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Title: Refrigerant charge management in a heat pump water heater

Abstract

Heat pumps that heat or cool a space and that also heat water, refrigerant management systems for such heat pumps, methods of managing refrigerant charge, and methods for heating and cooling a space and heating water. Various embodiments deliver refrigerant gas to a heat exchanger that is not needed for transferring heat, drive liquid refrigerant out of that heat exchanger, isolate that heat exchanger against additional refrigerant flowing into it, and operate the heat pump while the heat exchanger is isolated. The heat exchanger can be isolated by closing an electronic expansion valve, actuating a refrigerant management valve, or both. Refrigerant charge can be controlled or adjusted by controlling how much liquid refrigerant is driven from the heat exchanger, by letting refrigerant back into the heat exchanger, or both. Heat pumps can be operated in different modes of operation, and segments of refrigerant conduit can be interconnected with various components.

Inventors:
;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1136400
Patent Number(s):
8,756,943
Application Number:
13/548,091
Assignee:
Nordyne LLC (O'Fallon, MO)
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING

Citation Formats

Chen, Jie, and Hampton, Justin W. Refrigerant charge management in a heat pump water heater. United States: N. p., 2014. Web.
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Chen, Jie, & Hampton, Justin W. Refrigerant charge management in a heat pump water heater. United States.
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Chen, Jie, and Hampton, Justin W. Tue . "Refrigerant charge management in a heat pump water heater". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1136400.
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@article{osti_1136400,
title = {Refrigerant charge management in a heat pump water heater},
author = {Chen, Jie and Hampton, Justin W.},
abstractNote = {Heat pumps that heat or cool a space and that also heat water, refrigerant management systems for such heat pumps, methods of managing refrigerant charge, and methods for heating and cooling a space and heating water. Various embodiments deliver refrigerant gas to a heat exchanger that is not needed for transferring heat, drive liquid refrigerant out of that heat exchanger, isolate that heat exchanger against additional refrigerant flowing into it, and operate the heat pump while the heat exchanger is isolated. The heat exchanger can be isolated by closing an electronic expansion valve, actuating a refrigerant management valve, or both. Refrigerant charge can be controlled or adjusted by controlling how much liquid refrigerant is driven from the heat exchanger, by letting refrigerant back into the heat exchanger, or both. Heat pumps can be operated in different modes of operation, and segments of refrigerant conduit can be interconnected with various components.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2014},
month = {6}
}
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Works referenced in this record:

Freezer apparatus
patent-application, January 2007

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