1655results about "Central heating with accumulated heat" patented technology

There is herein described energy storage systems. More particularly, there is herein described thermal energy storage systems and use of energy storable material such as phase change material in the provision of heating and/or cooling systems in, for example, domestic dwellings.

Methods and apparatus for extracting stored thermal energy using a combined internal and external melt cycle are disclosed. The present invention relates, in one aspect, to a heat exchange system which uses both an internal melt cycle and an external melt cycle to extract stored thermal energy. The heat exchange system includes a thermal energy storage medium and a heat exchanger which is in communication with the thermal energy storage medium. The heat exchanger is arranged to hold a heat exchange liquid and to facilitate the indirect transfer of heat between the heat exchange liquid and the thermal energy storage medium. The heat exchange system further includes a fluid supply which provides a fluid which directly contacts the thermal energy storage medium to transfer heat between the fluid and the thermal energy storage medium.

The present invention is directed at methods and apparatus for controlling multi-source heating systems. The multi-source heating systems of the present invention may include two or more heat sources such as a heat pump, a furnace, an electric heating strip, or any other suitable heat source. An illustrative system includes a multi-zone, multi-source heating system. The illustrative system may determine which of the multiple sources to use depending on a number of factors. Some illustrative factors include information about zones calling for heat, external environment information, and information about the heat sources. One of the heat sources may be, for example, a heat pump, and a determination of whether to activate the heat pump may include determining the current heating capacity of the heat pump and comparing the heating capacity to the amount of heat needed to satisfy the current heat calls. Methods for determining which of at least two heat sources to use are also provided. Additional embodiments include methods for controlling multiple-source heating systems, and systems for providing heat with multiple sources.

A vehicle air conditioner selectively switches one of a cooling mode in which an interior heat exchanger of a refrigerant cycle is operated as an evaporator for cooling air, and a heating mode in which the interior heat exchanger is operated as a radiator for heating air. In the vehicle air conditioner, an accumulator, for separating gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant from each other and for storing the separated liquid refrigerant therein, is disposed between an outlet of the interior heat exchanger and a suction port of a compressor. Further, the accumulator includes a heating device for heating the liquid refrigerant stored in the accumulator in the heating mode. Therefore, heating performance for heating air in heating mode can be efficiently improved.

Systems and methods for controlling a heat pump water heater (HPWH) are disclosed. The systems include an interface for accepting a user input and configured to indicate a mode of operation, and indicate at least one error condition when an error condition exists. The systems are operative to diagnose various failure conditions and as advise a user that maintenance may be needed and to adjust operation for varying environmental or other external conditions.

Invented is a method of making combustion air for a fossil fuel burner, as a coal burning power plant, oil refinery or gas fired household appliance. Combustion air is made from solar, wind, biomass, hydropower or geothermal. A staged progression using lower cost greenhouses, or flatplates, or solarponds, feed warm air to higher cost concentrator solar collectors. Wind energy, biomass, geothermal energy heat and compress combustion air. Hydropower also heats and compresses combustion air. Solar evaporation from salt or impure water creates water or local rain for the hydropower system. Combustion air thus is made economically hot, compressed and high velocity, and placed into a heavily insulated pipes for long distance transmission to a distant power plant.

A liquid circulation heating system includes a heat pump for producing a heated liquid and a heating radiator. The heat pump has a heat pump circuit for circulating a refrigerant to heat a liquid. The refrigerant contains tetrafluoropropene and difluoromethane as main components. According to the liquid circulation heating system having such a configuration, a negative impact on global warming can be reduced.

Reversible vapor compression system including a compressor (1), an interior heat exchanger (2), an expansion device (6) and an exterior heat exchanger (3) connected by means of conduits in an operable relationship to form an integral main circuit. A first means is provided in the main circuit between the compressor and the interior heat exchanger, and a second means is provided on the opposite side of the main circuit between the interior and exterior heat exchangers to enable reversing of the system from cooling mode to heat pump mode and vice versa.

The present invention relates to a geothermal water heater system, and methods of heating water for domestic uses utilizing geothermal energy. More specifically, the present invention provides a geothermal heat pump water heater system includes a hot water tank, a cold water tank and at least one water-to-water heat pump. As contemplated, the water-to-water heat pump includes one or more heat exchangers which control heat transfer from water drawn from an outside water source. The outside water source water is supplied to both the hot water tank and the cold water tanks whereupon heat exchangers which comprise a cold water side heat exchanger and a hot water side heat exchanger, allow water entering the cold water tank to be cooled and returned to the cold water tank while water entering the hot water tank is heated and returned to the hot water tank.

