Heat pump

Abstract

A heat pump is provided and is operable between an energy source and a heating load. The pump comprises a heat exchanger for recovering heat from the energy source and transferring it to refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit. The pump comprises a thermal battery integrated into the refrigerant circuit for storing heat received from the refrigerant and/or delivering heat to the heating load.

1 . A heat pump operable between an energy source and a heating load, the pump comprises a heat exchanger for recovering heat from the energy source and transferring it to refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit, in which the pump comprises a thermal battery integrated into the refrigerant circuit for storing heat received from the refrigerant and/or delivering heat to the heating load. 
     
     
         2 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising a pressure reduction means. 
     
     
         3 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the pressure reduction means comprises a thermal expansion valve. 
     
     
         4 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising a compressor. 
     
     
         5 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the thermal battery comprises phase change material. 
     
     
         6 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the thermal battery comprises two heat exchangers: a charge exchanger; and a demand exchanger. 
     
     
         7 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising two or more thermal batteries. 
     
     
         8 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 7 , in which the thermal batteries are arranged in series. 
     
     
         9 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 7 , in which the thermal batteries are arranged in parallel. 
     
     
         10 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 7 , in which the thermal batteries comprise phase change material have different melt temperatures to each other. 
     
     
         11 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the energy source is selected from: air; ground; water. 
     
     
         12 . A heat pump system comprising one or more heat pumps as claimed in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . A heat pump system as claimed in  claim 12 , having multiple thermal batteries and multiple heating loads. 
     
     
         14 . A heat pump system as claimed in  claim 13 , comprising loops to draw/return energy from/to individual batteries, thereby enabling a heating load to be supplied by multiple batteries, or separate heating loads to be supplied concurrently. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1  and configured as a combined ground source heat pump and phase change material (PCM) energy store. 
     
     
         17 . A domestic ground source heat pump system comprising a heat pump including a refrigeration circuit comprising two phase change material thermal batteries, the batteries having different charging characteristics, the system comprising separate loops to draw the energy from the individual batteries, enabling a single heating load to be supplied by both batteries for higher flow rates, or two separate heating loads to be supplied concurrently. 
     
     
         18 . A system as claimed in claim  1 - 517 , configured to be able to supply both heating and direct hot water concurrently. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1  and comprising one or more thermal stores integrated into a refrigeration circuit, the heat pump comprising a direct contact PCM heat exchanger providing a direct path between heat in and heat out heat exchangers whereby the heat does not have to flow through the PCM in order to travel through the exchanger. 
     
     
         21 .- 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the thermal battery may comprise two heat exchangers: a charge exchanger; and a demand exchanger. 
     
     
         24 . A heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising a first thermal battery and a second thermal battery, the first battery having a higher melt temperature and arranged to receive heat from a compressor first, and a second battery having a lower melt temperature arranged to receive heat from the first battery.