Air Conditioning with Auxiliary Thermal Storage

Abstract

A method of cooling includes cooling and compressing a refrigerant into a liquid state using a compressor and outside air handler then flowing the refrigerant in the liquid state through heat transfer tubes that are situated within a thermal storage, the thermal storage at least partially filled with a material, where the refrigerant extracts heat from the material as the refrigerant changes state from the liquid into a gas and the refrigerant in gaseous form returns to the compressor. The refrigerant also flows, in the liquid state, into an inside air handler where the refrigerant in liquid form extracts heat from air flowing through the inside air handler as the refrigerant changes into a gaseous state, which then flows back to the compressor where the compressor and outside air handler condenses the refrigerant back into the liquid state.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a compressor;   an outside air handler in fluid communications with the compressor;   a thermal storage having a set of heat transfer tubes, a first end of each of the heat transfer tubes in fluid communications with the outside air handler through a high pressure line and a second end of the heat transfer tubes in fluid communications with the compressor through a suction line;   an inside air handler interface to a structure to be cooled and having an input that is in fluid communications with the outside air handler through the high pressure line and an output that is in fluid communications with the compressor through the suction line;   a fluid pump having an input and an output, the input of the pump in fluid communications with the first end of each of the heat transfer tubes and the output of the pump in fluid communications with the input of the inside air handler;   whereas when the compressor runs, a refrigerant is compressed into a liquid, cooled by the outside air handler and flows through the high pressure line into the heat transfer tubes where the refrigerant cools a material within the thermal storage, the refrigerant also flows into the inside air handler where the refrigerant evaporates, extracting heat from air from within the structure to be cooled, and the refrigerant in gaseous form returns to the compressor through the suction line;   whereas, in a first mode of operation, when cooling is needed, the pump operates and circulates the refrigerant in liquid form from the first end of the heat transfer tubes and into the inside air handler through the high pressure line where the refrigerant extracts heat as it evaporates into a gas and the refrigerant in gaseous form returns to the thermal storage through the suction line and into the second end of the heat transfer tubes where the refrigerant condenses back into a cold liquid; and   whereas in a second mode of operation, when cooling is needed, the compressor operates and circulates the refrigerant in liquid form from the outside air handler and into the inside air handler through the high pressure line where the refrigerant extracts heat as it evaporates into a gas and the refrigerant in the gaseous form flows to the compressor through the suction line where the refrigerant is compressed and cooled back into a cold liquid.   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the material is a mixture of antifreeze and water. 
     
     
         3 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the material is a fluid that is derived from the vegetable beetroot. 
     
     
         4 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , further comprising thermal fins, each thermal fin comprising a first side and a second side, each of the heat transfer tubes are sandwiched between the first side and second side of a respective one of the thermal fins. 
     
     
         5 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of each of the heat transfer tubes is an oval shape. 
     
     
         6 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , further comprising a valve between the input of the pump and the first end of each of the heat transfer tubes, the valve opened in the first mode of operation and closed in the second mode of operation. 
     
     
         7 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , further comprising a valve between the high pressure line and the first end of the heat transfer tubes, the valve closed to prevent cooling of the thermal storage. 
     
     
         8 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal storage is enclosed in a container that provides a seal for preventing loss of the material and that provides thermal insulation. 
     
     
         9 . A method of cooling comprising:
 cooling and compressing a refrigerant into a liquid state using a compressor and outside air handler;   flowing the refrigerant in the liquid state through heat transfer tubes that are situated within a thermal storage, the thermal storage at least partially filled with a material, the refrigerant extracting heat from the material as the refrigerant changes state from the liquid into a gas and the refrigerant in gaseous form returning to the compressor; and   flowing the refrigerant in the liquid state into an inside air handler where the refrigerant in liquid form extracts heat from air flowing through the inside air handler as the refrigerant changes into a gaseous state, the refrigerant in the gaseous state then flows back to the compressor where the compressor and outside air handler condenses the refrigerant back into the liquid state.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising stopping the cooling and compressing and, when cooling is requested, circulating the refrigerant in liquid form from the thermal storage to the inside air handler, the refrigerant evaporating and extracting heat from the air flowing through the inside air handler, and returning the refrigerant in gaseous form back to the thermal storage, thereby condensing of the refrigerant back into the liquid form. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the refrigerant is a mixture of antifreeze and water. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the material is derived from the vegetable beetroot. 
     
     
         13 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a compressor having an input in fluid communications with a suction line and having an output;   an outside air handler, an input of the outside air handler in fluid communications with the output of the compressor and an output of the outside air handler in fluid communications with a high pressure line;   a thermal storage enclosed in a thermally insulated housing and having heat transfer tubes that are at least partially within a material, a first end of the heat transfer tubes in fluid communications with the high pressure line and a second end of the heat transfer tubes in fluid communications with the suction line;   an inside air handler having an input in fluid communications with the high pressure line and having an output in fluid communications with the suction line;   a fluid pump having an input of the pump in fluid communications with the first end of the heat transfer tubes and the fluid pump having an output that is in fluid communications with the high pressure line;   whereas in a first mode of operation when cooling is needed, the compressor runs, a refrigerant is compressed into a liquid, cooled by the outside air handler and flows into the first end of the heat transfer tubes where the refrigerant evaporates, extracting heat from the material within the thermal storage and the evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor through the suction line and, in parallel, the refrigerant in liquid form flows into the inside air handler where the refrigerant evaporates, extracting heat from air and the evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor through the suction line; and   whereas, in a second mode of operation, when cooling is needed, the pump operates and circulates a refrigerant in liquid form from the first end of the heat transfer tubes into the inside air handler where the refrigerant extracts heat as it evaporates into a gaseous form and the refrigerant in the gaseous form returns to the second end of the heat transfer tubes within the thermal storage where the refrigerant condenses back into a cold liquid within the heat transfer tubes.   
     
     
         14 . The air conditioning system of  claim 13 , wherein the material is a mixture of antifreeze and water. 
     
     
         15 . The air conditioning system of  claim 13 , wherein the material is derived from the vegetable beetroot 
     
     
         16 . The air conditioning system of  claim 13 , further comprising thermal fins, each of the heat transfer tubes are thermally and physically coupled to a respective one of the thermal fins. 
     
     
         17 . The air conditioning system of  claim 16 , wherein the thermal fins comprise two sides and the heat transfer tubes are sandwiched between the two sides of the thermal fins. 
     
     
         18 . The air conditioning system of  claim 13 , whereas, in a third mode of operation, when cooling is needed, a valve is closed preventing flow of the refrigerant in liquid form into the thermal storage and the compressor operates and circulates a refrigerant in liquid form from the compressor and outside air handler into the inside air handler where the refrigerant extracts heat as it evaporates into a gaseous form and the refrigerant in the gaseous form returns to the compressor where the refrigerant is compressed and condensed back into a cold liquid. 
     
     
         19 . The air conditioning system of  claim 13 , whereas, in a fourth mode of operation, when cooling of the thermal storage is needed, the compressor operates and circulates a refrigerant in liquid form from the compressor and outside air handler into the into the first end of the heat transfer tubes where the refrigerant extracts heat from the material as it evaporates into a gaseous form and the refrigerant in the gaseous form returns to the compressor where the refrigerant is compressed and condensed back into a cold liquid. 
     
     
         20 . The air conditioning system of  claim 19 , further comprising valves, the valves preventing flow of the refrigerant through into the inside air handler when cooling is not performed.