US20140338377A1 - Heat pump unit and method for cooling and/or heating by means of said heat pump unit - Google Patents

Heat pump unit and method for cooling and/or heating by means of said heat pump unit Download PDF

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US20140338377A1
US20140338377A1 US14/364,519 US201214364519A US2014338377A1 US 20140338377 A1 US20140338377 A1 US 20140338377A1 US 201214364519 A US201214364519 A US 201214364519A US 2014338377 A1 US2014338377 A1 US 2014338377A1
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heat pump
heat
operating fluid
pump unit
pump cycle
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Gianfranco Pellegrini
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
    • F24D11/00—Central heating systems using heat accumulated in storage masses
    • F24D11/02—Central heating systems using heat accumulated in storage masses using heat pumps
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B29/00—Combined heating and refrigeration systems, e.g. operating alternately or simultaneously
    • F25B29/006—Combined heating and refrigeration systems, e.g. operating alternately or simultaneously of the sorption type system
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
    • F24D17/00—Domestic hot-water supply systems
    • F24D17/02—Domestic hot-water supply systems using heat pumps
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B30/00—Heat pumps
    • F25B30/04—Heat pumps of the sorption type
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
    • F24D2200/00—Heat sources or energy sources
    • F24D2200/12—Heat pump

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the heat pump sector.
  • the invention relates to a heat pump adapted to be used for cooling and/or heating spaces and for producing sanitary hot water with high performance in terms of energy efficiency and flexibility of use.
  • the invention further relates to a method for cooling and/or heating which may be implemented by means of said heat pump.
  • Heat pumps are an increasingly more popular solution for satisfying the cooling/heating needs of spaces and/or fluids.
  • the reasons of such a success are mainly related to their high energy efficiency, to the possibility of using a single device for both cooling and heating (known as “reversible” heat pumps), to the flexibility in managing thermal users with different needs, and to the possibility, when used for heating, of drastically reducing the use of fossil fuel and consequently the emission of greenhouse gases which are harmful for the environment.
  • a known solution for improving energy efficiency consists in performing an undercooling of the operating fluid after its condensation and exploiting the undercooling heat power thus obtained for preheating the heat carrier fluid coming from a heat sink before sending it to the evaporator to determine the evaporation of the operating fluid.
  • Documents DE 3311505 A1 and WO 2011/045752 A1 describe the use of the aforesaid solution, in particular, in irreversible type two-stage heat pumps intended for heating.
  • An additional heat exchanger connected downstream of the condenser and upstream of the expansion means in the circuit of each stage is present in the two-stage heat pumps described in such documents.
  • the additional heat exchangers are further connected to a heat carrier fluid delivery line of a heat sink, upstream of the evaporator of the lower temperature stage. It is thus possible to preheat the heat carrier fluid coming from the heat sink before sending it to the lower temperature heat pump cycle evaporator by means of the heat power deriving from the undercooling of the operating fluids which perform the higher and lower temperature heat pump cycles.
  • High COP can be obtained with this solution, in particular either equal to or higher than 3, also in two-stage heat pumps.
  • the technical problem underlying the present invention is improving the energy efficiency of heat pumps for cooling, which may be either irreversible heat pumps intended for cooling only or reversible heat pumps capable of either cooling or heating.
  • a heat pump which can guarantee high EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) values, in particular equal to or higher than 3, in a wide range of operating conditions, also in presence of thermal users with different needs in terms of refrigerating/heat power and/or required working temperatures.
  • EER Expogy Efficiency Ratio
  • the applicants thus realized the possibility of exploiting an undercooling after the condensation of the operating fluid in a heat pump cycle in order to obtain an improvement of the energy efficiency also in case of either irreversible or reversible heat pumps for cooling.
  • a first aspect of the invention thus relates to a heat pump unit comprising at least one circuit adapted to perform a heat pump cycle with a respective operating fluid, said at least one circuit comprising:
  • the heat power subtracted from the operating fluid during its undercooling may be transferred to a second thermal user installation, and thus, in essence, disposed outside the heat pump unit without influencing the conditions of the heat carrier fluid in the external circuit which is connected to the evaporator of the heat pump unit, in particular in this case, the external circuit of a thermal cooling installation.
