SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING A PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE WITH A SECONDARY COOLANT REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A secondary coolant refrigeration system powered primarily by a photovoltaic source and by an alternating current (AC) source as a backup, the secondary coolant refrigeration system having a pump for pumping secondary coolant fluid through a secondary coolant fluid loop, the system comprising:
- a variable frequency drive for controlling the speed of the pump, the variable frequency drive comprising;
drive circuitry configured to provide variable frequency power to the pump via an output interface;
a first interface configured to receive power from the photovoltaic source;
a second interface configured to receive power from the AC source; and
a circuit configured to switch between providing power to the drive circuitry from the first interface and providing power to the drive circuitry from the second interface, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the variable speed drive to be powered by the photovoltaic source when the power received from the first interface is adequate and by the AC source when the power received from the first interface is not adequate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A secondary coolant refrigeration system powered primarily by a photovoltaic source and by an alternating current (AC) source as a backup is disclosed. The secondary coolant refrigeration system has a pump for pumping secondary coolant fluid through a secondary coolant fluid loop. The system includes a variable frequency drive for controlling the speed of the pump. The variable frequency drive includes drive circuitry configured to provide variable frequency power to the pump via an output interface. The variable frequency drive also includes a first interface configured to receive power from the photovoltaic source and a second interface configured to receive power from the AC source. The variable frequency drive further includes a circuit configured to switch between providing power to the drive circuitry from the first interface and providing power to the drive circuitry from the second interface. The circuit is further configured to cause the variable speed drive to be powered by the photovoltaic source when the power received from the first interface is adequate and by the AC source when the power received from the first interface is not adequate.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A secondary coolant refrigeration system powered primarily by a photovoltaic source and by an alternating current (AC) source as a backup, the secondary coolant refrigeration system having a pump for pumping secondary coolant fluid through a secondary coolant fluid loop, the system comprising:
a variable frequency drive for controlling the speed of the pump, the variable frequency drive comprising; drive circuitry configured to provide variable frequency power to the pump via an output interface; a first interface configured to receive power from the photovoltaic source; a second interface configured to receive power from the AC source; and a circuit configured to switch between providing power to the drive circuitry from the first interface and providing power to the drive circuitry from the second interface, wherein the circuit is further configured to cause the variable speed drive to be powered by the photovoltaic source when the power received from the first interface is adequate and by the AC source when the power received from the first interface is not adequate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for controlling a pump used in a secondary coolant refrigeration system, the speed of the pump controlled using a variable frequency drive configured to selectively receive power from an AC source and a photovoltaic source, the method comprising:
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using the variable frequency drive to determine whether power received from the photovoltaic source is adequate for driving the pump; configuring the variable frequency drive to use the power received from the photovoltaic source when the power is adequate for driving the pump; and using the variable frequency drive to switch from using the power received from the photovoltaic source to power received from the AC source when the power received from the photovoltaic source is inadequate for driving the pump. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for cooling a plurality of refrigeration loads, the system comprising:
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a plurality of secondary coolant fluid loops configured to cool the plurality of refrigeration loads; a plurality of coolant pumps, each coolant pump associated with at least one secondary coolant fluid loop; a plurality of variable frequency drives, each variable frequency drive configured to control and drive one of the plurality of coolant pumps; and at least one photovoltaic power source; wherein the plurality of variable frequency drives are configured to receive power from the photovoltaic power source and to use the power from the photovoltaic power source to drive the coolant pumps when the power from the photovoltaic power source meets a threshold requirement, and wherein each variable frequency drive is also configured to receive power from a second power source and to use the power received from the second power source when the power from the photovoltaic power source does not meet the threshold requirement. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification