Heat pump system and a method of operating a heat pump system
AssigneeWhitaker Engineering (Stonehaven) Limited
InventorsKenneth Whittaker, Keith Graham Watt, Matthias Graessner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat pump system includes a regenerative thermal machine (1*, 1**, 1***) in fluid communication with one or more heat reservoirs (21; 31), wherein the regenerative thermal machine (1, 1**, 1***) comprises working fluid compression (12) and expansion (11) spaces; and an electrical machine (130) that is electrically connectable via interconnector (3) to an electricity distribution grid (2); characterised in that the regenerative thermal machine (1*, 1**, 1***) further comprises a phase change means (160) operable to change the phase relationship between the said working fluid compression (12) and expansion spaces (11) of the regenerative thermal machine (1*, 1**, 1***).
Claims31
An electrically connectable heat pump system comprising:
- (1) a regenerative thermal machine comprising:
- working fluid compression spaces and working fluid expansion spaces;
- a phase change device for changing the phase relationship between the said working fluid compression and expansion spaces;
- and
- a drive mechanism comprising a rotatable input/output drive end;
- and
- (2) an electrical machine that is electrically connectable to an electricity distribution grid, the electrical machine comprising a rotatable rotor which is mechanically connectable to the rotatable input/output drive end such that the rotatable rotor and the input/output drive end rotate when mechanically connected together;
- wherein the phase change device changes the operation of the regenerative thermal machine between a heat pump mode in which the input/output drive end is driven by the rotatable rotor, and an engine mode in which the input/output drive end drives the rotatable rotor to generate electricity, and vice versa;
- wherein the direction of rotation of the input/output drive end and the rotatable rotor is maintained as the phase change device changes from the heat pump mode to the heat engine mode and vice versa;
- and
- wherein the electrical machine is interchangeable between receiving electrical power in the heat pump mode and producing electrical power in the engine mode.
A method of operating an electrically connectable heat pump system, comprising:—
- providing a heat pump system comprising a regenerative thermal machine in fluid communication with one or more heat reservoirs, the regenerative thermal machine further comprising working fluid compression and expansion spaces and a phase change device operable to change the phase relationship between the said working fluid compression and expansion spaces of the regenerative thermal machine;
- the regenerative thermal machine further comprising a drive mechanism comprising a rotatable input/output drive end;
- further providing an electrical machine having a rotatable rotor and electrically connecting said electrical machine to an electricity distribution grid,
- mechanically connecting the rotatable input/output drive end of the drive mechanism of the regenerative thermal machine to the rotatable rotor of the electrical machine, such that the rotatable rotor and the input/output drive end rotate as one unit;
- and configuring said electrical machine to interchangeably operate as a motor in which it receives electrical motive power from the electricity grid in order to drive the regenerative thermal machine in the heat pump mode, and operate as a regenerative thermal machine-driven generator to produce and feed electrical power into said electricity grid;
- and
- operating the phase change device to change the phase relationship between the said working fluid compression and expansion spaces of the regenerative thermal machine;
- and
- further operating the phase change device to change the operation of the regenerative thermal machine seamlessly between a heat pump mode in which the input/output drive end of the regenerative thermal machine is rotatably driven by the rotor of the electrical machine, and an engine mode in which the input/output drive end of the regenerative thermal machine rotatably drives the rotor of the electrical machine to generate electricity, and vice versa,
- wherein the direction of rotation of the input/output drive end of the drive mechanism and the rotor of the electrical machine are maintained as the regenerative thermal machine changes mode from heat pump to heat engine and vice versa.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.