Thermal energy storage in a chiller system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9568235-B2
Application number	US-201214350424-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2012
Priority date	Oct 13, 2011
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A method of operating an air conditioning system includes operating a refrigeration unit to cool a volume of refrigerant and circulating the refrigerant to a heat exchanger. A serviced space is cooled via a thermal energy exchange between the serviced space and the refrigerant at the heat exchanger. Thermal energy generated by operation of the refrigeration unit is stored at a thermal energy storage system. An air conditioning system includes a refrigeration unit and a heat exchanger operably connected to the refrigeration unit. The heat exchanger is configured to transfer thermal energy between a serviced space and the refrigeration unit, thus cooling the serviced space. A volume of thermal energy storage medium is utilized to absorb thermal heat generated by the refrigeration unit for dissipation into the ambient environment at a selected time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating an air conditioning system comprising:
operating a refrigeration unit to cool a volume of refrigerant;
circulating the refrigerant to a heat exchanger;
cooling a serviced space via a thermal energy exchange between the serviced space and the refrigerant at the heat exchanger; and
storing thermal energy generated by operation of the refrigeration unit at a thermal energy storage system;
wherein storing thermal energy at the thermal energy storage system includes causing a phase change of a volume of phase change material having a transition temperature greater than the typical nighttime temperature experienced by the system, and less than the typical daytime temperature experienced by the system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transition temperature is greater than 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising dissipating the thermal energy from the thermal energy storage system at a selected time.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising at least partially recharging the thermal energy storage system.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising at least partially recharging the thermal energy storage system via a flow of nighttime ambient air.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising at least partially recharging the thermal energy storage system via operation of the refrigeration unit.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising urging cooled refrigerant from the refrigeration unit through the thermal energy storage system.

8. An air conditioning system comprising:
a refrigeration unit;
a heat exchanger operably connected to the refrigeration unit to transfer thermal energy between a serviced space and the refrigeration unit, thus cooling the serviced space; and
a volume of thermal energy storage medium to absorb thermal heat generated by the refrigeration unit for dissipation into the ambient environment at a selected time;
wherein the volume of thermal energy storage medium comprises a phase change material having a transition temperature greater than the typical nighttime temperature experienced by the system, and less than the typical daytime temperature experienced by the system.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the transition temperature is greater than 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the phase change material is an organic wax material.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the selected time is nighttime.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the refrigeration unit is a chiller.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the thermal energy storage system is at least partially recharged by nighttime ambient air after discharge of the thermal heat.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the thermal energy storage system is at least partially recharged by operation of the refrigeration unit after discharge of the thermal heat.

Assignees

• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Dobbs Gregory M

Classifications

• F25D1/00 Primary

  Devices using naturally cold air or cold water · CPC title

• F24F5/0021 Primary

  using phase change material [PCM] for storage · CPC title

• Y02E60/147

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F25D3/02

  using ice, e.g. ice-boxes · CPC title

• Y02E60/14

  Thermal energy storage · CPC title