Thermally enhanced heating

Abstract

A thermally enhanced heating system and a method for thermally enhancing a HVAC system are provided. The thermally enhanced heating system preferably includes an outdoor HVAC unit and an indoor HVAC unit. The indoor HVAC unit includes a first heat exchanger for transferring heat from a refrigerant, a second heat exchanger for transferring heat from a fuel source, and a third heat exchanger for transferring heat to the refrigerant. The outdoor HVAC unit includes an outdoor heat exchanger for transferring heat from an outdoor air to the refrigerant, a pump configured to circulate the refrigerant, and an ejector configured to combine the refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger. Preferably the outdoor HVAC unit is operated to circulate the refrigerant through a first refrigerant circuit and a second refrigerant circuit, and combine refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit and the second refrigerant circuit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A thermally enhanced heating system comprising:
 an indoor HVAC unit comprising:
 a first heat exchanger for transferring heat from a refrigerant; 
 a second heat exchanger for transferring heat from a fuel source; and 
 a third heat exchanger for transferring heat to the refrigerant; and 
   an outdoor HVAC unit comprising:
 an outdoor heat exchanger for transferring heat from an outdoor air to the refrigerant; 
 a pump operably coupled to the first heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger, the pump configured to circulate the refrigerant; and 
 an ejector including a first inlet, a second inlet, and an outlet; wherein the first inlet is operably coupled to the outdoor heat exchanger, the second inlet is operably coupled to the third heat exchanger, and the outlet is operably coupled to the first heat exchanger. 
   
     
     
         2 . The thermally enhanced system of  claim 1 , wherein the indoor HVAC unit further comprises a fan. 
     
     
         3 . The thermally enhanced system of  claim 2 , wherein the first heat exchanger is upstream of the fan, and the second heat exchanger and third heat exchanger are downstream of the fan. 
     
     
         4 . The thermally enhanced system of  claim 3 , wherein the third heat exchanger is downstream of the second heat exchanger. 
     
     
         5 . The thermally enhanced system of  claim 2 , wherein the first heat exchanger, second heat exchanger, and third heat exchanger are downstream of the fan. 
     
     
         6 . The thermally enhanced system of  claim 5 , wherein the third heat exchanger is downstream of the second heat exchanger, and the first heat exchanger is adjacent to the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger. 
     
     
         7 . The thermally enhanced system of  claim 3 , wherein the second heat exchanger is operably coupled to a conduit, and the third heat exchanger is disposed within the conduit. 
     
     
         8 . The thermally enhanced heating system of  claim 1 , wherein the outdoor HVAC unit further comprises a valve operably coupled to the outdoor heat exchanger and the first heat exchanger. 
     
     
         9 . The thermally enhanced heating system of  claim 1 , wherein the outdoor HVAC unit further comprises a fan. 
     
     
         10 . The thermally enhanced heating system of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel source comprises at least one of: a natural gas, a propane gas, and a heating oil. 
     
     
         11 . The thermally enhanced heating system of  claim 1 , wherein the ejector is a single phase ejector. 
     
     
         12 . A method for thermally enhancing a HVAC system, the method comprising:
 operating an outdoor HVAC unit to circulate a refrigerant through a first refrigerant circuit and a second refrigerant circuit;   operating a heat exchanger to transfer heat to the first refrigerant circuit; and   operating the outdoor HVAC unit to combine the refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit and the second refrigerant circuit.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the outdoor HVAC unit comprises a pump to circulate the refrigerant through the first refrigerant circuit and the second refrigerant circuit. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the outdoor HVAC unit comprises an ejector to combine the refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit and the second refrigerant circuit. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising operating a fan to circulate an indoor air through an indoor HVAC unit, wherein the heat exchanger transfers heat from the indoor air to the first refrigerant circuit. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising operating a second heat exchanger to transfer heat from a fuel source, the second heat exchanger operatively coupled to a conduit, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed in the conduit.