Heat pump system

A heat pump or the like with a heating, cooling and defrost cycle, said heat pump including a refrigerant compressor with a suction side and an output side, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an indoor heat exchanger, all connected by a primary refrigerant flow circuit including a reversing valve for controlling the direction of flow of the refrigerant in the flow circuit, said heat pump including:

• an auxiliary heat exchanger, said auxiliary heat exchanger including a first coil means a second coil means, said auxiliary heat exchanger operatively connected to said primary refrigerant flow circuit such that hot gaseous refrigerant from the compressor flows through said first coil means;
• bypass refrigerant conduit means for bypassing the indoor heat exchanger during the defrost cycle, said bypass conduit means connecting said primary refrigerant flow circuit to said second coil means of said auxiliary heat exchanger so that said second coil means operates as an evaporator in the defrost cycle;
• valve means operative to direct the refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger during the heating cycle, said valve means further operative to direct the refrigerant through the bypass conduit means and into the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger during the defrost cycle whereby the hot gaseous refrigerant directed through the first coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger warms the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger so that the refrigerant directed into the second coil means is more efficiently evaporated by the auxiliary heat exchanger, wherein said auxiliary heat exchanger is insulated and includes input and output air openings which include shutters adapted to open and close the input and output air openings.

A heat pump or the like with a heating cycle, cooling cycle and defrost cycle, said heat pump including a refrigerant compressor with a suction side and an output side, an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, expansion means and a refrigerant flow circuit including a reversing valve for controlling the direction of flow of the refrigerant in the flow circuit, said heat pump further including:

• an auxiliary heat exchanger, said auxiliary heat exchanger including a first coil means with an input and output side, and a second coil means with an input and output side;
• said refrigerant flow circuit including primary refrigerant conduit means connecting in series an output side of the refrigerant compressor to an input side of the first coil means in the auxiliary heat exchanger, an output side of the first coil means to the reversing valve, the reversing valve to the outdoor heat exchanger, the outdoor heat exchanger to the expansion means, the expansion means to the indoor heat exchanger, the indoor heat exchanger to the reversing valve, and the reversing valve to the suction side of the refrigerant compressor;
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• bypass refrigerant conduit means for bypassing the indoor heat exchanger during the defrost cycle, said bypass conduit means including a first portion connecting said primary conduit means to said input side of said second coil means of said auxiliary heat exchanger, and said bypass conduit means including a second portion connecting the output side of said auxiliary heat exchanger to the primary conduit means, said first and second portions being connected to the primary conduit means so as to allow refrigerant to bypass the indoor heat exchanger in the defrost cycle;
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• valve means operative to prevent flow into the bypass conduit means from the primary conduit means during the heating and cooling cycle and thereby allow refrigerant to pass through the indoor heat exchanger, said valve means further operative to allow flow into the bypass conduit means from the primary conduit means and prevent flow from the primary conduit means from entering the indoor heat exchanger during the defrost cycle;
• so that during the defrost cycle, hot gaseous refrigerant is directed to the outdoor heat exchanger and refrigerant exiting the outdoor heat exchanger bypasses the indoor heat exchanger and is directed into the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger to be evaporated and further so that hot refrigerant discharged from the output of the compressor into the first coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger warms the auxiliary heat exchanger second coil means so that the refrigerant entering the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger during the defrost cycle will be more efficiently evaporated.

An apparatus for use with a heat pump or the like including a refrigerant flow circuit connecting a refrigerant compressor, a reversing valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion means and an indoor heat exchanger, said heat pump including a heating cycle where refrigerant is directed from the compressor to the indoor heat exchanger to the expansion means of the outdoor heat exchanger and back to the compressor, and a cooling cycle where refrigerant is directed from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger to the expansion means to the indoor heat exchanger and back to the compressor, said apparatus comprising:

• an auxiliary heat exchanger, said auxiliary heat exchanger including a first coil means with an input and output side, said first coil means including means for operative connection to the refrigerant circuit for receipt of hot gaseous refrigerant from the compressor therethrough;
• said auxiliary heat exchanger including a second coil means with an input and output side, said second coil means including means for operative connection with a bypass refrigerant conduit means;
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• bypass conduit means for bypassing the indoor heat exchanger, said bypass conduit means adapted for operative connection between the refrigerant circuit and the means for operative connection with a bypass refrigerant conduit means;
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• valve means operative to direct the refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger during the heating and cooling cycle, and operative to bypass the indoor heat exchanger to prevent flow into the indoor heat exchanger and direct the refrigerant to the bypass conduit means and through the auxiliary heat exchanger during the defrost cycle.

An apparatus for use with a heat pump or the like including a refrigerant flow circuit connecting a refrigerant compressor, a reversing valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion means and an indoor heat exchanger, said heat pump including a heating cycle where refrigerant is directed from the compressor to the indoor heat exchanger to the expansion means to the outdoor heat exchanger and back to the compressor, and a cooling cycle where refrigerant is directed from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger to the expansion means to the indoor heat exchanger and back to the compressor, said apparatus comprising:

• an auxiliary heat exchanger, said auxiliary heat exchanger including a first coil means with an input and output side, said first coil means including means for operative connection to the refrigerant circuit for receipt of hot gaseous refrigerant from the compressor therethrough;
• said auxiliary heat exchanger including a second coil means with an input and output side, said second coil means including means for operative connection with a bypass refrigerant conduit means;
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• bypass conduit means for bypassing the indoor heat exchanger, said bypass conduit means adapted for operative connection between the refrigerant circuit and the means for operative connection with a bypass refrigerant conduit means;
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• valve means operative to direct the refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger during the heating and cooling cycle, and operative to bypass the indoor heat exchanger and direct the refrigerant to the bypass conduit means and through the auxiliary heat exchanger during the defrost cycle, wherein said auxiliary heat exchanger is insulated and includes input and output air openings which include shutters adapted to open and close the input and output air openings.

