Air conditioning system having supercooled phase change material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015135743-A1
Application number	US-201314398307-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 26, 2013
Priority date	May 3, 2012
Publication date	May 21, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air conditioning system includes a chiller system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator; a phase change material in thermal communication with the condenser; an actuator coupled to the phase change material; and a controller providing a trigger signal to the actuator to initiate changing the phase change material from a supercooled state to a solid state.

First claim

1 . An air conditioning system comprising:
a chiller system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator; a phase change material in thermal communication with the condenser; an actuator coupled to the phase change material; and a controller providing a trigger signal to the actuator to initiate changing the phase change material from a supercooled state to a solid state.

2 . The air condition system of claim 1 wherein:
the condenser is embedded in the phase change material.

3 . The air condition system of claim 1 further comprising:
an ambient temperature sensor providing an ambient temperature signal to the controller.

4 . The air condition system of claim 1 further comprising:
a phase change material sensor providing a phase change material temperature signal to the controller.

5 . The air condition system of claim 1 wherein:
the phase change material includes an internal airway for allowing ambient air to flow through the phase change material.

6 . The air condition system of claim 5 further comprising:
a fan for drawing air through the airway.

7 . The air condition system of claim 1 wherein:
the phase change material includes a coolant supply line in thermal communication with the phase change material, the coolant supply line coupled to the chiller system.

8 . The air condition system of claim 1 wherein:
the actuator generates a sound wave to initiate changing the phase change material from the supercooled state to the solid state.

9 . The air condition system of claim 1 wherein:
the actuator includes frozen phase change material, the frozen phase change material being placed in contact with the phase change material to initiate changing the phase change material from the supercooled state to the solid state.

10 . The air condition system of claim 9 wherein:
the actuator includes a valve separating the frozen phase change material from the phase change material, the controller opening the valve to initiate changing the phase change material from the supercooled state to the solid state.

11 . The air condition system of claim 1 wherein:
the controller predicts a nighttime temperature profile in response to climate zone data and ambient temperature; and
the controller determining if the phase change material will supercool in response to the nighttime temperature profile.

12 . The air condition system of claim 11 wherein:
the controller providing the trigger signal to the actuator in response to the nighttime temperature profile.

13 . The air condition system of claim 11 wherein:
the phase change material includes an internal airway for allowing ambient air to flow through the phase change material;
when the controller determines that the phase change material will not supercool in response to the nighttime temperature profile, the controller activating a fan for drawing air through the airway to supercool the phase change material.

14 . The air condition system of claim 11 wherein:
the phase change material includes a coolant supply line in thermal communication with the phase change material, the coolant supply line coupled to the chiller system;
when the controller determines that the phase change material will not supercool in response to the nighttime temperature profile, the controller activating the chiller system to cool the coolant supply line to supercool the phase change material.

15 . A method for operating an air conditioning system having a chiller system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator, a phase change material in thermal communication with the condenser, and an actuator coupled to the phase change material, the method comprising:
determining whether an ambient temperature profile will result in supercooling of the phase change material; and in response to the determining, triggering the actuator to initiate changing the phase change material from a supercooled state to a solid state.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein:
triggering the actuator includes determining a trigger time in response to the ambient temperature profile and triggering the actuator at the trigger time.

17 . The method of claim 15 further comprising:
running a condenser fan in response to determining that the ambient temperature profile will not result in supercooling of the phase change material.

18 . The method of claim 17 further comprising:
running the chiller system in response to determining that the ambient temperature profile will not result in supercooling of the phase change material and the running the condenser fan will not result in supercooling of the phase change material.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein:
running the chiller system includes cooling the phase change material with coolant.

20 . The method of claim 15 wherein:
determining whether the ambient temperature profile will result in supercooling of the phase change material includes predicting a nighttime temperature profile in response to climate zone data, daytime temperature and a phase change material temperature.

Assignees

• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Dobbs Gregory M

Classifications

• F25B2339/042

  of pcm condensers · CPC title

• F25B1/005

  of the single unit type (F25B1/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B39/04

  Condensers · CPC title

• F24F11/30

  for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring · CPC title

• F28D20/021

  the latent heat storage material and the heat-exchanging means being enclosed in one container (F28D20/023 - F28D20/028 take precedence) · CPC title