Hybrid cooling system having a Freon heat exchanger

• US 10,455,746 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Power Design, Inc
• Original Assignee: Electronic Power Design, Inc
• Inventors: Baker, Brent, Sutherland, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Duke, Emmanuel E
• Application Number:
  US15/411,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20180160571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,004 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/327 against abnormal temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/32 comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/42 Cooling means cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell H01L31/052
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20945 Thermal management, e.g. inverter temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A hybrid cooling system is disclosed including but not limited to an array of solar cells electrically connected to inverters for producing electricity from the sun; a chiller controller processor in data communication with the inverters and a non-transitory computer readable medium; a chiller in data communication with the chiller controller processor and in thermal communication with inverters in a sealed enclosure, wherein the inverters are cooled by an inverter coolant fluid; an array of solar cells attached to the inverters for producing power from the sun; a free cooler in data communication with the chiller controller processor and in thermal communication with the inverter cooling fluid; a Freon loop positioned a water pipe carrying the inverter cooling fluid from the invert to the chiller; and a temperature sensor apparatus in thermal communication with the inverter cooling fluid; a switch for controlling an on off state for the chiller and the cooler, where in the processor for turns the chiller on and the cooler off when the inverter cooling fluid is above a predetermined temperature. A method is disclosed for using the system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a drive inside of a drive housing;

a water to air heat exchanger the proved water to the drive;

a chiller heater that receives the water from the water to air heat exchanger through a first conduit;

a second section of conduit that routes the water from the chiller heater to the drive;

a third section of conduit that routes the water from the drive to the water heat exchanger; and

a freon loop that sends hot freon gases from a compressor in the chiller heater through the water from the drive wherein the heat from the freon loop heats the water from the drive.

2. A method comprising:

circulating water though a drive inside of a drive housing;

providing water to the drive from a water to air heat exchanger;

receiving the water at a chiller heater from the water to air heat exchanger through a first conduit;

routing the water from the chiller heater to the drive through a second section of conduit that routes;

routing the water from the drive to the water heat exchanger through a third section of conduit; and

sending hot freon gases from a compressor in the chiller heater though a freon loop that runs through the water from the drive wherein the heat from the freon loop heats the water from the drive.