Heat pump using solar and outdoor air heat sources
A heat pump system uses a non-reversing refrigeration circuit having a water-cooled condenser and a counterflow chiller fed by a thermostatic expansion valve to permit operation at close to zero superheat. To protect the compressor in the refrigeration circuit from possible flood-back at this low superheat, a combination suction-liquid heat exchanger-suction accumulator is employed. A hold-back valve serves to maintain constant compressor suction pressure regardless of evaporator pressure fluctuations caused by changing chiller fluid temperatures. The system is designed to operate in four distinct modes: (1) water source heat pump heating; (2) direct solar heating; (3) air source heat pump heating; and (4) heat pump cooling. To switch the refrigeration circuit to heat pump mode from the cooling mode or vice versa, four three-way valves and three fluid pumps are selectively operated. The fluid circuit of the system consists of two separate coils in an air-handling unit. One coil is connected to the solar collector circuit and may be used for either heating or cooling. A second coil is connected to the condenser circuit and works during the heat pump cycle.
- Assignee:
- Halstead Ind Inc
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4363218
- OSTI ID:
- 6536730
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
140909* -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Miscellaneous Solar Applications-- (1980-)
ACCUMULATORS
CONDENSERS
CONTAINERS
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
COOLING
EQUIPMENT
FLOW REGULATORS
FLUIDS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT PUMPS
HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS
PUMPS
REFRIGERATION
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR REFRIGERATION
TANKS
VALVES