A refrigeration system with a heating, cooling and defrost cycle, said refrigeration system including a refrigerant compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and expansion means all connected by a primary refrigerant flow circuit including a reversing valve for controlling the direction of flow of the refrigerant in the flow circuit, said refrigeration system including:

• an auxiliary heat exchanger, said auxiliary heat exchanger including a first coil means and a second coil means, said auxiliary heat exchanger operatively connected to said primary refrigerant flow circuit such that hot gaseous refrigerant from the compressor flows through said first coil means;
• bypass refrigerant conduit means for bypassing the second heat exchanger during the defrost cycle, said bypass conduit means connecting said primary refrigerant flow circuit to said second coil means of said auxiliary heat exchanger so that said second coil means operates as an evaporator in the defrost cycle;
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• valve means operative to direct the refrigerant to the second heat exchanger during the heating cycle, said valve means further operative to prevent refrigerant flow into the second heat exchanger and direct the refrigerant through the bypass conduit means and into the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger during the defrost cycle whereby the hot gaseous refrigerant directed through the first coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger warms the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger so that the refrigerant directed into the second coil means is more efficiently evaporated by the auxiliary heat exchanger.

A refrigeration system with a heating, cooling and defrost cycle, said refrigeration system including a refrigerant compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and expansion means all connected by a primary refrigerant flow circuit including a reversing valve for controlling the direction of flow of the refrigerant in the flow circuit, said refrigeration system including:

• an auxiliary heat exchanger, said auxiliary heat exchanger including a first coil means and a second coil means, said auxiliary heat exchanger operatively connected to said primary refrigerant flow circuit such that hot gaseous refrigerant from the compressor flows through said first coil means;
• bypass refrigerant conduit means for bypassing the second heat exchanger during the defrost cycle, said bypass conduit means connecting said primary refrigerant flow circuit to said second coil means of said auxiliary heat exchanger so that said second coil means operates as an evaporator in the defrost cycle;
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• valve means operative to direct the refrigerant to the second heat exchanger during the heating cycle, said valve means further operative to direct the refrigerant through the bypass conduit means and into the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger during the defrost cycle whereby the hot gaseous refrigerant directed through the first coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger warms the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger so that the refrigerant directed into the second coil means is more efficiently evaporated by the auxiliary heat exchanger, wherein said auxiliary heat exchanger is insulated and includes input and output air openings which include shutters adapted to open and close the input and output air openings.

A heat pump or the like with a heating cycle, cooling cycle and defrost cycle, said heat pump including a refrigerant compressor with a suction side and an output side, an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, expansion means and a refrigerant flow circuit including a reversing valve for controlling the direction of flow of the refrigerant in the flow circuit, said heat pump further including:

• an auxiliary heat exchanger, said auxiliary heat exchanger including a first coil means with an input and output side, and a second coil means with an input and output side;
• said refrigerant flow circuit including primary refrigerant conduit means connecting in series an output side of the refrigerant compressor to an input side of the first coil means in the auxiliary heat exchanger, an output side of the first coil means to the reversing valve, the reversing valve to the outdoor heat exchanger, the outdoor heat exchanger to the expansion means, the expansion means to the indoor heat exchanger, the indoor heat exchanger to the reversing valve, and the reversing valve to the suction side of the refrigerant compressor;
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• bypass refrigerant conduit means for bypassing the indoor heat exchanger during the defrost cycle, said bypass conduit means including a first portion connecting said primary conduit means to said input side of said second coil means of said auxiliary heat exchanger, and said bypass conduit means including a second portion connecting the output side of said auxiliary heat exchanger to the primary conduit means, said first and second portions being connected to the primary conduit means so as to allow refrigerant to bypass the indoor heat exchanger in the defrost cycle;
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• valve means operative to prevent flow into the bypass conduit means from the primary conduit means during the heating and cooling cycle and thereby allow refrigerant to pass through the indoor heat exchanger, said valve means further operative to allow flow into the bypass conduit means from the primary conduit means and prevent flow from the primary conduit means from entering the indoor heat exchanger during the defrost cycle, said valve means including a valve located in the primary conduit means between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger, and a valve located in the second portion of bypass conduit means between the auxiliary heat exchanger and the primary conduit means;
• so that during the defrost cycle, hot gaseous refrigerant is directed to the outdoor heat exchanger and refrigerant exiting the outdoor heat exchanger bypasses the indoor heat exchanger and is directed into the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger to be evaporated and further so that hot refrigerant discharged from the output of the compressor into the first coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger warms the auxiliary heat exchanger second coil means so that the refrigerant entering the second coil means of the auxiliary heat exchanger during the defrost cycle will be more efficiently evaporated.