Systems and Methods Implementing Air Conditioning Systems

Abstract

Systems and methods for implementing air conditioning and water store systems that are configured such that a direct expansion of a heat transfer material allows for both hot and cold thermal storage are provided. In such systems, an included cold thermal energy storage unit can be cooled to a temperature lower than the temperature desired for a target space while the target space is simultaneously cooled to the desired temperature, such that the temperature desired for the target space can subsequently be established and/or maintained by the cold thermal energy storage unit irrespective of whether the cold thermal energy storage unit is being principally relied on to cool the target space or whether an included powered condensing unit is being relied on to cool the target space. In conjunction with this, hot thermal units and water in a water store can be heated. In short, the system allows for the capture of normally ejected heat in the water store.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a condensing unit;   a liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble;   a cold thermal energy storage unit connected to the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble by at least one liquid connection;   a target space;   a suction gas pressurizer and distributor ensemble;   a discharge gas distributor; and   a hot water storage unit having a storage tank, a volume of water disposed therein;   and a thermal energy transfer unit operatively connected to piping containing a supplied working fluid such that the supplied working fluid may be exposed to the thermal energy within the hot water storage unit by way of the thermal energy transfer unit, and   wherein:
 the condensing unit, the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble, the cold thermal energy storage unit, the target space, the suction gas pressurizer and distributer ensemble, the discharge gas distributor, and the hot water storage unit are operatively connected by piping such that vapor compression cycles can be simultaneously implemented that result in the air conditioning of the target space and a thermal energy transfer in the cold thermal energy storage unit and/or the hot water storage unit. 
   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the suction gas pressurizer and distributor ensemble comprises:
 at least one of: a pressure regulator and a compressor; and   a flow control apparatus operable to controllably direct vapor phase working fluid to adjoined structures.   
     
     
         3 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the cold thermal energy storage unit comprises a phase change material encased in thermal insulation. 
     
     
         4 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble comprises a pump that is operable to alter the pressure of received liquid phase working fluid, and a flow control apparatus operable to controllably direct received liquid phase working fluid to adjoined structures. 
     
     
         5 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the condensing unit is operable to output heated vapor phase working fluid. 
     
     
         6 . The air conditioning system of  claim 5 , wherein the condensing unit comprises an integrated heating source and is thereby operable to output heated vapor phase working fluid. 
     
     
         7 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , further comprising a second liquid connection between the cold thermal energy storage unit and the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble. 
     
     
         8 . The air conditioning system of  claim 7 , wherein the cold thermal storage unit is operable to subcool the supplied working fluid as it is removed from the hot water storage unit thereby capturing and storing an excess of heat from the supplied working fluid. 
     
     
         9 . The air conditioning system of  claim 7  wherein the cold thermal storage unit is operable to receive a liquid phase working fluid from the condensing unit through the liquid pressurizer distributor ensemble such that the liquid phase working fluid is subcooled and distributed to the target space thereby performing a cooling of the target space while simultaneously the working fluid leaves the target space as a gas phase and is redistributed to the condensing unit by way of the suction gas pressurizer distributor ensemble. 
     
     
         10 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the discharge gas distributor circulates the supplied heated vapor phase working fluid to the target space thereby providing heating services to the target space. 
     
     
         11 . The air conditioning system of  claim 10 , wherein the condensing unit is configured to output heated vapor phase working fluid such that when the heated vapor phase working fluid is directed by piping to the target space and/or the hot water storage unit, it condenses into a liquid phase working fluid. 
     
     
         12 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , further comprising a second liquid connection between the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble and the condensing unit. 
     
     
         13 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the hot water storage unit further comprises an immersion heater connected to the hot water storage unit and operable to heat the water disposed therein. 
     
     
         14 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1  wherein the thermal energy transfer unit is a heat exchanger coil disposed within the storage tank. 
     
     
         15 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the hot water storage unit is operable to act as a heat source; 
       wherein:
 the hot water storage unit and the target space are operatively connected by piping; and 
 the hot water storage unit is configured to receive liquid phase working fluid, and heat it so that it outputs vapor phase working fluid that thereafter be directed to the target space to heat it. 
 