  • the undercooling of the operating fluid of the heat pump cycle results, in this case, into an increase of the evaporation enthalpy of the operating fluid in the heat pump cycle, i.e. of the performance in the case of an irreversible heat pump intended for cooling or of a reversible heat pump operating in cooling mode.
  • the EER of the heat pump unit increases as a whole.
  • the heat power deriving from an undercooling of the operating fluid is treated in the heat pumps of the invention in manner entirely different from that which occurs in the heat pump units of the aforesaid prior art, in which the increase of the performance is obtained by recovering the undercooling heat power of the heat pump unit and exploiting it for preheating the heat carrier fluid in a lower temperature heat sink, before sending it to the evaporator.
  • the heat pump unit of the invention is capable of providing an additional performance, again without any increase of electric compression power, with a further benefit of increasing the overall energy efficiency of the heat pump unit.
  • the technical features of the heat pump unit of the invention by means of which the aforesaid advantageous results can be obtained are compatible and easily integrated with the other technical solutions aimed at exploiting the undercooling thermal power of the operating fluid, in particular for the purpose of increasing energy efficiency also in a heating operating mode, when required, to the benefit for flexibility of use of the heat pump of the invention.
  • the presence of the aforesaid switching means allows to obtain a reversible heat pump capable of cooling and heating.
  • the choice of inverting the cycle by exchanging the external circuits of the thermal user(s) and of the heat sink with each other releases the switching of the two operating modes of the configuration specification of the heat pump unit.
  • the heat pump unit circuit comprises a first sub-circuit adapted to perform a higher temperature heat pump cycle with a respective operating fluid and a second sub-circuit adapted to perform a lower temperature heat pump cycle with a respective operating fluid, wherein said first and second sub-circuits are in cascading heat exchange relationship with each other so as to perform globally a two-stage heat pump cycle, and wherein said condenser is connected in said first sub-circuit and said evaporator and said first heat exchanger are connected in said second sub-circuit.
  • Such a configuration allows to make a two-stage heat pump cycle, which is particularly advantageous when the heat pump unit of the invention must be used for cooling in very hot or torrid climates.
  • Condensation temperatures about 80° C. allow an easy disposal of the heat power released at the condenser of the higher temperature heat pump cycle also in case of external ambient temperatures of 50-60° C., typical of torrid climates, without needing to use cooling towers or similar heat disposal systems.
  • the first sub-circuit comprises a second heat exchanger adapted to perform an undercooling of the operating fluid at the higher pressure of said higher temperature heat pump cycle after the condensation of the same and selectively connectable to the external circuit of said second thermal user installation to transfer heat power released during said undercooling by the operating fluid of said higher temperature heat pump cycle thereto.
  • a second heat exchanger adapted to perform an undercooling of the operating fluid at the higher pressure of said higher temperature heat pump cycle after the condensation of the same and selectively connectable to the external circuit of said second thermal user installation to transfer heat power released during said undercooling by the operating fluid of said higher temperature heat pump cycle thereto.
  • the further increase of the evaporation enthalpy in the second sub-circuit occurs without a further increase of a corresponding electric power expended for compressing the operating fluids in the higher and lower temperature heat pump cycles.
  • the mass flow increase in the second sub-circuit implies a proportional increase of the electric power expended for compressing the operating fluid in the lower temperature heat pump, but no increase of the electric power expended for compressing the operating fluid in the higher temperature heat pump cycle. A considerable increase of the total EER of the heat pump is globally obtained.
  • At least either said first heat exchanger or said second heat exchanger is further selectively connectable to the external circuit of said first heat sink so as to perform a preheating of a heat carrier fluid coming from said heat sink by means of heat power released by the operating fluid of at least either said lower temperature heat pump cycle or said higher temperature heat pump cycle during the respective undercooling.
