Subcooling system with thermal energy storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11320183-B2
Application number	US-201816102491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 10, 2014
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward systems and method for cooling a refrigerant flow of a refrigerant circuit with a cold cooling fluid flow from a thermal storage unit to generate a warm cooling fluid flow, thermally isolating the cold cooling fluid flow and the warm cooling fluid flow in the thermal storage unit, and cooling the warm cooling fluid flow from the thermal storage unit in a chiller system to at least partially produce the cold cooling fluid flow.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first refrigerant circuit configured to flow a first refrigerant, wherein the first refrigerant circuit comprises a first subcooling heat exchanger;
a second refrigerant circuit configured to flow a second refrigerant, wherein the second refrigerant circuit comprises a second subcooling heat exchanger;
a subcooling circuit configured to flow a cooling fluid through the first subcooling heat exchanger and the second subcooling heat exchanger:
a thermal storage unit of the subcooling circuit configured to store the cooling fluid;
a subcooling pump of the subcooling circuit configured to direct the cooling fluid from the thermal storage unit along the subcooling circuit;
a first valve of the subcooling circuit upstream of the first subcooling heat exchanger and downstream of the subcooling pump;
a second valve of the subcooling circuit upstream of the second subcooling heat exchanger and downstream of the subcooling pump; and
a chiller system configured to draw the cooling fluid out of the thermal storage unit, cool the cooling fluid, and direct the cooling fluid back into the thermal storage unit.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the chiller system is configured to cool the cooling fluid from a top of the thermal storage unit and direct cool cooling fluid toward a bottom of the thermal storage unit.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the subcooler pump is a variable speed pump configured to maintain a first pressure of the cooling fluid at the first valve and a second pressure of the cooling fluid at the second valve substantially constant.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the chiller system is configured to receive the cooling fluid from a top of the thermal storage unit, and the chiller system is configured to direct the cooling fluid to a bottom of the thermal storage unit.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the subcooling pump is configured to direct the cooling fluid from a bottom of the thermal storage unit toward the first subcooling heat exchanger, the second subcooling heat exchanger, or both.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the subcooling circuit is configured to cool the first refrigerant in the first subcooling heat exchanger with the cooling fluid and to cool the second refrigerant in the second subcooling heat exchanger with the cooling fluid to produce a warm cooling fluid.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the subcooling circuit is configured to direct the warm cooling fluid from the first and second subcooling heat exchangers to the thermal storage unit.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the chiller system comprises a chiller pump configured to draw the cooling fluid out of the thermal storage unit.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the chiller pump is configured to direct the cooling fluid from the thermal storage unit to a heat exchanger of the chiller system.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the heat exchanger is configured to cool the cooling fluid.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co
• Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP

Inventors

• Kopko William L

Classifications

• F25B2700/21163

  of the refrigerant at the outlet of the condenser · CPC title

• F25B2700/21161

  of the fluid heated by the condenser · CPC title

• F25B2400/06

  Several compression cycles arranged in parallel · CPC title

• F28D20/0039

  with stratification of the heat storage material · CPC title

• F28D2020/0095

  movable or floating · CPC title