Reservoir with moveable partition for quick recovery

Abstract

A cooling or heating system having a primary loop through which pressurized liquid is circulated and a secondary loop through which a low pressure liquid medium is circulated for increased performance where the secondary loop includes an improved reservoir design that provides a potential reserve of cooling or heating capacity that has a exterior wall and includes a moveable partition with a flow path enclosed between the moveable partition and the exterior wall and the moveable partition moves away from the exterior wall to increase the volume available to the flow path and the moveable partition moves toward the exterior wall to decrease the volume available to the flow path to quicken the attainment of a suitable predetermined occupant comfort level.

1 . A cooling or heating system having a primary loop through which pressurized liquid is circulated and a secondary loop through which a low pressure liquid medium is circulated to cool or heat an occupant space to a predetermined occupant comfort level, with heat or cold being transferred from said liquid medium across a heat exchanger of said secondary loop characterized in that, said secondary loop also contains a reservoir including a fixed volume of the liquid medium, said reservoir comprising:
 a exterior wall and an input port and an output port located proximate to the exterior wall, said input port is substantially opposed to the output port with a flow path defined therebetween;   a moveable partition inside the reservoir enclosing the flow path between the movable partition and the exterior wall; and   wherein the moveable partition moves away from the exterior wall to increase the volume available to the flow path and moves toward the exterior wall to decrease the volume of liquid medium available to the flow path to speed up the attainment of a suitable predetermined occupant comfort level.   
   
   
       2 . A cooling or heating system according to  claim 1 , wherein the moveable partition rotates toward and away from the exterior wall. 
   
   
       3 . A cooling or heating system according to  claim 1 , wherein the moveable partition has a shape and size comparable to that of the exterior wall of the reservoir. 
   
   
       4 . A cooling or heating system according to  claim 3 , wherein the reservoir is substantially wedge-shaped including a wide end wall and a narrow end wall. 
   
   
       5 . A cooling or heating system according to  claim 4 , wherein the moveable partition is connected to the reservoir at the narrow end wall and the moveable partition rotates about the narrow end wall. 
   
   
       6 . A cooling or heating system according to  claim 1 , wherein the moveable partition has an integral channel that facilitates the movement the liquid medium through the flow path when the moveable partition is proximate the exterior wall. 
   
   
       7 . A cooling or heating system according to  claim 1 , wherein the liquid medium is a coolant.