  • both the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are selectively connectable to the external circuit of the heat sink.
  • the selective connection is such that heat exchangers may perform the respective preheating in reciprocally independent manner.
  • the heat power recovery deriving from the undercooling of the operating fluid of the lower and/or higher temperature heat pump cycle for preheating the heat carrier fluid of the heat sink allows to increase the COP of the heat pump unit of the invention when heating.
  • the operating fluid of said heat pump cycle i.e. the operating fluids of said higher temperature heat pump cycle and of said lower temperature heat pump cycle, respectively, are selected from the group consisting of: (E)-2-butene, (Z)-2-butene, 1-butylene, dimethyl ketone, methylacetylene, methyl alcohol, methylpentane, methylpropene, n-hexane, R1270, R290, R600, R600a, R601, R601a, RE-170, tetramethylmethane or RC-270.
  • the aforesaid refrigerant fluids are characterized by H-p (specific enthalpy—pressure) diagram limit curves strongly inclined towards increasing enthalpies, with inclination increasing with pressure. This advantageously allows to perform also very extreme undercooling, which, as explained above, allows to enhance all the beneficial effects on total EER or COP of the heat pump unit obtainable by means of the embodiments described above.
  • the invention in a second aspect thereof, relates to a system for cooling/heating spaces and/or for the production of sanitary hot water comprising a heat pump unit having the features described above.
  • a third aspect of the invention relates to a method for cooling and/or heating by means of a heat pump unit adapted to perform at least one heat pump cycle with a respective operating fluid, said method comprising, in a cooling operating mode of said heat pump unit, the following steps:
  • the enthalpy that the operating fluid can achieve in the step of evaporating can be increased, with a corresponding heat power increase, which can be subtracted from the first thermal user installation without any corresponding increase of electric power during the step of compressing.
  • the method of the invention thus allows to increase the performance of an irreversible heat pump unit intended for cooling or of a reversible heat pump unit for cooling.
  • An overall improvement of EER of the heat pump unit results as such an effect is obtained without any additional electric power expenditure to implement the step of compressing of the operating fluid.
  • FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram of a first embodiment of the heat pump unit of the invention
  • FIG. 1A diagrammatically shows the heat pump cycle performed in the heat pump unit of the invention in the embodiment in FIG. 1 in an H-p diagram;
  • FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of a second embodiment of the heat pump unit of the invention
  • FIG. 2A diagrammatically shows the heat pump cycles performed in the heat pump unit of the invention in the embodiment in FIG. 2 in an H-p diagram;
  • FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show circuit diagrams of two operating configurations of a third preferred embodiment of the heat pump of the invention
  • FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show circuit diagrams of two operating configurations of a fourth preferred embodiment of the heat pump of the invention.
  • FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show circuit diagrams of two operating configurations of a fifth preferred embodiment of the heat pump of the invention.
  • FIG. 6 shows a circuit diagram of a sixth embodiment of the heat pump unit of the invention.
  • a heat pump unit in accordance with the invention is indicated by reference numeral 1 as a whole.
  • the heat pump unit 1 is shown as part of a system 100 for cooling/heating spaces and/or for producing sanitary hot water comprising an external circuit of a first thermal user installation 10 , an external circuit of a heat sink 20 and an external circuit of a second thermal user installation 12 , which are shown only diagrammatically.
  • the first thermal user installation 10 may be a system for cooling spaces and the second thermal user installation 12 may be a system for producing of medium/low temperature sanitary hot water.
  • the first thermal user installation 10 may be a first system for heating spaces, e.g. a high temperature heating system
  • the second thermal user installation 12 may be a system for producing medium/low temperature or even a second heating system, e.g. a low temperature heating system.
  • the heat sink 20 may be replaced by a further thermal user installation capable of using the heat or refrigerating power otherwise disposed of by such a heat sink.
  • FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the heat pump unit 1 , in particular in a cooling configuration, comprising a circuit 2 for performing a heat pump cycle HPCM with a respective operating fluid.
