Method of Controlling Thermal Energy Storage in a Thermal Energy Management System

A method of controlling thermal energy storage in response to a primary thermal load, comprising:

• transferring heat from the primary thermal load to the primary fluid via an evaporator, the evaporator in a primary fluid flow path flowing from the evaporator and returning to the evaporator;
• compressing the primary fluid in a compressor downstream of the evaporator;
• transferring an amount of heat from the primary fluid to an ambient environment via a condenser, the condenser downstream of the compressor, the amount of heat being less than or equal to a system capacity of a thermal energy management system, wherein the system capacity is a maximum amount of heat that the thermal energy management system is able to reject to an ambient environment over a continuous period of time;
• expanding the primary fluid in a thermal expansion valve of a heat exchanger section, the heat exchanger section comprising a thermal energy storage (“TES”);
• and
• transferring heat from the TES to the primary fluid or from the primary fluid to the TES;
• wherein the primary fluid flow path comprises a first four-way valve and a second four-way valve, both of which are disposed downstream of the condenser and upstream of the evaporator, the first four-way valve in fluid communication with the second four-way valve by a thermal-expansion-valve-conduit, a TES conduit, and a valve-valve conduit, the thermal-expansion-valve-conduit comprising the thermal expansion valve disposed on the thermal-expansion-valve conduit, and the TES conduit comprising the TES;
• wherein when the primary thermal load is less than the system capacity, heat is transferred from the TES to the primary fluid, the expanding being performed before the transferring heat from the TES to the primary fluid;
• and
• wherein when the primary thermal load exceeds the system capacity, heat is transferred from the primary fluid to the TES, the transferring heat from the primary fluid to the TES being performed before the expanding.

A thermal energy management system, comprising:

• a system capacity, being a maximum amount of heat that the thermal energy management system is able to reject to an ambient environment over a continuous period of time;
• a primary fluid;
• a primary fluid flow path, the primary fluid disposed in the primary fluid flow path, the primary fluid flow path comprising, in a direction of primary fluid flow:
• a first valve;
• a heat exchanger section, comprising a thermal energy storage (“TES”) and a heat exchanger section outlet, the heat exchanger section configured to transfer heat from the primary fluid into the TES or from the TES into the primary fluid;
• a second valve;
• an evaporator configured to transfer heat from the primary thermal load to the primary fluid;
• a compressor configured to raise the pressure of the primary fluid;
• and
• a condenser comprising a condenser outlet, the condenser configured to transfer an amount of heat from the primary fluid to the ambient environment, the amount of heat being less than or equal to the system capacity;
• and
• wherein the primary fluid flow path is configured to return primary fluid flowing from the condenser to the first valve;
• and
• a processor, the processor configured to cause:
• the compressor to compress the primary fluid;
• the first valve and the second valve to modulate to increase or decrease heat flowing to the TES or from the TES;
• and
• the heat exchanger section to transfer heat from the TES to the primary fluid or from the primary fluid to the TES;
• wherein the processor is configured to cause the heat transfer section to transfer heat from the TES to the primary fluid when the primary thermal load is less than the system capacity;
• and
• wherein the processor is configured to cause the heat transfer section to transfer heat from the primary fluid to the TES when the primary thermal load exceeds the system capacity.