Multi-Room Air Conditioning with Heat Transfer Fluid Buffering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioning systems face challenges in providing low cooling capacities efficiently, especially in well-insulated small rooms, and suffer from limitations in varying cooling capacity, leading to discomfort and potential damage due to refrigerant pressure and temperature issues.
Innovation Solution
The system employs multiple indoor units with their own throttles, using a heat transfer fluid circuit to transfer cooling capacity from a refrigerant circuit to room air through additional heat exchangers, allowing for precise control of cooling capacity and reducing noise and refrigerant exposure risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional air conditioning systems are used in small, well-insulated rooms, then the cooling capacity is excessive (2000 W output for 500-600 W requirement), but the system cannot be downsized because indoor units have fixed minimum output sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the cooling capacity delivery into two independent stages: (1) refrigerant circuit for compression and initial heat exchange, and (2) heat transfer fluid circuits for distributed delivery to multiple rooms. This segmentation allows the outdoor unit to operate at optimal capacity while indoor units provide precisely sized cooling to each room's actual needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operating parameters of the outdoor unit by allowing it to run continuously at higher capacity while using controllable throttles in each indoor unit to adjust the actual cooling delivery. The heat transfer fluid circuits act as buffers, absorbing excess cooling capacity when rooms require less cooling, thereby enabling the outdoor unit to operate in its efficient range without wasting capacity.
2Power
If the cooling capacity taken from indoor units falls below the minimum value provided by the outdoor unit, then the outdoor unit must cycle on and off, but this causes temperature variation and loss of comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The heat transfer fluid circuits enable continuous operation of the outdoor unit by acting as thermal buffers. When the sum of individual room cooling requirements falls below the outdoor unit's minimum capacity, the excess cooling capacity is absorbed by the heat transfer fluid rather than causing the outdoor unit to cycle off and on, thereby maintaining continuous cooling supply and stable room temperatures.
3Power
If smaller outdoor units are chosen to match low cooling capacity requirements, then the nominal output decreases, but the minimum output does not drop significantly due to increased minimum-to-nominal ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces dynamic control through controllable throttles in each indoor unit, allowing the outdoor unit to operate continuously at its optimal nominal capacity while dynamically adjusting the actual cooling delivered to each room based on individual requirements. This dynamic adjustment decouples the outdoor unit's fixed output from the variable actual cooling needs of small rooms.
4Adaptability or versatility
If variable refrigerant flow systems are used, then cooling capacity can be varied within limits, but the number of indoor units and individual unit capacity are technically limited
Solution Approach 1:
The outdoor unit is designed as a universal platform that can serve multiple indoor units simultaneously through separate heat transfer fluid circuits. Each indoor unit functions independently with its own throttle and heat transfer fluid circuit, allowing the system to accommodate any number of rooms and various cooling capacity requirements without technical limitations on system configuration.
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
This configuration enables efficient, quiet operation with reduced refrigerant risks, allowing for precise control of cooling capacity in small rooms, minimizing drafts, and reducing operational noise and costs by allowing a larger number of rooms to be air-conditioned with fewer outdoor units.
Implementation Method 1
a compressor (32) for compressing a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit (70)
Implementation Method 2
a first heat exchanger (34) for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and ambient air or for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and water
Implementation Method 3
a plurality of throttles (42) for expanding the refrigerant
Implementation Method 4
a plurality of second heat exchangers (44) for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and a heat transfer fluid
Implementation Method 5
a plurality of third heat exchangers (54), which are each arranged in an assigned room (15), for exchanging heat between the heat transfer fluid and room air of the assigned room (15)
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to an air conditioning installation (20) for air conditioning a room (14, 15), comprising a compressor (32) for compressing a coolant in a coolant circuit (70, 71, 72), a first heat exchanger (34) for exchanging heat between the coolant and a heat reservoir, a plurality of flow control valves (42) for expanding the coolant, a plurality of second heat exchangers (44) for exchanging heat between the coolant and a heat transfer fluid in an associated heat transfer fluid circuit (90, 91, 92) in each case, and a plurality of third heat exchangers (54) each of which is arranged in an associated room (15) in order to exchange heat between the heat transfer fluid and the air of said associated room (15). A flow control valve (42) and a heat transfer fluid circuit (90, 91, 92), comprising a plurality of third heat exchangers (54), are associated with a second heat exchanger (44).