Heating and cooling system
AssigneeThe Montana Power Company
InventorSteven J. Clark
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for heating and cooling a building is disclosed. A watercooler and a cold-water pump continuously circulates cold water through a fire sprinkler piping system. A waterheater and a hot-water pump circulates hot water through a domestic hot-water piping system. A plurality of fan-coil assemblies located throughout the building may access either the cold water flowing in the fire sprinkler piping system or the hot-water in the domestic hot-water piping system. The fan-coil assemblies include a fan and a coil. Depending upon whether hot water or cold water is flowing through the coil, air circulated by said fan may be heated or cooled for climate control.
Claims22
A system for heating and cooling a building, said building having a first piping system that forms a fire sprinkler piping system and a second piping system forming a domestic hot-water piping system, said system for heating and cooling comprising:
- water-cooling means for supplying and maintaining water in said first piping system at a first temperature;
- domestic water-heating means for supplying water to said second piping system and for exclusively maintaining water in said second piping system at a second temperature;
- and
- a plurality of fan-coil assemblies located throughout said building, said fan-coil assemblies able to access said water at said first temperature from said first piping system and also able to access said water at said second temperature from said second piping system, wherein each of said fan-coil assemblies includes air-circulating means and a first coil, said fan-coil assembly circulating air about said first coil, thereby transferring heat from the water in said first coil to the air if said first coil is accessing said water at said second temperature, and transferring heat from the air to the water in said first coil if said first coil is accessing said water at said first temperature.
A system for heating and cooling a building comprising:
- water-cooling means for providing water at a first temperature, said water-cooling means having a cooler outlet and a cooler inlet;
- a first piping network for carrying said water at said first temperature, said first piping network receiving said water via said cooler outlet and returning said water to said water-cooling means via said cooler inlet, said first piping network further having a plurality of release valves for releasing water, said first piping network being utilized as a fire sprinkler piping system for said building;
- a second piping network for carrying water at a second temperature;
- domestic water-heating means for providing water at a second temperature to a second piping system and for exclusively maintaining water in said second piping system at said second temperature, said water-heating means having a heater outlet and a heater inlet,
- said second piping network receiving said water via said heater outlet and returning said water to said water-heating means via said heater inlet, said second piping network further being utilized for supplying domestic hot water to said building;
- and
- a plurality of fan-coil assemblies located throughout the building, said fan-coil assemblies able to access said water at said first temperature from said first piping network and also able to access said water at said second temperature from said second piping network, wherein each of said fan-coil assemblies comprises air-circulating means and a first coil, said fan-coil assembly circulating air about said first coil, thereby transferring heat from the water in said first coil to the air if said first coil is accessing said water at said second temperature, or transferring heat from the air to the water in said first coil if said first coil is accessing said water at said first temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.