US 12,435,909 B2Granted

Systems and methods of using cascading heat pumps for improvement of coefficient of performance

OwnerMark J. Maynardinventor

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Abstract

A system utilizing cascading heat pump circuits (HPCs) is employed to efficiently transfer heat from low temperature reservoirs to high temperature reservoirs. The system of cascading (e.g., multistage) HPCs include at least two HPCs that are in thermal communication. The first HPC uses a first refrigerant and is configured to raise a first cold operating temperature to a first hot operating temperature. The second HPC uses a second refrigerant and is configured to raise a second cold operating temperature to a second hot operating temperature. The second HPC is in thermal communication with the first HPC through a thermal exchange block, which allows the transfer of heat between the HPCs and causes the first hot temperature to be equilibrated with the second cold temperature. The cascading HPC system also includes a system controller that is configured to optimize the coefficient of performance (COP) of the cascading HPC system.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A cascading heat pump system, comprising:

a first heat pump circuit, the first heat pump circuit using a first refrigerant configured to raise a first cold operating temperature to a first hot operating temperature, the first heat pump circuit comprising:
a first evaporator positioned in a first exchanger (E/C) block, the first evaporator configured to transfer heat from an outside source to the first refrigerant;
a first compressor in fluid communication with the first evaporator and configured to:
receive the first refrigerant from the first evaporator;
compress the first refrigerant;
and
heat the first refrigerant;
a first condenser in fluid communication with the first compressor and configured to condense the first refrigerant;
a second heat pump circuit, the second heat pump circuit using a second refrigerant configured to raise a second cold operating temperature to a second hot operating temperature, the second heat pump circuit in thermal communication with the first heat pump circuit, the thermal communication is through a second E/C block, the second heat pump comprising:
a third evaporator positioned in the second E/C block in thermal communication with the first condenser, the second refrigerant in the third evaporator configured to receive a transfer of heat from the first refrigerant in the first condenser;
a second compressor configured to:
receive the second refrigerant from the third evaporator;
compress the second refrigerant;
and
heat the second refrigerant;
a second condenser configured to condense the second refrigerant;
and
a system controller operatively coupled to the cascading heat pump system, the system controller configured to optimize the coefficient of performance (COP) of the cascading heat pump system as a function of output from at least one of two flow meters and/or system sensors,
wherein:
the second cold operating temperature is equal to the first hot operating temperature;
and
a total operating range of the cascading heat pump system is the difference between the first cold operating temperature and the final hot operating temperature.

19 more elements

A cascading air conditioning (A/C) system, comprising:

a first A/C circuit, the first A/C circuit using a first refrigerant configured to raise a first cold operating temperature to a first hot operating temperature, the first A/C circuit comprising:
a second evaporator positioned in a second exchanger (E/C) block, the second evaporator configured to transfer heat from an outside source to the first refrigerant;
a first compressor in fluid communication with the second evaporator and configured to:
receive the first refrigerant from the second evaporator;
compress the first refrigerant;
and
heat the first refrigerant;
a first condenser in fluid communication with the first compressor and configured to condense the first refrigerant;
a second A/C circuit, the second A/C circuit using a second refrigerant configured to raise a second cold operating temperature to a second hot operating temperature, the second A/C circuit in thermal communication with the first A/C circuit, the thermal communication is through a second E/C block, the second heat pump comprising:
a third evaporator positioned in the second E/C block in thermal communication with the first condenser, the second refrigerant in the third evaporator configured to receive a transfer of heat from the first refrigerant in the first condenser;
a second compressor configured to:
receive the second refrigerant from the third evaporator;
compress the second refrigerant;
and
heat the second refrigerant;
a third condenser configured to condense the second refrigerant;
and
a system controller operatively coupled to the cascading A/C system, the system controller configured to optimize a coefficient of performance (COP) of the cascading A/C system as a function of output from at least one of two flow meters and/or system sensors,
wherein:
the second cold operating temperature is approximately equal to the first hot operating temperature;
and
a total operating range of the cascading A/C system is the difference between the first cold operating temperature and the final hot operating temperature.

19 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/132,297Filed 7 Apr 2023 · us provisional application
Priority: 8 Apr 2022
Published: US 2023/0324084 A112 Oct 2023
Granted: 7 Oct 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

F25B 7/00
Compression machines, plants or systems, with cascade operation, i.e. with two or
F25B 5/02
Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity: arranged in parallel
F25B 6/02
Compression machines, plants or systems, with several condenser circuits: arranged in parallel
F25B 39/00
Evaporators