  • the circuit 2 comprises: an evaporator S 8 adapted to perform the evaporation of the operating fluid at a lower pressure of said heat pump cycle HPCM and intended to be connected, by means of a line FL 2 , to an external circuit of a first thermal user installation 10 in a cooling operating mode of the heat pump unit 1 ; a condenser S 4 adapted to perform the condensation of the operating fluid at a higher pressure of the heat pump cycle HPCM and intended to be connected, by means of a line FL 1 , to an external circuit of a first heat sink 20 in a cooling operating mode of said heat pump unit 1 ; a compressor C 1 adapted to take the evaporated operating fluid to the pressure lower than the higher pressure of the heat pump cycle HPCM and expansion means L 1 —e.g.
  • the circuit 2 further comprises a heat exchanger S 6 , connected downstream of the condenser S 4 and upstream of the expansion means L 1 , adapted to perform an undercooling of the operating fluid at the higher pressure of the heat pump cycle after condensation of the same in the condenser S 4 .
  • downstream and upstream refer to the directions of circulation of the fluid indicated in the figures by means of arrows and determined, in general, either by the compressors, in the case of heat pump cycle circuits, or by the circulation pumps, in the case of external thermal user installation and heat sink circuits, respectively.
  • the heat exchanger S 6 is additionally selectively connectable to the external circuit of the second thermal user installation 12 to transfer the heat power released by the operating fluid during said undercooling thereto.
  • valve V 9 preferably a modulating solenoid valve, arranged in a line FL 3 for connecting to the external circuit of the second user system 12 .
  • the heat power subtracted from the operating fluid during the undercooling thereof may thus be disposed of outside the heat pump unit 1 without influencing the operating conditions of the first thermal user installation 10 , thus obtaining a considerable increase of energy efficiency of the heat pump 1 , in particular of its EER.
  • such an increase is due to an increase of the refrigerating performance, determined by an increase of the evaporation enthalpy that the operating fluid may achieve at the evaporator S 8 , obtainable with an increase of electric compression power and/or collateral effects which contrast such a performance.
  • FIG. 1A diagrammatically shows in an H-p (specific enthalpy-pressure) diagram how a heat pump cycle of a conventional heat pump (solid line), free from the heat exchanger S 6 with the aforesaid features, is modified (dashed line) in the case of the heat pump unit 1 of the invention.
  • H-p specific enthalpy-pressure
  • the operating fluid undergoes, after the condensation C-D at the condenser S 4 , an undercooling D-E, performed in the heat exchanger S 6 .
  • Such an undercooling positively impacts the steps of evaporating F-B performed in the evaporator S 8 .
  • the evaporation enthalpy increases with respect to the conventional cycle by an amount (h A -h F ), corresponding to the enthalpy performed during the undercooling D-E.
  • a cooling and/or heating method can be implemented, which in a cooling operating mode of the heat pump unit 1 comprises the steps described below.
  • the operating fluid is evaporated at a lower pressure of the heat pump cycle HPCM, putting it into heat exchange relationship with the first thermal user installation 10 , in particular a cooling system from which heat power is thus subtracted.
  • the operating fluid is condensed at a higher pressure of the heat pump cycle HPCM placing it in heat exchange relationship with the heat sink 20 , to which the thermal condensation power is surrendered.
  • the operating fluid is subjected to an undercooling, preferably isobar.
  • FIG. 2 shows a second preferred embodiment of the heat pump unit 1 , which differs from that of FIG. 1 for the type of circuit 2 .
  • a circuit comprises a second sub-circuit 2 a adapted to perform a higher temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_HT with a respective operating fluid and a second sub-circuit 2 b adapted to perform a lower temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_LT with a respective operating fluid.
  • the first and second sub-circuit 2 a , 2 b are connected to each other in cascading heat exchange relationship so as to perform a two-stage heat exchange cycle HPCM as a whole.
