Heating and cooling system using compressed fluid

• US 8,116,913 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Air Energy Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Air Energy Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Gall, Peter James, Mirpourian, Seyed Hadi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US12/426,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 700/278, 236/49.3, 236/46.R, 62/5
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0085 Systems using a compressed air circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/004 the refrigerant being air
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/04 using vortex effect
• CPC Class Codes: F28C 3/06 the heat-exchange media being a liquid and a gas or vapour temperators for cooling steam F22
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/0034 using liquid heat storage material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/14 Thermal energy storage

Abstract

Use of compressed air for indoor ambient temperature conditioning. Thermal energy is imparted to or extracted from compressed air, and the compressed air is released inside a structure enclosing a space. The compressed air may be used as a direct heat conduction/extraction medium. A flow of external air is created over a heat exchanger mass, so that thermal energy of the compressed air flowing inside the heat exchanger mass is transferred to the external flow of air flowing outside the heat exchanger mass. In addition to being a direct heat conduction/extraction medium, the compressed air is used as heat transfer medium, that ultimately gets mixed with the flow of external air. Fresh external air may be used. A local feedback loop may be used to route back a portion of temperature-conditioned air to regulate a flow of external air over a heat exchanger mass.

Claims

1. A system for controlling ambient air temperature of an enclosed living space, comprising:

an electronic controller configured to receive a signal indicative of a current temperature of the living space, wherein, based on the received signal, the electronic controller determines whether the living space needs to be heated or cooled to reach a desired temperature;

a source of compressed air;

a temperature-conditioning module, comprising thermal energy controlling means coupled to a heat exchanger mass, wherein the thermal energy controlling means is configured to actively control a thermal energy of the compressed air, as dictated by the electronic controller, and the heat exchanger mass is configured to adjust the temperature of the compressed air to a desired value;

a conduit for delivering the compressed air to the thermal energy controlling means;

a valve coupled to the conduit for regulating a flow of the compressed air, as dictated by the electronic controller; and

an outlet port at one end of the heat exchanger mass for releasing a flow of compressed air to be directed towards the living space.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:

an external flow entry duct for letting in and directing an external flow of air over the heat exchanger mass, wherein the external flow of air in the system is substantially larger than the compressed air flow; and

an outlet duct for directing temperature-conditioned air into the living space, wherein the temperature-conditioned air comprises a mixture of the external flow of air after flowing over the heat exchanger mass, and a flow of air released from the outlet port of the heat exchanger mass.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the system further comprises:

a feedback duct for channeling a portion of the flow of the temperature-conditioned air to an internal thermal feedback loop; and

a fan for adjusting the external flow of air over the heat exchanger mass based on a feedback received from the internal thermal feedback loop and based on a sensor monitoring a temperature of the heat exchanger mass, as dictated by the electronic controller.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the external flow of air comprises non-recirculated fresh air from outside the living space, or a flow of re-circulated air from inside the living space.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the source of compressed air takes in either non-recirculated fresh air from outside the living space, or re-circulated air from inside the living space as an input.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy controlling means comprises one or more heat tubes having a corresponding heater coupled therewith, wherein the one or more heat tubes are configured to sustain a pressure of the compressed air therein.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy controlling means comprises one of more vortex tubes.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy controlling means comprises one of more vortex tubes, and one or more heat tubes having a corresponding heater coupled therewith, wherein the one or more heat tubes are configured to sustain a pressure of the compressed air therein.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy controlling means comprises a plurality of stages, each stage being coupled to a corresponding heat exchanger mass or a shared heat exchanger mass.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of stages are connected in series, in parallel, in a star configuration, in a polygonal configuration, or as a ring.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the compressed air delivery conduit may comprise one or more branches, each branch delivering compressed fluid to a corresponding thermal energy controlling means.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger mass comprises a thermally conductive tubular member of a predetermined mass, arranged in a predetermined manner to enhance thermal energy exchange between the air flowing inside the tubular member and external flow of air flowing over the tubular member.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the source of compressed air comprises means for varying a degree of compression of air based on a signal received from the electronic controller.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the valve is configured to deliver a continuous flow, a pulsed flow, or an oscillating flow of the compressed air.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein a pressure sensor is coupled with the conduit and communicates with the electronic controller.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for selecting a particular temperature conditioning mode, wherein the temperature conditioning mode is selected from the following:

a heating only mode, a cooling only mode, a heating and cooling mode, and an external air flow only mode.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the compressed fluid drives a turbine that generates electricity.

