Heat pump with pumped refrigerant remote condenser
AssigneeVERTIV INTERNATIONAL GmbH
InventorsPierpaolo Barbato, Andrea Parise, Marcello Tammaro
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat pump system may include a remote condenser arranged in an outdoor unit. The heat pump system may include a flooded condenser arranged in an indoor unit, where the remote condenser is coupled to the flooded condenser via a remote condenser port. The heat pump system may include a refrigerant pump configured to move a refrigerant from the remote condenser to the flooded condenser. The heat pump system may include a segregation valve configured to segregate the remote condenser when not in use. The heat pump system may further include a compressor, an evaporator, and an expansion valve.
Claims20
A heat pump system comprising:
- a compressor;
- a remote condenser arranged in an outdoor unit, wherein the remote condenser is configured to release heat from a refrigerant directly to ambient air;
- a flooded condenser arranged in an indoor unit, wherein the remote condenser is coupled to the flooded condenser via a remote condenser port, wherein the flooded condenser is configured to receive the refrigerant from the compressor;
- a refrigerant pump fluidly connected between the remote condenser and the flooded condenser, wherein the refrigerant is configured to move from the remote condenser to the flooded condenser;
- a segregation valve configured to selectively segregate the remote condenser when not in use;
- an evaporator arranged to absorb heat from a cooling load and evaporate the refrigerant;
- and
- an expansion valve.
A heat pump system comprising:
- a controller communicatively coupled to a refrigerant pump and a segregation valve, wherein the controller includes one or more processors and a memory, wherein the memory includes a set of program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to:
- adjust one or more parameters of the refrigerant pump and the segregation valve based on a plurality of working modes of the heat pump system;
- upon determining a heat recovery demand of the system is greater than a cooling demand of the system, generating one or more control signals configured to cause the segregation valve to close and deactivate the refrigerant pump;
- and
- upon determining a heat recovery demand of the system is less than a cooling demand of the system, generating one or more control signals configured to cause the segregation valve to open and activate the refrigerant pump.
A method comprising:
- activating one or more compressors;
- circulating a refrigerant through a flooded condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and back to the one or more compressors;
- moving the refrigerant from a remote condenser or the flooded condenser;
- monitoring a cooling demand and a heat recovery demand by comparing the cooling demand and the heat recovery demand;
- upon determining the heat recovery demand is greater than the cooling demand, closing a segregation valve and deactivating a refrigerant pump;
- and
- upon determining the heat recovery demand is less than the cooling demand, opening the segregation valve and activating the refrigerant pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.