A heat pump system (10) includes a compressor (20), a reversing valve (30), an outdoor heat exchanger (40) and an indoor heat exchanger (50) coupled via refrigerant lines (35, 45) in a conventional refrigeration circuit, and a refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger (60). In the air cooling with water heating mode, the air heating with water heating mode and the water heating only mode, water from a water reservoir (64), such as a storage tank or swimming pool, is passed through heat exchanger (60) in heat exchange relationship with refrigerant passing through an additional refrigerant line (27) that establishes a fluid flow path through the heat exchanger (60) into the refrigerant circuit intermediate the outdoor heat exchanger (40) and indoor heat exchanger (50). A refrigerant reservoir (70) may be provided for use in refrigerant charge control.

An active thermal energy storage system is disclosed which uses an energy storage material that is stable at atmospheric pressure and temperature and has a melting point higher than 32 degrees F. This energy storage material is held within a storage tank and used as an energy storage source, from which a heat transfer system (e.g., a heat pump) can draw to provide heating of residential or commercial buildings and associated hot water. The energy storage material may also accept waste heat from a conventional air conditioning loop, and may store such heat until needed. The system may be supplemented by a solar panel system that can be used to collect energy during daylight hours, storing the collected energy in the energy storage material. The stored energy may then be used during the evening hours to heat recirculation air for a building in which the system is installed.

A method and system for recovering thermal energy from an ambient environment includes an evaporator plate assembly located in the ambient environment, such as outdoors to absorb thermal energy from air. A compressor, heat exchanger, and water storage tank are located indoors. Fluid lines provide a closed circuit between the evaporator plate assembly, the compressor, and the heat exchanger. Water lines provide a flow path between the exchanger and the hot water tank. Refrigerant fluid in the evaporator plate assembly absorbs thermal energy from the ambient environment, and the fluid is then compressed by the compressor to increase the temperature thereof. The heated fluid transfers thermal energy to water in the heat exchanger, which is then stored in the tank for use. The hot water can be circulated to furnace coils wherein air is blown over the coils to absorb heat therefrom, and used to heat one or more rooms.

An active thermal energy storage system is disclosed which uses an energy storage material that is stable at atmospheric pressure and temperature and has a melting point higher than 32 degrees F. This energy storage material is held within a storage tank and used as an energy storage source, from which a heat transfer system (e.g., a heat pump) can draw to provide heating of residential or commercial buildings and associated hot water. The energy storage material may also accept waste heat from a conventional air conditioning loop, and may store such heat until needed. The system may be supplemented by a solar panel system that can be used to collect energy during daylight hours, storing the collected energy in the energy storage material. The stored energy may then be used during the evening hours to heat recirculation air for a building in which the system is installed.

A system for heating water includes a first tank, a solar panel, a control circuit, and a second tank for receiving water from the first tank. There is a first resistive heating element in the first tank and a second resistive heating element in the second tank. The control circuit couples power from the solar panel to the second resistive heating element unless the water in the second tank is at a preset maximum temperature, then the control circuit couples power to the first resistive heating element. If the water in the second tank is below a preset maximum temperature and above a preset minimum temperature, then the control circuit couples power from the solar panel to both the first heater element and the second heater element. If the temperature of the water in the second tank is below a preset minimum temperature, then the control circuit turns on conventional heating means in the second tank. Water is withdrawn from the second tank for use.

Systems and methods are disclosed for controlling photovoltaic cell temperature by removing excess thermal energy from photovoltaic cells in a photovoltaic module and using the excess thermal energy for heating or to drive a heating and/or cooling apparatus. In one instance, the heating and/or cooling apparatus is an absorption chiller. A generator of the absorption chiller can either be thermally connected to the photovoltaic module or can be heated by transferring the thermal energy from the photovoltaic module to the absorption chiller via a heating fluid such as water.

A water heater system is provided with a solar water heater and an electric water heater having one or more electric heating elements. The solar and electric water heaters are configured to provide a common hot water output. A controller is operatively configured with the water heaters and receives a first signal indicative of a current power demand state of an associated electric utility. In response to the received signal, the controller operates the electric water heater in an energy savings mode during periods of high power demand wherein power consumption of the electric heating elements is restricted. The controller is operatively configured to modulate the degree of power consumption restriction placed on the electric heating elements in the energy savings mode as a function of current hot water supply capacity of the solar water heater.

An integrated solar cell system applies energy created by a solar cell module. The integration system includes a solar cell module, a low-grade heat recovery means, and a process system. The low-grade heat recovery means recovers waste heat from the solar cell module and connects the solar cell module to the process system. The process system is powered at least partially by thermal energy derived from waste heat generated by the solar cell module.

Refrigerant fluid such as CO2, compressed to the supercritical pressure by a compressor, is delivered selectively through a three-way valve, either into a branch of the circuit containing a cooler, an expansion device and an evaporator for cooling the cabin of a vehicle, or into a branch containing another expansion device and a heat exchanger for the purpose of heating the cabin.