  • the first sub-circuit 2 a comprises the condenser S 4 described above with reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , expansion means L 2 , a compressor C 2 and an evaporator.
  • the second sub-circuit 2 b comprises the evaporator S 8 , the heat exchanger S 6 , the compressor C 1 and the evaporation means L 1 described above with reference to the embodiment FIG. 1 , and a condenser in heat exchange relationship with the first sub-circuit 2 a.
  • the condenser of the second sub-circuit 2 b and the evaporator of the first sub-circuit 2 a are preferably integrated in a single heat exchange device S 7 , for the purpose of greater constructive compactness and a better heat exchange efficiency.
  • Embodiments in which such components are separated and placed in heat exchange relationship by means of an intermediate circuit for the circulation of an appropriate heat carrier fluid are not excluded in any case.
  • a two-stage configuration of the heat pump unit 1 is particularly advantageous in the case of use for cooling in very hot or torrid climates regions. Indeed, the heat condensation temperatures obtainable in this case at the condenser S 4 allow in all cases an easy disposal of the condensation heat power in the outside environment, without needing to increase the evaporation temperature in the evaporator S 8 and thus limiting the cooling performance.
  • the heat exchanger S 5 is adapted to perform an undercooling of the operating fluid of the higher temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_HT after condensation of the same and is connectable in selectable manner to the external circuit of the second thermal user installation 12 to transfer thereto the heat power released by the operating fluid during said undercooling.
  • the selective connection of the heat exchanger S 5 to the external circuit of the second thermal user installation 12 is performed by means of a valve V 12 , preferably a modulating solenoid valve.
  • the undercooling of the operating fluid in the first sub-circuit 2 a by means of the heat exchanger S 5 advantageously contributes to a further increase of the enthalpy which can be implemented at the evaporator S 8 and thus to improving the EER of the heat pump unit 1 .
  • FIG. 2A diagrammatically shows in an H-p (specific enthalpy-pressure) diagram how a two-stage heat pump cycle of a conventional heat pump (solid line), free from the heat exchangers S 6 and S 5 with the aforesaid features, is modified (dashed line) in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 by the heat pump unit 1 of the invention.
  • H-p specific enthalpy-pressure
  • the undercooling operations D′-E′ and E-H performed in the higher temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_HT by the heat exchanger S 5 and in the lower temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_LT by the heat exchanger S 6 , determine an increase of the evaporation enthalpy performed at the evaporator S 8 (G-B transformation) equal as a total to (h A -h G )>(h A -h F ), where (h A -h F ) is the increase of the evaporation enthalpy which would be obtained by performing an undercooling only of the higher temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_HT.
  • such heat exchangers are preferably arranged so as to transfer the respective undercooling heat powers to the second thermal user installation 12 independently from each other, i.e. by operating in parallel on two different heat carrier fluid flows of the second thermal user installation 12 .
  • compressors C 1 and C 2 are variable flow rate compressors, e.g. capacity step compressors or with inverter. This guarantees a better adaptability of the heat pump unit 1 to possible heat exchange imbalances between the higher temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_HT and the lower temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_LT which may occur as a result of the undercooling operations. Such a greater adaptability has a positive influence on the total energy efficiency of the heat pump unit 1 , all other conditions being equal.
  • FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show a third preferred embodiment of the heat pump unit 1 adapted for either cooling or heating, i.e. of the reversible type.
  • switching means are provided in this embodiment adapted to allow to exchange the external circuit connections of the first thermal user installation 10 and of the heat sink 20 with the evaporator S 8 and the condenser S 4 , respectively.
  • switching means comprise two four-way valves V 1 and V 2 , preferably solenoid valves, appropriately arranged in the lines for connecting the aforesaid external circuits to the evaporator S 8 and the condenser S 4 .
  • the external circuit of the first thermal user installation 10 is connected to the evaporator S 8 , while the external circuit of the heat sink 20 is connected to the condenser S 4 , in manner similar to the previously described embodiments.
