Systems and methods for heat pump systems
AssigneeDaikin Comfort Technologies Manufacturing, L.P.
InventorMichael F. Taras
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat pump heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (heat pump HVAC) system is operable to use a refrigerant to heat or cool an indoor space with a refrigerant circuit performing a reversible vapor compression cycle between an outdoor heat exchanger and an indoor heat exchanger. The heat pump HVAC system includes an ejector in fluid communication with the refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant circuit includes a first flow of refrigerant upstream from the outdoor heat exchanger and a second flow of refrigerant downstream from the outdoor heat exchanger; and the ejector is configurable to combine the first flow and the second flow into a combined flow, at least a portion of which is returned to the compressor.
Claims11
A method of operating a heat pump heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (heat pump HVAC) system operable to use a refrigerant to heat an indoor space in a heating mode or cool an indoor space in a cooling mode, the method comprising:
- compressing the refrigerant with a compressor;
- flowing the refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit including an indoor heat exchanger, a first expansion device, and an outdoor heat exchanger, wherein the refrigerant flows through the first expansion device in a first direction in the cooling mode and in a second direction, opposite the first direction, in the heating mode;
- flowing a first flow of refrigerant upstream from the outdoor heat exchanger in the heating mode;
- flowing a second flow of refrigerant downstream from the outdoor heat exchanger in the heating mode;
- transferring heat between the first flow and the second flow via an internal heat exchanger to precool the first flow before entering an ejector in the heating mode;
- combining the first flow and the second flow into a combined flow within the ejector in the heating mode, wherein the first flow includes lower enthalpy than the second flow, and wherein the combined flow includes an enthalpy between the first flow and the second flow;
- and
- flowing at least a portion of the combined flow to the compressor in the heating mode.
A heat pump heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (heat pump HVAC) system operable to use a refrigerant to heat or cool an indoor space and comprising:
- a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, a first expansion device, and a four-way valve connected together as a refrigerant circuit, the four-way valve configurable to direct the refrigerant flow through the first expansion device in a first direction in a cooling mode and in a second direction, opposite the first direction, in a heating mode;
- an ejector in fluid communication with the refrigerant circuit;
- and
- an internal heat exchanger thermally coupling a first flow of refrigerant upstream from the outdoor heat exchanger and a second flow of refrigerant downstream from the outdoor heat exchanger when in the heating mode,
- wherein, when the heat pump HVAC system is in the heating mode, the internal heat exchanger is configurable to transfer heat into the second flow before the second flow enters the ejector, and the ejector is configurable to combine the first flow and the second flow into a combined flow, at least a portion of which is returned to the compressor, wherein the first flow includes lower enthalpy than the second flow, and wherein the combined flow includes an enthalpy between the first flow and the second flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.