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US 12,736,271 B2Granted
Meltwater management systems and methods for cold-climate heat pumps
AssigneeTreau, Inc.
InventorsThomas Tolley, Daniel B. Boman, Jason Stein Wexler, Neal Lawrence, Rod Mobini
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat pump system comprising an external unit that includes an external unit heat exchanger and an external unit reservoir configured to receive fluid from the external unit heat exchanger. The heat pump system further comprises a fluid handling system that includes one or more sprayers configured to obtain fluid from the external unit reservoir and expel the obtained fluid from the external unit.
Claims16
A heat pump system, the heat pump system comprising:
- an internal unit that includes:
- an internal unit heat exchanger,
- an internal unit fan, and
- an internal unit reservoir disposed below the internal unit heat exchanger and configured to receive fluid dripping from the internal unit heat exchanger;
- an external unit that includes:
- an external unit heat exchanger,
- an external unit fan, and
- an external unit reservoir disposed below the external unit heat exchanger and configured to receive fluid dripping from the external unit heat exchanger;
- a bridge extending between the internal unit and the external unit;
- a heat pump system cavity defined by the internal unit, the external unit and the bridge;
- and
- a fluid handling system that includes:
- a first fluid line,
- a fluid pump that pumps fluid from the internal unit reservoir into the external unit reservoir via the first fluid line, and
- at least one sprayer disposed proximate to a front face and a bottom face of the external unit, the at least one sprayer configured to obtain fluid from the external unit reservoir and expel the fluid obtained from the external unit reservoir into an outdoor space, wherein:
- the external unit reservoir is defined as an integral part of an external unit housing base comprising a collection area and comprising a linear slope to allow for fluid to drain toward the collection area of the external unit housing base, with the linear slope being from a rear face of the external unit reservoir toward a front face of the external unit reservoir and terminating at the collection area,
- the housing base comprises at least one fluid port fluidly coupled with the collection area, and
- each of the at least one sprayer is fluidly coupled to the collection area via one of the at least one fluid port to obtain fluid from the collection area.
15 more elements
A heat pump system, the heat pump system comprising:
- an internal unit;
- an external unit that includes:
- an external unit heat exchanger, and
- an external unit reservoir disposed below the external unit heat exchanger and configured to receive fluid dripping from the external unit heat exchanger;
- a bridge extending between the internal unit and the external unit;
- a heat pump system cavity defined by the internal unit, the external unit and the bridge;
- and
- a fluid handling system that includes:
- at least one sprayer configured to obtain fluid from the external unit reservoir and expel the obtained fluid from the external unit, wherein:
- the external unit reservoir is defined as an integral part of an external unit housing base comprising a collection area and comprising a linear slope to allow for fluid to drain toward the collection area of the external unit housing base, with the linear slope being from a rear face of the external unit reservoir toward a front face of the external unit reservoir and terminating at the collection area,
- the housing base comprises at least one fluid port fluidly coupled with the collection area, and
- each of the at least one sprayer is fluidly coupled to the collection area via one of the at least one fluid port to obtain fluid from the collection area.
9 more elements
A heat pump system, the heat pump system comprising:
- an external unit that includes:
- an external unit heat exchanger, and
- an external unit reservoir configured to receive fluid from the external unit heat exchanger;
- and
- a fluid handling system that includes:
- one or more sprayers configured to obtain fluid from the external unit reservoir and expel the obtained fluid from the external unit, wherein:
- the external unit reservoir is defined as an integral part of an external unit housing base comprising a collection area and comprising a linear slope to allow for fluid to drain toward the collection area of the external unit housing base, with the linear slope being from a rear face of the external unit reservoir toward a front face of the external unit reservoir and terminating at the collection area,
- the housing base comprises at least one fluid port fluidly coupled with the collection area, and
- each of the one or more sprayer is fluidly coupled to the collection area via one of the at least one fluid port to obtain fluid from the collection area.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.