  • the external circuit of the first thermal user installation 10 is connected to the condenser S 4 , so as to provide the required heat power to such an installation, while the external circuit of the heat sink 20 is connected to the evaporator S 8 .
  • the heat exchanger S 6 and/or the heat exchanger S 5 are additionally selectively connectable to the external circuit of the heat sink 20 so as to perform, in the heating operating mode of the heat pump unit 1 , a preheating of the heat carrier fluid coming from said heat sink 20 by means of the heat power released by the operating fluid of the lower temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_LT and/or of the higher temperature heat pump cycle HPCM_HT during the respective undercooling operations.
  • switching means are provided, in particular a three-way valve V 8 , preferably a solenoid valve, adapted to connect the aforesaid heat exchangers alternatively either to line FL 3 or to line FL 2 .
  • both heat exchangers S 6 and S 5 are selectively connectable to the external circuit of the heat sink 20 , the connections are arranged so that the heat exchangers may preheat the heat carrier fluid of the heat sink 20 independently from each other, i.e. working in parallel on two different flows of a heat carrier fluid of the heat sink 20 .
  • the heat exchanger S 5 is connected to a first branch FL 2 ′ of the line FL 2 for connecting to the external circuit of the heat sink 20 .
  • a valve V 7 preferably a modulating solenoid valve, is present in the first branch FL 2 ′.
  • a heat exchanger S 6 is instead connected to a second branch FL 2 ′′, in parallel with the first branch FL 2 ′, of the line FL 2 .
  • a valve V 6 preferably a modulating solenoid valve, is present in the second branch FL 2 ′′.
  • line FL 2 also comprises, in this case, a first manifold M 1 connected upstream of the heat exchanger S 6 and S 5 and a second manifold M 2 connected upstream of the evaporator S 8 and downstream of the valves V 6 and V 7 .
  • Manifolds M 1 and M 2 are preferably connected by means of a bypass line BPL for bypassing the branches FL 2 ′ and FL 2 ′′, provided with a valve V 5 , also preferably a modulating solenoid valve.
  • a modulation or closing of the valve V 6 and/or of the valve V 7 is compensated by means of a corresponding modulation or opening of the valve V 5 , in order to maintain a constant flow of the heat carrier fluid of the heat sink 20 in the evaporator S 8 .
  • valves V 9 and V 12 are either completely or partially open.
  • An adjustment of the degree of opening of the valves V 9 and V 12 allows to adjust the heat power transferred to the heat carrier fluid of the second thermal user installation 12 , and consequently the entity of the undercooling carried out in the heat exchangers S 6 and S 5 .
  • valves V 6 and V 7 are either completely or partially open.
  • An adjustment of the degree of opening of the valves V 6 and V 7 allows to adjust the heat power transferred to the heat carrier fluid 20 before it reaches the evaporator S 8 , and consequently the entity of the undercooling carried out in the heat exchangers S 6 and S 5 .
  • FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show a fourth preferred embodiment of the heat pump unit 1 which differs from that of FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B in that it can also serve in dedicated manner both in a cooling configuration ( FIG. 4A ) and a heating configuration ( FIG. 4B ), a further thermal user installation 13 for the production of sanitary hot water, in addition to the thermal user installations 10 and 12 .
  • This embodiment allows in particular to serve a thermal user installation for the production of hot temperature sanitary hot water.
  • the production of high temperature hot water in particular higher than 60 ° C., is required in all cases in which the possible occurrence of Legionella must be prevented (hospitals, swimming pools and sports centers, military quarters etc.).
  • FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B includes, by way of example, that the heat exchange with the thermal user installation 13 occurs indirectly at a thermal accumulator (boiler) 13 a , but other solutions known to a person skilled in the art to connect the heat pump unit 1 to the external circuit of such a thermal user installation are also possible.
  • connections for an external circuit of the thermal user installation 13 and of the two three-way valves V 11 and V 3 are additionally provided in this case.
