Heat recovery or heating unit load balance and adaptive control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11639809-B2
Application number	US-202017039543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2020
Publication date	May 2, 2023
Grant date	May 2, 2023

Abstract

Control systems and methods for control of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) systems that include cooling and one or both of heating and heat recovery can include adaptive and balanced modes for each of heating and cooling operations. The adaptive heating and cooling modes each respectively include controlling the HVACR system to achieve a target temperature for the respective heating or cooling process fluid and to unload or stop the compressor when the temperature of a the other of the cooling or heating process fluid exceeds a threshold. The balanced heating and cooling modes respectively include controlling a quantity of flow of the cooling or heating process fluids to meet balanced heating or cooling target temperatures for the respective heating or cooling process fluids and also the other of the cooling or heating process fluid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system, comprising:
a compressor configured to compress a working fluid;
a first heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the working fluid and a first process fluid, wherein the first process fluid further exchanges heat with a heating load;
a second heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the working fluid and a second process fluid, wherein the second process fluid exchanges heat with a cooling load;
a first temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the first process fluid;
a second temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the second process fluid; and
a controller, configured to selectively operate the HVACR system in each of:
an adaptive cooling mode wherein the adaptive cooling mode includes controlling the HVACR system to achieve a target temperature for the second process fluid and to unload or stop the compressor when the temperature of the first process fluid exceeds a heating safety threshold value,
an adaptive heating mode, wherein the adaptive heating mode includes controlling the HVACR system to achieve a target temperature for the first process fluid and to unload or stop the compressor when the temperature of the second process fluid falls below a cooling safety threshold value,
a balanced cooling mode, wherein a quantity of flow of the first process fluid is controlled to meet balanced cooling target temperatures for the first process fluid and the second process fluid; and
a balanced heating mode, wherein a quantity of flow of the second process fluid is controlled to meet balanced heating target temperatures for the first process fluid and the second process fluid.

2. The HVACR system of claim 1 , further comprising a third heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the working fluid and a third process fluid, wherein the third process fluid further exchanges heat with an ambient environment.

3. The HVACR system of claim 2 , further comprising a pump configured to provide a variable flow of the third process fluid, wherein the balanced cooling mode further comprises modulating the variable flow of the third process fluid using the pump.

4. The HVACR system of claim 1 , wherein the first temperature sensor measures the temperature of the first process fluid where the first process fluid leaves the first heat exchanger and the second temperature sensor measures the temperature of the second process fluid where the second process fluid leaves the second heat exchanger.

5. The HVACR system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a pump, a control valve, and a diverting mixing valve included in a fluid circuit for the first process fluid, and wherein the controller is configured to modulate at least one of the pump, the control valve or the diverting mixing valve when in the balanced cooling mode.

6. The HVACR system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a pump, a control valve, and a diverting mixing valve included in a fluid circuit for the second process fluid, and wherein the controller is configured to modulate at least one of the pump, the control valve or the diverting mixing valve when in the balanced heating mode.

7. A control system for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system comprising:
a controller configured to selectively operate the HVACR system in each of:
an adaptive cooling mode wherein the adaptive cooling mode includes controlling the HVACR system to achieve a target temperature for a cooling process fluid and to unload or stop a compressor of the HVACR system when the temperature of a heating process fluid exceeds a heating safety threshold value,
an adaptive heating mode, wherein the adaptive heating mode includes controlling the HVACR system to achieve a target temperature for the heating process fluid and to unload or stop the compressor when the temperature of the cooling process fluid falls below a cooling safety threshold value,
a balanced cooling mode, wherein a quantity of flow of the heating process fluid is controlled to meet balanced cooling target temperatures for the heating process fluid and the cooling process fluid; and
a balanced heating mode, wherein a quantity of flow of the cooling process fluid is controlled to meet balanced heating target temperatures for the heating process fluid and the cooling process fluid.

8. The control system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to control a pump, the pump configured to provide a variable flow of a source process fluid, and at least one of the balanced cooling mode and the balanced heating mode further comprise directing the pump to modulate the variable flow of the source process fluid.

9. The control system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is connected to at least one of a pump, a control valve, and a diverting mixing valve included in a circuit for the heating process fluid, and is configured to modulate at least one of the pump, the control valve or the diverting mixing valve when in the balanced cooling mode.

10. The control system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is connected to at least one of a pump, a control valve, and a diverting mixing valve included in a circuit for the cooling process fluid, and is configured to modulate at least one of the pump, the control valve or the diverting mixing valve when in the balanced heating mode.

11. A method of controlling a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system, comprising:
selecting an operating mode from a group including an adaptive cooling mode, an adaptive heating mode, a balanced cooling mode, and a balanced heating mode; and
operating the HVACR system according to the operating mode,
wherein:
the HVACR system is configured to be selectively operated in each of the adaptive cooling mode, the adaptive heating mode, the balanced cooling mode, and the balanced heating mode:
the adaptive cooling mode includes controlling the HVACR system to achieve a target temperature for a cooling process fluid and unloading or stopping a compressor when the temperature of a heating process fluid exceeds a heating safety threshold value,
the adaptive heating mode includes controlling the HVACR system to achieve a target temperature for the heating process fluid and unloading or stopping the compressor when the temperature of the cooling process fluid falls below a cooling safety threshold value,
the balanced cooling mode includes controlling a quantity of flow of the heating process fluid to meet balanced cooling target temperatures for the heating process fluid and the cooling process fluid; and
the balanced heating mode includes controlling a quantity of flow of the cooling process fluid to meet balanced heating target temperatures for the heating process fluid and the cooling process fluid.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the operating mode includes:
determining whether to prioritize cooling or heating based on cooling and heating demands,
selecting one of the adaptive cooling mode or the balanced cooling mode when cooling is prioritized, and
selecting one of the adaptive heating mode or the balanced heating mode when heating is prioritized.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein operating the HVACR system in at least one of the balanced cooling mode or the balanced heating mode includes controlling an amount of a variable flow of a source fluid separate from the cooling process fluid and the heating process fluid.

14. The method of claim 11 , whe

Assignees

• Trane Int Inc

Inventors

• Cline Lee R
• Schwedler Michael C A

Classifications

• F25B2339/047

  Water-cooled condensers · CPC title

• F25B2600/026

  by controlling unloaders · CPC title

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• F25B2700/21161

  of the fluid heated by the condenser · CPC title

• F25B29/003

  of the compression type system · CPC title