Method for reducing condenser size and power on a heat rejection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11022360-B2
Application number	US-201916380685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2019
Priority date	Apr 10, 2019
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A heat transfer system for high transient heat loads includes a fluid, a heat exchanger; a compressor downstream of the heat exchanger outlet; a condenser downstream of the compressor outlet, and a thermal energy storage (TES) section downstream of the condenser outlet and upstream of the heat exchanger. The TES section may include a first pressure regulating valve downstream of a TES unit; and a second pressure regulating valve upstream of the first pressure regulating valve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat transfer system comprising:
a primary fluid; and
a primary fluid flow path, said primary fluid disposed in said primary fluid flow path, said primary fluid flow path comprising:
a heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet, wherein said heat exchanger transfers heat into said primary fluid;
a compressor having a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet, wherein said compressor inlet is downstream of and coupled to said heat exchanger outlet by a heat-exchanger-compressor conduit;
a condenser having a condenser inlet and a condenser outlet, wherein said condenser inlet is downstream of and coupled to said compressor outlet by a compressor-condenser conduit, wherein said condenser transfers heat out of said primary fluid; and
a thermal energy storage (TES) section, said TES section comprising:
an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet of said TES section is downstream of and coupled to said condenser outlet by a condenser-TES-section conduit, and the outlet of said TES-section is upstream of and coupled to said heat exchanger inlet by a TES-section-heat-exchanger conduit;
a TES having an inlet and outlet, wherein the inlet of said TES is downstream of and coupled to the inlet of said TES section by a TES-section-TES-unit-inlet conduit and the outlet of said TES is upstream of and coupled to the outlet of said TES section by a TES-unit-TES-section-outlet conduit;
a first pressure regulating valve downstream of said TES; and
a second pressure regulating valve upstream of said first pressure regulating valve and downstream of said condenser;
a first bypass valve upstream of said TES and downstream of said condenser;

wherein said second pressure regulating valve maintains said primary fluid at said condenser outlet at a first state when the heat transferred into a portion of said primary fluid by said heat exchanger is equal to or less than the heat transferred out of said portion of said primary fluid by said condenser, and
wherein said first pressure regulating valve maintains said primary fluid at the outlet of said TES at said first state when the heat transferred into a portion of said primary fluid by said heat exchanger is greater than the heat transferred out of said portion of said primary fluid by said condenser, and
wherein said TES section maintains said primary fluid at the outlet of said TES section as a liquid-vapor mixture.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said first bypass valve is in parallel with said second pressure regulating valve.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein said second pressure regulating valve maintains said primary fluid at the inlet of said TES as a liquid-vapor mixture.

4. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a second bypass valve upstream of said TES and coupled in parallel with said second pressure regulating valve.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said second pressure regulating valve is upstream of said TES.

6. A heat transfer system comprising:
a primary fluid; and
a closed primary fluid flow path, said primary fluid disposed in said closed primary fluid flow path, said closed primary fluid flow path comprising in a direction of fluid flow:
a first heat source;
a compressor;
a condenser;
a first bypass valve in a first mode or a first pressure regulating valve in a second mode;
a thermal energy storage (TES); and
a second pressure regulating valve in the first mode or a second bypass valve in the second mode,
wherein said TES is a heat sink in the first mode and said TES is a second heat source or heat neutral in the second mode,

wherein the first pressure regulating valve maintains said primary fluid at an outlet of the condenser at a first state in the second mode when the heat transferred into a portion of said primary fluid by said first heat source is equal to or less than the heat transferred out of said portion of said primary fluid by said condenser, and
wherein said second pressure regulating valve maintains said primary fluid at an outlet of said TES at said first state in the first mode when the heat transferred into a portion of said primary fluid by said first heat source is greater than the heat transferred out of said portion of said primary fluid by said condenser.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc

Inventors

• Donovan Eric
• Head Michael
• Unton Tim
• Jansen Eugene

Classifications

• F25D16/00 Primary

  Devices using a combination of a cooling mode associated with refrigerating machinery with a cooling mode not associated with refrigerating machinery · CPC title

• F25B5/04 Primary

  arranged in series · CPC title

• F25B41/20

  Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves (expansion valves F25B41/31) · CPC title

• F25B2400/24

  Thermal storage element · CPC title

• F25B2400/04

  Refrigeration circuit bypassing means · CPC title