17. A system for individually controlling ambient temperatures of a plurality of localized spaces, comprising:

a central electronic controller configured to receive a plurality of signals, each signal indicative of a current temperature of a corresponding localized space, wherein, based on a respective received signal, the central electronic controller determines whether the corresponding localized space needs to be heated or cooled to reach a desired local temperature;

a source of compressed air;

a plurality of local temperature-conditioning modules, each local temperature conditioning module comprising local thermal energy controlling means coupled to a local heat exchanger mass, wherein the local thermal energy controlling means is configured to actively control a thermal energy of the compressed air delivered locally, as dictated by the central electronic controller, and the local heat exchanger mass is configured to adjust the temperature of the compressed air to a desired local value;

a plurality of local conduits branching out from a main conduit for delivering a portion of compressed air to the corresponding local thermal energy controlling means, wherein each local conduit is fitted with a valve for regulating a local flow of the compressed air, as dictated by the central electronic controller; and

a plurality of local outlet ports, each local outlet port directing a local flow of temperature-conditioned air into the localized space, the temperature-conditioned air comprising air encompassing the localized space that flows over the local heat exchanger mass and compressed air released at an end of the local heat exchanger mass.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the system further comprises:

a plurality of local internal feedback ducts, each local feedback duct channeling a portion of the local flow of the temperature-conditioned air to a local internal thermal feedback loop corresponding to the localized space; and

a plurality of fans, each fan adjusting the local flow of air over the local heat exchanger mass based on a feedback received from the local internal thermal feedback loop, and based on a sensor monitoring a temperature of the local heat exchanger mass, as dictated by the central electronic controller.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the central electronic controller is operationally coupled to individual local components of the system via wired or wireless connection.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein a first localized space and a second localized space physically isolated from each other.

21. A system for controlling a temperature of an enclosed space included in an apparatus, comprising:

an electronic controller configured to receive a signal indicative of a current temperature of the enclosed space, wherein, based on the received signal, the electronic controller determines whether the enclosed space needs to be heated or cooled to reach a desired temperature;

a source of a compressed fluid;

a temperature-conditioning module, comprising thermal energy controlling means coupled to a heat exchanger mass, wherein the thermal energy controlling means is configured to actively control a thermal energy of the compressed fluid, as dictated by the electronic controller, and the heat exchanger mass is configured to adjust the temperature of the compressed fluid to a desired value;

a conduit for delivering the compressed fluid to the thermal energy controlling means;

a valve coupled to the conduit for regulating a flow of the compressed fluid, as dictated by the electronic controller; and

an outlet port at one end of the heat exchanger mass for releasing a flow of compressed fluid to be directed towards the enclosed space.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the system further comprises:

a fan for adjusting an external flow of a second fluid over the heat exchanger mass based on a sensor monitoring a temperature of the heat exchanger mass, as dictated by the electronic controller.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second fluid is re-circulated from within the enclosed space or introduced into the enclosed space.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the second fluid and the compressed fluid are compatible to each other.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the second fluid and the compressed fluid comprise the same material.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the thermal energy controlling means comprises one or more heating tubes having a corresponding heater coupled therewith, wherein the one or more heating tubes are configured to sustain a pressure of the compressed fluid therein.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the thermal energy controlling means comprises one of more vortex tubes.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the thermal energy controlling means comprises one of more vortex tubes, and one or more heating tubes having a corresponding heater coupled therewith, wherein the one or more heating tubes are configured to sustain a pressure of the compressed fluid therein.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the thermal energy controlling means comprises a plurality of stages, each stage being coupled to a corresponding heat exchanger mass or a shared heat exchanger mass.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of stages are connected in series, in parallel, in a star configuration, in a polygonal configuration, or as a ring.

31. The system of claim 21, wherein the compressed fluid delivery conduit may comprise one or more branches, each branch delivering compressed fluid to a corresponding thermal energy controlling means.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the heat exchanger mass comprises a thermally conductive tubular member of a predetermined mass, arranged in a predetermined manner to enhance thermal energy exchange between the fluid flowing inside the tubular member and the second fluid flowing over the tubular member.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein the source of compressed fluid comprises means for varying a degree of compression of fluid based on a signal received from the electronic controller.

34. The system of claim 21, wherein the valve is configured to deliver a continuous flow, a pulsed flow, or an oscillating flow of the compressed fluid.

35. The system of claim 21, wherein the compressed fluid is compressed air.