Gas cooler configuration integrated into heat pump chassis

Abstract

A thin-profiled gas cooler and chassis suitable for a transcritical heat pump water heater are provided. The heat pump system includes a chassis for supporting such system components as a gas cooler and evaporator. The dimensions of the gas cooler are designed to minimize the impact that the gas cooler has on the cooling capacity of the evaporator by reducing the amount of air flow that the gas cooler blocks. This is achieved by reducing the depth that the gas cooler extends into the chassis cavity. As a result, the height and / or width of the gas cooler is increased compared to other similar volume gas coolers is providing comparable water heating capacity.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a gas cooler and chassis for a transcritical heat pump water heater. [0002] One type of transcritical heat pump water heater uses a heat pump cycle that utilizes CO2 as the working fluid. The heat pump may be located indoors or on the exterior of a building, for example, mounted on a roof top of a building. Numerous components are located within a chassis that supports the components, which includes for example a compressor, a gas cooler, an expansion device, an evaporator, an accumulator, and other various components. [0003] In a CO2 heat pump water heating system, super critical CO2 rejects heat in the gas cooler to water, and sub-critical CO2 absorbs heat in the evaporator from the outdoor air. The heat pump system must operate desirably under a wide range of conditions. For example, the outdoor air temperature may vary from −10° F. in the winter to the 120° F. in the summer. A draft fan is usually used to force ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] The dimensions of the gas cooler are designed to minimize the impact that the gas cooler has on the cooling capacity of the evaporator by reducing the amount of air flow that the gas cooler blocks. This is achieved by optimizing the way to package the gas cooler, for example, by reducing the depth that the gas cooler extends into the chassis cavity. As a result, the height and / or width of the gas cooler is increased compared to other similar volume gas coolers while still providing comparable water heating capacity. As a result, a shorter length of the evaporator coils is affected by the blocked airflow.

[0008] In an example shown, four sides of the gas cooler are located proximate to the spaced apart horizontal and vertical supports providing a gas cooler having a thin profile that does not extend very deeply into the chassis cavity. Additionally, the gas cooler may provide one of the exterior sides of the chassis, eliminating a separate wall used in the prior art. Preferably, the depth of the gas cooler is less than the width and / or the height. Also, the chassis may incorporate one or more guides so that the thin-profiled inventive gas cooler may be removably received within a portion of the housing preferably proximate to an outer wall of the chassis.

[0009] Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved gas cooler and chassis arrangement that minimizes the negative impact the gas cooler has on the evaporator and system performance by blocking the airflow to the evaporator.

Problems solved by technology

As a result, the gas cooler blocks and significantly inhibits the air flow through the chassis compromising the efficiency of the heat pump evaporator and ability of the evaporator to perform desirably under the various operating conditions.

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