     
     
         16 . The air conditioning system of  claim 15 , wherein the air conditioning system is configured such that the vapor phase working fluid that is output by the hot water storage unit and thereafter directed to the target space, transmits heat to the target space and thereby condenses. 
     
     
         17 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , further comprising a hot thermal energy storage unit operatively connected to the liquid pressurizer distributor ensemble and the discharge gas distributor ensemble by piping. 
     
     
         18 . The air conditioning system of  claim 17 , wherein the hot thermal energy storage unit further comprises a thermal storage medium encased with an insulating material. 
     
     
         19 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the condensing unit comprises a compressor and a condenser/evaporator in series, and wherein the condensing unit is operable to direct a received liquid phase working fluid through an expansion valve to the condenser/evaporator to output a vapor phase working fluid and direct the vapor phase working fluid into a compressor to compress the vapor phase working fluid such that the compressor can output a high temperature high pressure discharge gas. 
     
     
         20 . The air conditioning system of  claim 19 , wherein the condensing unit further comprises a liquid suction line heat exchanger operatively connected to the compressor and the condenser/evaporator by piping. 
     
     
         21 . The air conditioning system of  claim 20 , wherein the suction line heat exchanger is operative to simultaneously transfer heat between a liquid line and a suction line. 
     
     
         22 . The air conditioning system of  claim 17 , further comprising more than one gas discharge connection. 
     
     
         23 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is configured such that when the vapor compression cycles are simultaneously implemented that result in the air conditioning of the target space and a thermal energy transfer in the cold thermal storage unit and hot water storage unit, the cold thermal energy storage unit expands and evaporates the supplied working fluid and receives cooling services while the hot water storage unit simultaneously condenses the supplied heated vapor phase working fluid and receives heating services. 
     
     
         24 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a condensing unit;   a liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble;   a cold thermal energy storage unit connected to the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble by at least two liquid connections;   a target space; and   a suction gas pressurizer and distributor ensemble;   wherein:
 the condensing unit, the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble, the cold thermal energy storage unit, the target space, and the suction gas pressurizer and distributer ensemble are operatively connected by piping such that vapor compression cycles can be simultaneously implemented that result in the air conditioning of the target space and a thermal energy transfer in the cold thermal energy storage unit; and 
 the air conditioning system is configured such that when the vapor compression cycles are simultaneously implemented that result in the air conditioning of the target space and a thermal energy transfer in the cold energy storage unit, the target space receives heating services by a supplied vapor phase working fluid from the condensing unit and supplies a portion of a condensed liquid phase working fluid to the cold thermal energy storage unit whereby the cold thermal energy storage unit subcools the condensed liquid phase working fluid by capturing and storing excess heat from the condensed liquid phase working fluid. 
   
     
     
         25 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a condensing unit;   a liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble;   a cold thermal energy storage unit connected to the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble by at least one liquid connection;   a first and second target space;   a suction gas pressurizer and distributor ensemble; and   a discharge gas distributor;   wherein:
 the condensing unit, the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble, the cold thermal energy storage unit, the first and second target spaces, the suction gas pressurizer and distributer ensemble, and the discharge gas distributor are operatively connected by piping such that vapor compression cycles can be simultaneously implemented that result in the air conditioning of the target space and a thermal energy transfer in the cold thermal energy storage unit; and 
 the air conditioning system is configured such that the suction gas pressurizer and distributor ensemble enables the cooling of the first and second target spaces to different temperatures. 
   
     
     
         26 . The air conditioning system of  claim 25 , further comprising at least one hot thermal energy storage unit, wherein
 the condensing unit, the liquid pressurizer and distributor ensemble, the cold thermal energy storage unit, the first and second target spaces, the suction gas pressurizer and distributer ensemble, the discharge gas distributor, and the hot thermal energy storage unit are operatively connected by piping such that vapor compression cycles can be simultaneously implemented that result in the air conditioning of the target space and a thermal energy transfer in the hot or cold thermal energy storage unit.