Frostless heat pump having thermal expansion valves

Patent · Tue Oct 22 00:00:00 EDT 2002

OSTI ID:874816

Chen, Fang C ^[1]; Mei, Viung C ^[2]

---

1. Knoxville, TN
2. Oak Ridge, TN

A heat pump system having an operable relationship for transferring heat between an exterior atmosphere and an interior atmosphere via a fluid refrigerant and further having a compressor, an interior heat exchanger, an exterior heat exchanger, a heat pump reversing valve, an accumulator, a thermal expansion valve having a remote sensing bulb disposed in heat transferable contact with the refrigerant piping section between said accumulator and said reversing valve, an outdoor temperature sensor, and a first means for heating said remote sensing bulb in response to said outdoor temperature sensor thereby opening said thermal expansion valve to raise suction pressure in order to mitigate defrosting of said exterior heat exchanger wherein said heat pump continues to operate in a heating mode.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLC (Oak Ridge, TN)
• Patent Number(s): 6,467,284
• OSTI ID: 874816
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

frostless
heat
pump
thermal
expansion
valves
operable
relationship
transferring
exterior
atmosphere
interior
via
fluid
refrigerant
compressor
exchanger
reversing
valve
accumulator
remote
sensing
bulb
disposed
transferable
contact
piping
section
outdoor
temperature
sensor
means
heating
response
raise
suction
pressure
mitigate
defrosting
continues
operate
mode
heat exchanger
heat transfer
thermal expansion
heat pump
transferring heat
/62/