  • the three-way valve V 11 is provided so as to allow, in the cooling operating configuration ( FIG. 4A ), to connect line FL 1 to the external circuit of the thermal user installation 13 . In this manner, it is possible to exploit the heat power released by the condenser S 4 to produce high temperature sanitary hot water instead of dispersing such a power at the heat sink 20 .
  • the three-way valve V 3 is provided so as to allow, in the heating configuration ( FIG. 4B ), to connect line FL 1 alternatively to the external circuit of the thermal user installation 10 or to the external circuit of the thermal user installation 13 . In this manner, it is possible to use the heat power released at the condenser S 4 alternatively either for heating or for producing high temperature sanitary hot water.
  • FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show a fifth preferred embodiment of the heat pump unit 1 , which, with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B , allows to satisfy low temperature sanitary hot water needs by means of the thermal user installation 13 in addition to the aforesaid production of sanitary hot water.
  • the embodiment in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B differs from that of FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B in particular for the presence of a further three-way valve V 4 , preferably a solenoid valve.
  • the three-way valve V 4 is set so as to allow to selectively also connect the lines FL 2 ′ and FL 2 ′′, in which the heat exchangers S 5 and S 6 are connected, to the external circuit of the thermal user installation 13 for the production of sanitary hot water in order to create a closed circuit therewith. In this manner, it is possible to use the heat power released at the two heat exchangers S 5 and S 6 alternatively to produce sanitary hot water, and in cooling configuration ( FIG. 5A ) and in heating configuration ( FIG. 5B ), or for preheating the heat carrier fluid of the heat sink 20 , in the heating configuration.
  • Such means preferably comprise a three-way valve V 13 , preferably a solenoid valve, arranged between the external circuit of the thermal user installation 10 and the external circuit of the thermal user installation 13 .
  • the external three-way valve V 13 in combination with the aforesaid three-way valve V 11 of the heat pump unit 1 , allows to connect the line FL 1 to the external circuit of the thermal user installation 13 bypassing the external circuit of the thermal user installation 10 .
  • the three-way valve V 11 connects the line FL 1 to the external circuit of the thermal user installation 13 , while the external three-way valve V 13 allows to bypass the external circuit of the thermal user installation 10 .
  • This operation mode requires circuit FL 1 to be a closed circuit.
  • the heat pump unit 1 preferably also comprises a programmable control unit (not shown in the figures).
  • a control unit may be appropriately programmed for controlling the opening/closing, the modulation or diversion of the valves, as well as the switching on/off, the capacity degree or rpm of the compressors present in each embodiment of the heat pump unit 1 .
  • the operating fluids used in the heat pump cycles performed in the heat pump unit 1 may be reciprocally equal or different.
  • the first two features mentioned above are particularly relevant for embodiments or operating conditions in which extreme undercooling is used, while the third is particularly relevant for all other embodiments or operating conditions in which extreme overheating is used.
  • the following operating fluids have proven to be particularly advantageous to obtain the best performance of the heat pump unit 1 : (E)-2-butene, (Z)-2-butene, 1 -butylene, dimethyl ketone, methylacetylene, methyl alcohol, methylpentane, methylpropene, n-hexane, R1270, R290, R600, R600a, R601, R601a, RE-170, tetramethylmethane or RC-270.
  • these operating fluids have the advantage of being so-called “natural” refrigerants, i.e. not harmful for the environment in terms of negative effects on atmospheric ozone nor from the point of view of greenhouse effect.
  • the pump is preferably also provided with means for detecting and evacuating gas leaks.
  • FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the heat pump unit 1 comprising a system for detecting and evacuating gas leaks.
  • the configuration of the represented heat pump unit 1 corresponds to the second embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 2 .
  • the system for detecting and evacuating gas leaks comprises at least one gas detector 31 , positioned as close to the bottom of the heat pump unit 1 as possible and ventilation means 32 , activatable by the gas detector 31 and arranged so that their intake is also near the bottom of the heat pump unit 1 , while their delivery is connected to a gas evacuation pipe in communication with the outside environment.
