Thermal Battery And Heat Exchanger Assembly Using Phase Change Material

A heating and cooling system, comprising:

• a primary circuit including a refrigerant, a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a first reversing valve, a second reversing valve, an expansion valve located between the first reversing valve and the second reversing valve, and a thermal battery;
• and
• a secondary circuit including a working fluid, a pump, the thermal battery, and a second heat exchanger,
• wherein the compressor is configured to compress the refrigerant, the first reversing valve is configured to direct the refrigerant from the compressor to either the first heat exchanger or the thermal battery, and the second reversing valve is configured to direct the refrigerant from the thermal battery to either the expansion valve or the compressor;
• and
• the thermal battery is configured to exchange thermal energy with each of the working fluid and the refrigerant.

A thermal battery including a phase change material therein that is configured to selectively store thermal energy received from a working fluid and release thermal energy to the working fluid, the thermal battery comprising:

• a pair of end plates, each of the end plates including a first major surface and an opposite second major surface, the first major surfaces each including fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and the opposite second major surfaces each including a flow trough, the fluid inlet of each end plate being in communication with the flow trough formed on the opposite second major surface of the respective end plate;
• a plurality of flow plates sandwiched between the pair of end plates, each of the flow plates having a first side and an opposite second side, and each of the first side and the opposite second side including a flow surface, the flow surfaces of each flow plate being configured to communicate with either the flow trough of an adjacent end plate or one of the flow surfaces of an adjacent flow plate;
• a plurality of thermal energy transfer films that are respectively positioned between adjacent flow plates, and between each of the end plates and an immediately adjacent flow plate, such that a first flow path exists on one side of a respective thermal energy transfer film for the working fluid and a second flow path exists on an opposite side of the respective thermal energy transfer film for the phase change material;
• and
• the flow troughs and flow surfaces communicate with each other such that the working fluid that the flows through the first flow path enters the fluid inlet of one of the end plates will exit the fluid outlet of the other end plate while exchanging thermal energy with the phase change material that is provided in the second flow path that extends between the fluid inlet of the other end plate and the fluid outlet of the one end plate.