Heat pump apparatus and related methods providing enhanced refrigerant flow control
First Claim
1. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
- a condenser, an evaporator, and a compressor for circulating refrigerant through said condenser and said evaporator;
expansion means connected in fluid communication between an outlet of said condenser and an inlet of said evaporator for restricting liquid refrigerant flow from said condenser to said evaporator; and
start assist valve means movable between open and closed positions for permitting liquid refrigerant to flow from the outlet of said condenser to the inlet of said evaporator during start-up of the heat pump apparatus to thereby provide a bypass for liquid refrigerant flow around said expansion means during start-up of the heat pump apparatus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A heat pump apparatus includes a start assist valve for permitting refrigerant to flow from an outlet of a condenser to an inlet of an evaporator during start-up of the heat pump apparatus. The heat pump apparatus preferably includes an expansion orifice connected in fluid communication between the outlet of the condenser and the inlet of the evaporator. The start assist valve provides a bypass for refrigerant flow around the expansion orifice during start-up of the heat pump apparatus. The apparatus also preferably includes a series of check valves cooperating with the start assist valve so that the start assist valve is operable only when the heat pump apparatus is in the cooling mode. The invention is particularly applicable to a direct expansion heat pump apparatus where one or more earth tap heat exchangers serve as the condenser when operating in the cooling mode. The apparatus preferably further includes a vapor refrigerant bleed connected in fluid communication with an expansion valve for bleeding vapor therefrom. The vapor bleeding causes the expansion valve to pass a greater amount of liquid refrigerant to thereby reduce liquid refrigerant in the condenser. Method aspects of the invention are also disclosed.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
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a condenser, an evaporator, and a compressor for circulating refrigerant through said condenser and said evaporator; expansion means connected in fluid communication between an outlet of said condenser and an inlet of said evaporator for restricting liquid refrigerant flow from said condenser to said evaporator; and start assist valve means movable between open and closed positions for permitting liquid refrigerant to flow from the outlet of said condenser to the inlet of said evaporator during start-up of the heat pump apparatus to thereby provide a bypass for liquid refrigerant flow around said expansion means during start-up of the heat pump apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
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a condenser, an evaporator, and a compressor for circulating refrigerant through said condenser and said evaporator, said condenser comprising an earth tap heat exchanger positioned in soil or water; expansion means connected in fluid communication between an outlet of said earth tap heat exchanger and an inlet of said evaporator for restricting refrigerant flow from said earth tap heat exchanger to said evaporator; start assist valve means movable between open and closed positions for permitting refrigerant to flow from the outlet of said earth tap heat exchanger to the inlet of said evaporator during start-up of the heat pump apparatus to thereby provide a bypass for refrigerant flow around said expansion means during start-up of the heat pump apparatus; reversing valve means for permitting selective operation of the heat pump apparatus in one of a cooling mode and a heating mode; and check valve means, cooperating with said start assist valve means, for enabling said start assist valve means to pass refrigerant only when said heat pump apparatus is in the cooling mode. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
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a condenser, an evaporator, and a compressor for circulating refrigerant through said condenser and said evaporator, said condenser comprising an earth tap heat exchanger positioned in soil or water; liquid refrigerant flow control means, connected in fluid communication between an outlet of said earth tap heat exchanger and an inlet of said evaporator, for controlling a flow of liquid refrigerant from said earth tap heat exchanger to said evaporator responsive to a proportion of vapor refrigerant received thereat; vapor refrigerant bleed means connected in fluid communication with said liquid refrigerant flow control means for bleeding vapor therefrom for causing said liquid refrigerant flow control means to pass a greater amount of liquid refrigerant to said evaporator to thereby reduce liquid refrigerant in said earth tap heat exchanger; and start assist valve means movable between open and closed positions for permitting refrigerant to flow from the outlet of said earth tap heat exchanger to the inlet of said evaporator during start-up of the heat pump apparatus to thereby provide a bypass for refrigerant flow around said liquid flow control means during start-up of the heat pump apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
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a condenser comprising an earth tap heat exchanger positioned in soil or water, an evaporator, and a compressor for circulating refrigerant through said condenser and said evaporator; liquid refrigerant flow control means, connected in fluid communication between an outlet of said condenser and an inlet of said evaporator, for controlling a flow of liquid refrigerant from said condenser to said evaporator responsive to a proportion of vapor refrigerant received thereat; and vapor refrigerant bleed means connected in fluid communication between said refrigerant flow control means and said evaporator for bleeding vapor from said liquid refrigerant flow control means independent of liquid refrigerant flow through said liquid refrigerant flow control means for causing said liquid refrigerant flow control means to pass a greater amount of liquid refrigerant to said evaporator to thereby reduce liquid refrigerant in said condenser. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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37. A method for operating a heat pump apparatus comprising a condenser, an evaporator, and a compressor for circulating refrigerant through the condenser and the evaporator;
- the method comprising the steps of;
passing a flow of liquid refrigerant from the condenser to the evaporator through an expansion orifice; and bypassing the expansion orifice during start-up of the heat pump apparatus by permitting liquid refrigerant to flow from the outlet of the condenser to the inlet of the evaporator during start-up of the heat pump apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
- the method comprising the steps of;
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43. A method for operating a heat pump apparatus comprising a condenser having an earth tap heat exchanger positioned in soil or water, an evaporator, and a compressor for circulating refrigerant through the condenser and the evaporator;
- the method comprising the steps of;
passing refrigerant from the condenser to the evaporator through an expansion valve, the expansion valve being of a type for passing liquid refrigerant from the condenser to the evaporator responsive to a proportion of vapor refrigerant received thereat; and bleeding vapor refrigerant from the expansion valve to the evaporator and independent of liquid refrigerant flow through the expansion valve for causing the expansion valve to pass a greater amount of liquid refrigerant tot he evaporator to thereby reduce liquid refrigerant in the condenser. - View Dependent Claims (44)
- the method comprising the steps of;
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45. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
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a condenser, an evaporator, and a compressor for circulating refrigerant through said condenser and said evaporator; liquid refrigerant flow control means, connected in fluid communication between an outlet of said condenser and an inlet of said evaporator, for controlling a flow of liquid refrigerant from said condenser to said evaporator responsive to a proportion of vapor refrigerant received thereat; vapor refrigerant bleed means connected in fluid communication between said refrigerant flow control means and said evaporator for bleeding vapor from said liquid refrigerant flow control means independent of liquid refrigerant flow through said liquid refrigerant flow control means for causing said liquid refrigerant flow control means to pass a greater amount of liquid refrigerant to said evaporator to thereby reduce liquid refrigerant in said condenser; reversing valve means for permitting selective operation of the heat pump apparatus in one of a cooling mode and a heating mode; and check valve means cooperating with said vapor refrigerant bleed means, for enabling said vapor refrigerant bleed means only when said heat pump apparatus is in the cooling mode. - View Dependent Claims (46)
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Specification