Variable four pipe heatpump chiller

Abstract

The invention is a 4 pipe geothermal heatpump heater/chiller device. It includes modular elements each having controllers on every module. A master controller may determine how many modules need to be in heating or cooling mode. The controlling of the modules and the switched four pipe arrangement would allow for any number of the modules to be running alternately in either heating or cooling mode at the same time. In between each module would be a spacer having isolation valves on the input and output side of the load side of each module. The valves would open and close depending on however many modules were desired to be in heating and or cooling mode, respectively. It may be also that a module is redundant, which can then be switched back and forth from either heating and or cooling mode, while the other modules themselves are left in their respective modes.

1 . Air conditioning apparatus, comprising:
 a plurality of modular heat pump chiller heater units arranged in a series arrangement,   the series arrangement having a chilling side having at least one unit and a heating side having at least one unit;   each of said modular units having a compressor,   each of said modular units having at least one evaporator heat exchanger haying at least one cooling load heat exchange fluid inlet, at least one cooling load heat exchange fluid outlet, at least one cooling fluid inlet and at least one cooling fluid outlet,   each of said modular units having at least one condenser heat exchanger having at least one cooling fluid inlet and at least one cooling fluid outlet,   each of said modular units having at least one header pipe for cooling load evaporator heat exchange fluid,   each of said modular units having at least one header pipe for condenser cooling fluid,   isolation valves arranged between the header pipes of each unit,   the isolation valves being closable to isolate the chilling side units from the heating side units,   the number of units on each side being variable by virtue of the isolation valves,   wherein the chilling side units are operatable chill simultaneous with the heating side units operating to heat.