Vapor compression circuit and method including a thermoelectric device

• US 20070101739A1
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Corporation LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Jayanth, Nagaraj, Ignatiev, Kirill, Akei, Masao, Pham, Hung, Caillat, Jean-Luc
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/238.600
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/00 Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/02 using waste heat, e.g. from internal-combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 6/02 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/00 Thermoelectric devices comprising a junction of dissimilar materials, i.e. devices exhibiting Seebeck or Peltier effects integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/274 using waste energy, e.g. from internal combustion engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/963 Off-grid food refrigeration

Abstract

A system and method includes a thermoelectric device in heat-transfer relation with a working fluid flowing through a vapor compression circuit. Heat is transferred from the working fluid to a first fluid medium and then from the first fluid medium to a second fluid medium.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transferring heat from a work fluid flowing through a vapor compression circuit;

generating a flow of heat with a thermoelectric device in said heat-transferring relation with said working fluid;

transferring said heat from said working fluid to a first fluid medium;

transferring said heat from said first fluid medium to a second fluid medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring said heat from said first fluid medium includes transferring said heat to an air flow flowing over a condenser of a heat pump system downstream of said condenser.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said transferring said heat from said working fluid includes transferring said heat to a non-condensed compressed portion of said working fluid flowing through a vapor-compression circuit of said heat pump system and transferring said heat from said first fluid medium includes transferring said heat from said portion of said working fluid to said air flow flowing over said condenser of said heat pump system downstream of said condenser.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said transferring said heat from said working fluid includes transferring said heat to a heat-transfer fluid flowing through a heat-transfer circuit and said transferring said heat from said first fluid medium includes transferring said heat from said heat-transfer fluid to said air flow flowing over said condenser of said heat pump system downstream of said condenser.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said heat-transfer fluid is a single-phase fluid in said heat-transfer circuit.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said thermoelectric device is in said heat-transferring relation with said working fluid through a first heat-transfer circuit, said generating said flow of heat includes transferring a heat flow to a first heat-transfer fluid flowing through said first heat-transfer circuit from condensed working fluid, said transferring said heat from said working fluid to a first fluid medium includes transferring said heat from said first heat-transfer fluid to a second heat-transfer fluid flowing through a second heat-transfer circuit through said thermoelectric device, and said transferring said heat from said first fluid medium includes transferring said heat from said second heat-transfer fluid to said air flow flowing over said condenser of said heat pump system downstream of said condenser.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of said first and second heat-transfer fluids is a single-phase fluid within the respective first and second heat-transfer circuits.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein both of said first and second heat-transfer fluids are single-phase fluids within the respective first and second heat-transfer circuits.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring said heat from said first fluid medium includes transferring said heat to an air flow flowing over an evaporator of a refrigeration system downstream of said evaporator.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said thermoelectric device is in said heat-transferring relation with said working fluid through a first heat-transfer circuit, said generating said flow of heat includes transferring a heat flow to a first heat-transfer fluid flowing through said first heat-transfer circuit from condensed working fluid, said transferring said heat from said working fluid to a first fluid medium includes transferring said heat from said first heat-transfer fluid to a second heat-transfer fluid flowing through a second heat-transfer circuit through said thermoelectric device, and said transferring said heat from said first fluid medium includes transferring said heat from said second heat-transfer fluid to said air flow flowing over said evaporator of said refrigeration system downstream of said evaporator.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of said first and second heat-transfer fluids is a single-phase fluid within the respective first and second heat-transfer circuits.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein both of said first and second heat-transfer fluids are single-phase fluids within the respective first and second heat-transfer circuits.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating said flow of heat with said thermoelectric device includes modulating power supplied to said thermoelectric device.

14. A vapor compression circuit comprising:

a working fluid;

a thermoelectric device in heat-transfer relation with said working fluid;

a first fluid medium in heat-transfer relation with said thermoelectric device and receiving heat transferred from said working fluid through said thermoelectric device;

a second fluid medium in heat-transfer relation to said first fluid medium.

15. The vapor compression circuit of claim 14, further comprising a condenser, wherein said second fluid medium includes an airflow flowing over said condenser.

16. The vapor compression circuit of claim 15, wherein said first fluid medium includes a non-condensed compressed portion of said working fluid.

17. The vapor compression circuit of claim 15, wherein said first fluid medium includes a heat-transfer fluid flowing through a heat-transfer circuit.

18. The vapor compression circuit of claim 17, wherein said heat-transfer fluid includes a single phase fluid in said heat-transfer circuit.

19. The vapor compression circuit of claim 14, further comprising a first heat-transfer circuit, a second heat-transfer circuit, and a condenser, wherein said thermoelectric device is positioned in heat-transfer relation with said working fluid through said first heat-transfer circuit, said first fluid medium positioned in heat-transfer relation to said first heat-transfer circuit and a second heat-transfer circuit through said thermoelectric device, said second fluid medium including an airflow flowing over said condenser.

20. The vapor compression circuit of claim 19, wherein at least one of said first and second heat-transfer circuits includes a single phase fluid within the respective first and second heat-transfer circuits.

21. The vapor compression circuit of claim 20, wherein both of said first and second heat-transfer circuits are single phase fluids within the respective first and second heat-transfer circuits.

22. The vapor compression circuit of claim 14, further comprising an evaporator, wherein said second fluid medium includes an airflow flowing over said evaporator.

23. The vapor compression circuit of claim 22, further comprising a first heat-transfer circuit and a second heat-transfer circuit, wherein said thermoelectric device is positioned in heat-transfer relation with said working fluid and said first fluid medium through said first heat-transfer circuit, wherein said first fluid medium is positioned in heat-transfer relation with said second heat-transfer circuit to transfer heat to said second heat-transfer circuit, said second heat-transfer circuit being in heat-transfer relation with said airflow flowing over said evaporator.

24. The vapor compression circuit of claim 23, wherein at least one of said first and second heat-transfer circuits includes a single-phase fluid.

25. The vapor compression circuit of claim 24, wherein both of said first and second heat-transfer circuits include single-phase fluids.

26. The vapor compression circuit of claim 14, wherein said thermoelectric device includes a modulated power supply to generate a flow of heat therethrough.