Multi-feed chiller-heater production module and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12163704-B2
Application number	US-202217937065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2022
Priority date	Sep 30, 2022
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

A packaged heating and/or cooling unit for a production module for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system. The packaged unit includes a heat pump configured to provide heating and/or cooling; a connection to a piping distribution system to selectively connect to a hot fluid circuit and/or a cold fluid circuit; and a controller. The controller is configured to connect to and receive a signal from a building automation system for a heating requirement or a cooling requirement, and further configured to selectively control connection to either the hot fluid circuit or the cold fluid circuit and independently control the packaged heating and/or cooling unit based on the signal from the building automation system for either the heating requirement or the cooling requirement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A production module for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system, the production module comprising:
at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units, wherein each of the at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units comprises:
a heat pump configured to provide heating and/or cooling to the fluid;
a connection to a piping distribution system to selectively connect to a hot fluid circuit and/or a cold fluid circuit; and
a controller configured to connect to and receive a signal from a building automation system for a heating requirement or a cooling requirement, and further configured to selectively control connecting to either the hot fluid circuit or the cold fluid circuit and independently control the packaged heating and/or cooling unit based on the signal from the building automation system for either the heating requirement or the cooling requirement;
a production module controller,
wherein the production module controller is connected to the controller for each of the at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units and is configured to receive the signal from the building automation system for the heating requirement or the cooling requirement and select at least one of the at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units for either the heating requirement or the cooling requirement by sending the signal to the controller of the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit.

2. The production module of claim 1 , wherein each of the packaged heating and/or cooling units further comprise a pump configured to pump a fluid through the respective packaged heating and/or cooling unit.

3. The production module of claim 1 , wherein each of the packaged heating and/or cooling units further comprise a tempering valve configured to temper an entrance fluid temperature of the fluid to the packaged heating and/or cooling unit.

4. The production module of claim 2 , wherein each of the packaged heating and/or cooling units further comprises a strainer between the fluid pump and the piping distribution system.

5. The production module of claim 2 , wherein the pump is a variable speed pump.

6. The production module of claim 2 , wherein each of the at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units further comprise a sensor on a fluid inlet and/or outlet piping to detect at least a temperature and/or pressure and/or flow rate in the packaged heating and/or cooling unit, wherein the controller is configured to adjust a speed of a compressor of the heat pump and/or the pump based on the detected temperature and/or pressure and/or flow rate.

7. The production module of claim 1 , wherein the piping distribution system is selected from a dual feed piping or a triple feed piping arrangement to supply the fluid to at least the hot fluid circuit, the cold fluid circuit, and/or a cool fluid circuit.

8. The production module of claim 1 , wherein for each of the at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units, the heat pump unit further comprises a fan configured to control airflow to condense or evaporate the working fluid.

9. The production module according to claim 1 , wherein the signal is a temperature setpoint for either the hot fluid circuit or the cold fluid circuit, and wherein the selected packaged heating and/or cooling units is distributively controlled to maintain the temperature setpoint.

10. The production module according to claim 1 , wherein the signal is a temperature setpoint for the hot fluid circuit and a temperature setpoint for the cold fluid circuit, and wherein the respective controller of the at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units is configured to control the respective packaged heating and/or cooling unit to maintain the respective temperature setpoint for the hot fluid circuit or the respective temperature setpoint for the cold fluid circuit.

11. The production module according to claim 1 , wherein the production module controller is further configured to, when the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit fails, select another packaged heating and/or cooling unit for the designated heating requirement or the cooling requirement.

12. The production module according to claim 1 , wherein when the signal from the building automation system is for the cooling requirement and the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit has a predetermined fluid flow rate equal to or higher than a minimum allowed flow for the heat pump, another packaged heating and/or cooling unit is signaled for operation for the cooling requirement, and wherein the production module controller is further configured to implement a variable primary and variable secondary flow control logic between the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit and the another packaged heating and/or cooling unit to provide the cooling requirement.

13. The production module according to claim 1 , wherein when the signal from the building automation system is for the heating requirement and the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit has a second predetermined fluid design flow rate equal to or higher than a minimum allowed flow for the heat pump, another packaged heating and/or cooling unit is signaled for operation for the heating requirement, and
wherein the production module controller is further configured to implement a variable primary and variable secondary flow control logic between the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit and the another packaged heating and/or cooling unit to provide the heating requirement.

14. A production module controller for a production module for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system, the production module comprising at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units, the production module controller being configured to:
connect to and receive a signal from a building automation system for a heating requirement or a cooling requirement,
select at least one of the at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units for either a heating requirement or a cooling requirement by sending the signal to a controller of the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit such that the controller is configured to control connection of the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit to a piping distribution system to selectively connect to a hot fluid circuit and/or a cold fluid circuit and to control operation of a heat pump of the selected heating and/or cooling unit,
wherein the controller of the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit is configured to independently control the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit including the heat pump based on the signal from the production module controller for either the heating requirement or the cooling requirement.

15. A method to control a production module a heating, ventilation, air condition conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system, the production module comprising at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units and a production module controller, the method comprising:
connecting to and receiving, via the production module controller, a signal from a building automation system for a heating requirement or a cooling requirement,
selecting at least one of the at least two packaged heating and/or cooling units for either a heating requirement or a cooling requirement by sending the signal to a controller of the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit such that the controller is configured to selectively control connection of the selected packaged heating and/or cooling unit to a piping distribution system to selectively connect to a

Assignees

• Trane Int Inc

Inventors

• Cline Lee R
• Hanson Susanna Staubly

Classifications

• F25B2600/0253

  with variable speed · CPC title

• F25B49/022

  Compressor control arrangements · CPC title

• F24F5/0003

  Exclusively-fluid systems · CPC title

• F24D2220/046

  Pressure sensors · CPC title

• F24D2220/044

  Flow sensors · CPC title