  • a specific control device 34 adapted to receive signals from the gas detector 31 and to control the ventilation means 32 as a consequence may be provided.
  • the control device 34 may also control acoustic and/or light warning means 35 , if provided, and/or may be configured to send alarm signals to a possible external monitoring/supervising system (not shown).
  • control device 34 may also be carried out by the programmable control unit of the heat pump unit 1 .

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Heat-Pump Type And Storage Water Heaters (AREA)
  • Steam Or Hot-Water Central Heating Systems (AREA)
US14/364,519 2011-12-12 2012-12-12 Heat pump unit and method for cooling and/or heating by means of said heat pump unit Abandoned US20140338377A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT001134A ITTO20111134A1 (it) 2011-12-12 2011-12-12 Unita' a pompa di calore e procedimento per raffrescare e/o riscaldare tramite tale unita' a pompa di calore
ITTO2011A001134 2011-12-12
PCT/IB2012/057221 WO2013088358A1 (fr) 2011-12-12 2012-12-12 Unité de pompe à chaleur et procédé permettant de refroidir et/ou de chauffer au moyen de ladite unité de pompe à chaleur

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20140338377A1 true US20140338377A1 (en) 2014-11-20

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US14/364,519 Abandoned US20140338377A1 (en) 2011-12-12 2012-12-12 Heat pump unit and method for cooling and/or heating by means of said heat pump unit

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US20140338377A1 (fr)
EP (1) EP2791589B1 (fr)
IT (1) ITTO20111134A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2013088358A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102016213679A1 (de) * 2016-07-26 2018-02-01 Efficient Energy Gmbh Wärmepumpensystem mit eingangsseitig und ausgangsseitig gekoppelten Wärmepumpenanordnungen
US10830500B2 (en) 2016-07-26 2020-11-10 Efficient Energy Gmbh Heat pump system having CO2 as the first heat pump medium and water as the second heat pump medium

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3311505A1 (de) 1983-03-26 1984-09-27 Peter 2351 Hasenkrug Koch Waermepumpen-einrichtung
JPS61149759A (ja) * 1984-12-21 1986-07-08 Mitsubishi Electric Corp ヒ−トポンプ式給湯装置
FR2630816B1 (fr) * 1988-04-28 1991-01-11 Electrolux Cr Sa Centrale frigorifique alimentant des enceintes a au moins deux temperatures et procede de degivrage d'une telle centrale
US5727393A (en) * 1996-04-12 1998-03-17 Hussmann Corporation Multi-stage cooling system for commerical refrigeration
US5921092A (en) * 1998-03-16 1999-07-13 Hussmann Corporation Fluid defrost system and method for secondary refrigeration systems
US6094925A (en) * 1999-01-29 2000-08-01 Delaware Capital Formation, Inc. Crossover warm liquid defrost refrigeration system
IT1396440B1 (it) 2009-10-14 2012-11-23 Innovation Factory Scarl Dispositivo di riscaldamento a ciclo termodinamico irreversibile per impianti di riscaldamento ad alta temperatura di mandata.

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102016213679A1 (de) * 2016-07-26 2018-02-01 Efficient Energy Gmbh Wärmepumpensystem mit eingangsseitig und ausgangsseitig gekoppelten Wärmepumpenanordnungen
US10830500B2 (en) 2016-07-26 2020-11-10 Efficient Energy Gmbh Heat pump system having CO2 as the first heat pump medium and water as the second heat pump medium
US11137172B2 (en) 2016-07-26 2021-10-05 Efficient Energy Gmbh Heat pump system having heat pump assemblies coupled on the input side and output side
EP3491303B1 (fr) * 2016-07-26 2023-01-18 Efficient Energy GmbH Système de pompe à chaleur comprenant des ensembles pompe à chaleur couplés côté entrée et côté sortie

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EP2791589A1 (fr) 2014-10-22
WO2013088358A1 (fr) 2013-06-20
ITTO20111134A1 (it) 2013-06-13
EP2791589B1 (fr) 2019-11-20

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