiller-based heating, ventilation and air conditioning system

OwnerRonald David Conryinventor

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Abstract

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in which a primary water loop is used as a heat transfer reservoir for both heating and cooling. A plurality of micro chillers are provided, with each micro chiller being connected to the primary water loop. Each micro chiller includes its own heat engine. Each micro chiller includes one or more fan coil units that exchange heat between the micro chiller and the air in a building. In a first mode a micro chiller transfers heat from the air in the building to the water circulating within the primary water loop. In a second mode the micro chiller transfers heat from the water circulating in the primary water loop to the air in the building. A primary water loop regulation system is provided to control the temperature of the water circulating in the primary water loop.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for controlling a temperature in a space within a building, comprising:

(a) providing a fan unit having a liquid coil and a fan, with said fan configured to blow air over said liquid coil and into said space;
(b) providing a micro chiller including,
(i) a compressor,
(ii) a condenser,
(iii) an expansion valve,
(iv) an evaporator, and
(v) a refrigerant circulation loop configured to circulate said refrigerant from said compressor to said condenser, to said expansion valve, to said evaporator, and back to said compressor;
(c) providing a primary liquid loop running through said building;
(d) providing a secondary liquid loop running between said microchiller and said fan unit;
(e) transferring thermal energy between said primary liquid loop and a geothermal loop in order to maintain a desired temperature within said primary liquid loop;
(f) providing a first set of valves controlling flow through said evaporator of said micro chiller;
(g) providing a second set of valves controlling flow through said condenser of said micro chiller;
(h) operating in a heating mode in said space by setting said first set of valves to circulate liquid from said primary liquid loop through said evaporator and setting said second set of valves to circulate liquid from said secondary liquid loop through said condenser;
and
(i) operating in a cooling mode in said space by setting said first set of valves to circulate liquid from said secondary liquid loop through said evaporator and setting said second set of valves to circulate liquid from said primary liquid loop through said condenser.

12 more elements

A method of independently controlling a temperature within a first space in a building and a second space in said building, comprising:

(a) providing a first fan unit having a first liquid coil and a first fan, with said first fan configured to blow air over said first liquid coil and into said first space;
(b) providing a first microchiller including,
(i) a first compressor,
(ii) a first condenser,
(iii) a first expansion valve,
(iv) a first evaporator, and
(v) a first refrigerant circulation loop configured to circulate said refrigerant from said first compressor to said first condenser, to said first expansion valve, to said first evaporator, and back to said first compressor;
(c) providing a primary liquid loop running through said building;
(d) providing a first secondary liquid loop running between said first microchiller and said first fan unit;
(e) providing a second fan unit having a second liquid coil and a second fan, with said second fan configured to blow air over said second liquid coil and into said second space;
(f) providing a second microchiller including,
(i) a second compressor,
(ii) a second condenser,
(iii) a second expansion valve,
(iv) a second evaporator, and
(v) a second refrigerant circulation loop configured to circulate said refrigerant from said second compressor to said second condenser, to said second expansion valve, to said second evaporator, and back to said second compressor;
(g) providing a second secondary liquid loop running between said second microchiller and said second fan unit;
(h) transferring thermal energy between said primary liquid loop and a geothermal loop in order to maintain a desired temperature within said primary liquid loop;
(i) operating in a heating mode in said first space by circulating liquid from said primary liquid loop through said first evaporator and circulating liquid from said first secondary liquid loop through said first condenser;
(j) operating in a cooling mode in said first space by circulating liquid from said first secondary liquid loop through said first evaporator and circulating liquid from said primary liquid loop through said first condenser;
(k) operating in a heating mode in said second space by circulating liquid from said primary liquid loop through said second evaporator and circulating liquid from said second secondary liquid loop through said second condenser;
and
(l) operating in a cooling mode in said second space by circulating liquid from said second secondary liquid loop through said second evaporator and circulating liquid from said primary liquid loop through said second condenser.

20 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/887,977Filed 15 Aug 2022 · continuation in part
Priority: 26 Aug 2019
Published: US 2023/0145658 A111 May 2023
Granted: 10 Dec 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

F24F 3/06
Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or…:…
F24F 5/001
Cooling apparatus specially adapted for use in air-conditioning: compression cycle type
F24F 5/0046
Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00 , e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an…
F24F 11/70
Control or safety arrangements: control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof

Family

Application62/891,581Us provisional application · filed 26 Aug 2019
Application17/001,818Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 25 Aug 2020
US 2023/0145658 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 May 2023
US 11,416,013 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2021/0132640 A1Published application
US 12,163,691 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.