Modular chiller heater reversing/non-reversing conversion apparatus and method

Abstract

A chiller heater building air space conditioning system is set out including a plurality of interconnected modular chiller/heater units which can be operated variously in a chilling mode, a heating mode, or an off mode. An arrangement for converting a system comprising reversible modular heat pump chiller heater elements into a system comprising non-reversible modular chiller heater elements is set out.

1 . A modular heating/chilling apparatus conversion system, comprising:
 at least two modular reversible heater/chiller units connected in parallel,   each of said reversible heater/chillers having a reversible evaporation cycle working fluid loop, an evaporator/condenser heat exchanger circuit and a separate condenser/evaporator heat exchanger circuit,   a building load chilled fluid circuit,   a building load hot fluid circuit,   an external heat sink/source and circuit,   modular unit isolation valves between each of said modular units,   each of said modular units having a chilled fluid connection circuit, a hot fluid connection circuit, and an external heat sink/source connection circuit,   a first side building first fluid manifold,   a second side building fluid manifold,   a heated bypass circuit in fluid connection with said evaporator/condenser heat exchanger circuit, said first side building first fluid manifold, and said second side building fluid manifold,   said second side building fluid manifold prior to connection with said heated bypass circuit serving said heat sink/source and after connection with said heated bypass circuit serving said building load hot fluid circuit,   at least one of said modular reversible heater chiller units being thereby operable in a non-reversing mode such that the evaporator/condenser heat exchanger circuit would operate only as a condenser, and the condenser/evaporator heat exchanger circuit would operate only as an evaporator,   wherein said at least one of said modular reversible heater chiller units would be operated in a non-reversing mode to achieve higher operating efficiencies.   
     
     
         2 . A method for converting at least one modular reversible heater chiller in a parallel modular reversible heater/chiller system from a reversing mode to a non-reversing mode, comprising the steps of:
 attaching a heated fluid bypass circuit into fluid connection from a second side condenser/evaporator and a second side building fluid manifold and a first side building first fluid manifold,   changing the second side building fluid manifold from serving a heat sink/source to serving a building second side heat exchanger,   removing a reversing valve from service in said modular reversible heater chiller, and operating said modular reversible heater chiller in a non-reversing mode, wherein said non-reversing modular reversible heater chiller operates at a higher overall efficiency.