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US 5,937,665 AGranted
Geothermal subcircuit for air conditioning unit
AssigneeGeofurnace Systems, Inc.
InventorsThomas G. Kiessel, Rex K. Ambs, Dennis L. Weston
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A geothermal subcircuit for use with a conventional air conditioning unit. The subcircuit includes a geothermal heat exchanger that is buried in the ground or submerged in a lake, river, well or geothermal heat sink. The geothermal subcircuit is connected with the geothermal heat exchanger in parallel with the outdoor air coil. The control mechanism operates to selectively move refrigerant through the outdoor air coil during the cooling mode or through the geothermal heat exchanger during the heating mode.
Claims14
A heating and cooling circuit comprising:
- an air conditioning unit having a compressor for circulating a refrigerant through the circuit and an outdoor coil for condensing gas refrigerant into a liquid, said compressor and said outdoor coil contained within an outdoor housing;
- an indoor unit having an indoor coil for condensing gas refrigerant into a liquid and evaporating liquid refrigerant into a gas, said indoor coil interconnected with said compressor and said outdoor coil by a liquid refrigerant line and a gas refrigerant line;
- a geothermal subcircuit including a geothermal heat exchanger for evaporating liquid refrigerant into a gas, said heat exchanger connected to the circuit in parallel with said outdoor coil, said geothermal subcircuit further including a reversing valve operable between a cooling position in which said refrigerant is circulated through said outdoor coil and said indoor coil and a heating position in which said refrigerant is circulated through said geothermal heat exchanger and said indoor coil, said geothermal subcircuit including an accumulator for regulating a volume of said refrigerant within the circuit, said accumulator positioned along said gas refrigerant line between said heat exchanger and said compressor, said reversing valve positioned along said gas refrigerant line, said reversing valve having a primary interconnected with said compressor, a first secondary interconnected with said outdoor coil via a first section of said gas refrigerant line, a second secondary interconnected with said accumulator via a second section of said gas refrigerant line, and a third secondary interconnected with said indoor coil;
- and
- a control means for selectively moving said reversing valve between said cooling position and said heating position.
2 more elements
A heating and cooling circuit comprising:
- an air conditioning unit having a compressor for circulating a refrigerant through the circuit and an outdoor coil for condensing gas refrigerant into a liquid, said compressor and said outdoor coil contained within an outdoor housing;
- an indoor unit having an indoor coil for condensing gas refrigerant into a liquid and evaporating liquid refrigerant into a gas, said indoor coil interconnected with said compressor and said outdoor coil by a liquid refrigerant line and a gas refrigerant line;
- a geothermal subcircuit including a geothermal heat exchanger for evaporating liquid refrigerant into a gas, said heat exchanger connected to the circuit in parallel with said outdoor coil, said geothermal subcircuit further including a reversing valve operable between a cooling position in which said refrigerant is circulated through said outdoor coil and said indoor coil and a heating position in which said refrigerant is circulated through said geothermal heat exchanger and said indoor coil, said geothermal subcircuit including an accumulator for regulating a volume of said refrigerant within the circuit, said accumulator positioned along said gas refrigerant line between said heat exchanger and said compressor, said geothermal subcircuit including a first refrigerant line interconnecting said heat exchanger with said liquid refrigerant line and a second refrigerant line interconnecting said heat exchanger with said gas refrigerant line between said reversing valve and said accumulator;
- and
- a control means for selectively moving said reversing valve between said cooling position an d said heating position.
2 more elements
A geothermal subcircuit adapted to install to an air conditioning system having an air conditioning unit with a compressor and an outdoor coil and an indoor unit having an indoor air coil wherein the air conditioning unit is interconnected with the indoor unit by a liquid refrigerant line and a gas refrigerant line, comprising:
- a geothermal heat exchanger for evaporating liquid refrigerant into a gas;
- a first refrigerant line adapted to interconnect said heat exchanger with the liquid refrigerant line;
- a second refrigerant line adapted to interconnect said heat exchanger with the gas refrigerant line, said first and second refrigerant lines adapted to interconnect said heat exchanger in parallel with the outdoor coil;
- an accumulator for regulating a volume of said refrigerant within the system, said accumulator adapted to be positioned along the gas refrigerant line between said heat exchanger and the compressor
- a reversing valve operable between a cooling position adapted to circulate a refrigerant through the outdoor coil and the indoor coil and a heating position adapted to circulate said refrigerant through said geothermal heat exchanger and the indoor coil, said reversing valve adapted to be positioned along the gas refrigerant line, said reversing valve having a primary adapted to be interconnected with the compressor, a first secondary adapted to be interconnected with the outdoor coil via a first section of the gas refrigerant line, a second secondary adapted to be interconnected with said accumulator via a second section of the gas refrigerant line, and a third secondary adapted to be interconnected with the indoor coil;
- and
- a control means for selectively moving said reversing valve between said cooling position and said heating position.
4 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- an air conditioning unit including a compressor and an outdoor coil contained within an outdoor housing;
- an indoor unit including an indoor coil contained within an indoor housing;
- a gas refrigerant line interconnecting said air conditioning unit and said indoor unit, said gas refrigerant line including a portion extending between said outdoor housing and said indoor housing;
- a liquid refrigerant line interconnecting said air conditioning unit and said indoor unit, said liquid refrigerant line including a portion extending between said outdoor housing and said indoor housing;
- a geothermal subcircuit including a geothermal heat exchanger and an accumulator, said heat exchanger connected to said compressor in parallel with said outdoor coil, said accumulator connected to said compressor in series with said heat exchanger, said geothermal subcircuit further including a reversing valve operable between a cooling position in which said refrigerant is circulated through said outdoor coil and said indoor coil and a heating position in which said refrigerant is circulated through said geothermal heat exchanger and said indoor coil, said reversing valve positioned along said gas refrigerant line, said reversing valve having a primary interconnected with said compressor, a first secondary interconnected with said outdoor coil via a first section of said gas refrigerant line, a second secondary interconnected with said accumulator via a second section of said gas refrigerant line, and a third secondary interconnected with said indoor coil;
- and
- a control means for selectively moving said reversing valve between said cooling position and said heating position.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.