HVAC Case Extractor Port for Cold-Weather Heat Pump Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat pumps experience performance degradation in cold weather due to limited heat from ambient air, reduced refrigerant mass flow rate, and operational constraints on the compressor. Additionally, vehicles like electric vehicles face high loads during charging or towing, requiring oversized refrigerant systems.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an HVAC device with a case that includes an ambient inlet port, a recirculation inlet port, discharge ports, and an ambient extractor port. This configuration allows for air recirculation and discharge to an ambient environment, enhancing heating performance in cold conditions and managing high loads by rejecting excessive heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If heat pumps operate in cold weather, then heating function is provided, but performance degrades due to limited ambient heat and reduced refrigerant mass flow rate
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides air handling into separate pathways: ambient air intake for cooling and recirculation air for heating. This segmentation allows the heat pump to optimize performance for each function independently, maintaining reliability in cold weather by using warmed recirculation air rather than relying solely on cold ambient air for heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by switching between ambient air intake and recirculation modes based on temperature conditions. In cold weather, the system increases recirculation ratio to maintain heating performance while protecting the compressor from low-temperature operation, thus resolving the performance degradation issue.
2Power
If refrigerant system is sized for high load conditions, then high load capacity is achieved, but system size increases beyond standard configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the recirculation ratio based on real-time heating demand and ambient conditions. During high-load heating conditions, the system increases recirculation to provide additional heat source, allowing the refrigerant system to meet high power demands without requiring oversized components. This dynamic adaptation enables standard-sized systems to handle extreme loads.
3Productivity
If recirculation ratio is increased, then heating efficiency improves, but risk of overheating increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback control through the controller that continuously monitors temperature conditions and adjusts the recirculation ratio accordingly. When overheating risk is detected, the controller reduces recirculation or activates the ambient extractor port to discharge excess heat, thereby maintaining heating efficiency while preventing dangerous temperature rises.
Solution Approach 2:
The ambient extractor port provides a direct pathway to remove excess heat from the system to the ambient environment. This extraction mechanism allows the system to maintain high recirculation ratios for efficient heating while simultaneously venting excess heat, thus resolving the overheating risk without sacrificing heating performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution improves heating efficiency in cold temperatures by recirculating air and rejecting excessive heat to the ambient environment, thereby supporting high-load conditions without the need for oversized refrigerant systems.
Implementation Method 1
a blower disposed in the case and configured to cause air to flow
Implementation Method 2
a first heat exchanger disposed in the case and configured to heat the air
Implementation Method 3
an ambient extractor port defined in the case and configured to discharge from the case to an ambient environment exterior to a structure the air provided to the ambient extractor port
Data Source
AI summary
A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) includes a case, an ambient inlet port defined in the case and configured to selectively receive air from outside the cabin of a vehicle, a recirculation inlet port defined in the case and configured to selectively receive air from inside the cabin of the vehicle, at least one discharge port configured to selectively discharge at least a portion of an airflow from the case to inside the cabin of the vehicle, and an extractor port disposed within the case and configured to discharge at least a portion of the airflow from the case to the ambient environment.