Variable capacity heat pump system
AssigneeWaterFurnace International, Inc.
InventorsTimothy A. Hammond, Dennis L. Harris, Robert R. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat pump system includes a compressor coupled to a first variable speed motor, a first heat exchanger, a geothermal heat exchanger, a fan coupled to a second variable speed motor, and an expansion device. The heat pump system also includes a refrigerant loop which fluidly couples the compressor, the geothermal heat exchanger, the expansion device, and the first heat exchanger. The heat pump system also includes a controller configured to adjust a first speed of the first variable speed motor, a second speed of the second variable speed motor, and an operation of the expansion device based upon a thermal energy demand.
Claims19
A heat pump system, comprising:
- a compressor coupled to a first variable speed motor;
- a first heat exchanger;
- a geothermal heat exchanger;
- a fan coupled to a second variable speed motor;
- an expansion device;
- a refrigerant loop fluidly coupling the compressor, the geothermal heat exchanger, the expansion device, and the first heat exchanger;
- and
- a first controller configured to adjust a first speed of the first variable speed motor, a second speed of the second variable speed motor, and an operation of the expansion device based upon a thermal energy demand.
A heat pump system, comprising:
- a first modular heat pump unit comprising:
- a first compressor coupled to a first variable speed motor;
- a first heat exchanger;
- a first geothermal heat exchanger;
- a first fan coupled to a second variable speed motor;
- and
- a first controller in communication with the first variable speed motor and the second variable speed motor;
- a second modular heat pump unit comprising:
- a second compressor coupled to a third variable speed motor;
- a second heat exchanger;
- a second geothermal heat exchanger;
- a second fan coupled to a fourth variable speed motor;
- and
- a second controller in communication with the third variable speed motor and the fourth variable speed motor;
- and
- a third controller in communication with the first controller and the second controller where the third controller is a master controller, the first control and the second controller are slave controllers, and the third controller is configured to adjust a first speed of the first variable speed motor, a second speed of the second variable speed motor, a third speed of the third variable speed motor, and a fourth speed of the fourth variable speed motor based upon a thermal energy demand.
A system of multiple modular heat pumps, each heat pump comprising a variable speed fan, a variable speed compressor, a geothermal heat exchanger, an evaporator/condenser, and a local controller configured to control a speed of the variable speed compressor and a speed of the variable speed fan, at least one of the multiple modular heat pumps being a primary heat pump and further comprising a master controller configured to control the speed of each of the variable speed compressors and the variable speed fans based upon a thermal energy demand by control signals communicated to each of the local controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.