CN-122015207-A - Selectively operable heating and cooling system and method of operating same

Abstract

A heating and cooling system includes a first heat transfer circuit including a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, a second heat transfer circuit including a third heat exchanger and a fourth heat exchanger, a coolant loop, and a controller. The controller selectively operates the heating and cooling system in a heating mode wherein the heating and cooling system is configured to operate the first heat transfer loop and the second heat transfer loop in a cascade operation to heat the first process fluid via heat transfer with the first heat exchanger, and a cooling mode wherein the heating and cooling system is configured to operate the first heat transfer loop and the second heat transfer loop in a parallel operation to provide cooling to the second process fluid via heat transfer with the fourth heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

Inventors

• Daniel. S. Kemper
• Darryl Keith
• Bawana Depulu Gulu
• Ben R. Gables

Assignees

• 特灵国际有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20251111

Priority Date

20241111

Claims (19)

1. 1. A heating and cooling system comprising: A first heat transfer circuit, wherein the first heat transfer circuit comprises a first compressor, a first heat exchanger, and a second heat exchanger; a second heat transfer circuit, wherein the second heat transfer circuit comprises a second compressor, a third heat exchanger, and a fourth heat exchanger; a coolant loop including a coolant configured to place thermal energy in thermal communication between the second heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop and the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop, and A controller, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate the heating and cooling system in: A heating mode, wherein the heating and cooling system is configured to operate the first heat transfer loop and the second heat transfer loop in a cascade operation to heat a first process fluid via heat transfer with the first heat exchanger, wherein the coolant loop is configured to place thermal energy in thermal communication between the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop and the second heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop, and A cooling mode in which the heating and cooling system is configured to operate the first heat transfer loop and the second heat transfer loop in a parallel operation such that both provide cooling to a second process fluid via heat transfer with the fourth heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.
2. 2. The heating and cooling system of claim 1, wherein the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop is configured to selectively receive cooling fluid in the cooling mode or coolant from the coolant loop in the heating mode.
3. 3. The heating and cooling system of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop is configured to selectively receive a cooling fluid in the cooling mode or the first process fluid in the heating mode.
4. 4. The heating and cooling system of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop and/or the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop is a dual-bundle heat exchanger.
5. 5. The heating and cooling system of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop and/or the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop comprises an auxiliary heat exchanger.
6. 6. The heating and cooling system of claim 1, wherein the coolant loop includes one or more valves for controlling flow of coolant through the coolant loop, and the controller is configured to operate the one or more valves to selectively provide the coolant to the second heat exchanger in the heating mode or the second process fluid to the second heat exchanger in the cooling mode.
7. 7. The heating and cooling system of claim 1, wherein the heating and cooling system is a water heating circulation system, and The first process fluid is hot water and the second process fluid is cold water.
8. 8. The heating and cooling system of claim 1, further comprising a cooling fluid loop comprising one or more valves, wherein the controller is configured to operate the one or more valves in the cooling mode to supply cooling fluid to the first heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop and the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop.
9. 9. The heating and cooling system of claim 1, wherein the coolant is at least one of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, water, and a brine solution.
10. 10. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) system, comprising: A plumbing circulation system including a first process fluid and a second process fluid for conditioning one or more spaces; A first heat transfer circuit, wherein the first heat transfer circuit comprises a first compressor, a first heat exchanger, and a first refrigerator, Wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to selectively exchange heat with a first process fluid, wherein the first process fluid also exchanges heat with a heating load in the one or more spaces or exchanges heat with a cooling fluid; a second heat transfer circuit, wherein the second heat transfer circuit comprises a second compressor, a cascade heat exchanger, and a second refrigerator; Wherein the second chiller is configured to exchange heat between the second process fluid, wherein the second process fluid also exchanges heat with a cooling load; a coolant loop including a coolant configured to place thermal energy in thermal communication between the first chiller of the first heat transfer loop and the cascade heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop, and A controller, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate the HVACR system in: A heating mode, wherein the HVACR system is configured to operate the first and second heat transfer loops in a cascade operation to heat the first process fluid via heat transfer with the first heat exchanger, wherein the coolant loop is configured to place thermal energy in thermal communication between the cascade heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop and the first refrigerator of the first heat transfer loop, and A cooling mode, wherein the HVACR system is configured to operate the first and second heat transfer loops in a parallel operation to provide cooling to the second process fluid via heat transfer with the first and second chillers, wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat with the cooling fluid.
11. 11. The HVACR system of claim 10 wherein the cascade heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop is configured to selectively receive cooling fluid or coolant from the coolant loop.
12. 12. The HVACR system of claim 10, wherein the first heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop and/or the cascade heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop is a dual-bundle heat exchanger.
13. 13. The HVACR system of claim 10, wherein the first heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop and/or the cascade heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop comprises an auxiliary heat exchanger.
14. 14. The HVACR system of claim 10 wherein the coolant is at least one of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, water, and a brine solution.
15. 15. The HVACR system of claim 10, wherein the cooling fluid is supplied via a cooling fluid loop including one or more valves, wherein the controller is configured to operate the one or more valves in the cooling mode to supply the cooling fluid to the first heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop and the cascade heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop.
16. 16. The HVACR system of claim 10, wherein the coolant loop includes one or more valves for controlling flow of coolant through the coolant loop, and the controller is configured to operate the one or more valves to selectively provide the coolant to the first chiller in the heating mode or the second process fluid to the first chiller in the cooling mode.
17. 17. A method for heating and/or cooling a system including a first heat transfer loop, a second heat transfer loop, a coolant loop, and a controller, wherein the first heat transfer loop includes a first compressor, a first heat exchanger, and a second heat exchanger, wherein the second heat transfer loop includes a second compressor, a third heat exchanger, and a fourth heat exchanger, the coolant loop includes coolant, the method including selectively operating the system in any one of the following modes: Operating the system in a heating mode by operating the first heat transfer loop and the second heat transfer loop in a cascade operation to heat a first process fluid via heat transfer with the first heat exchanger, wherein operating the system in the heating mode comprises placing thermal energy from the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop and the second heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop in thermal communication via the coolant loop, or The system is operated in a cooling mode by operating the first heat transfer loop and the second heat transfer loop in a parallel operation to provide cooling to a second process fluid, wherein operating the system in the cooling mode includes providing the second process fluid to the fourth heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.
18. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising selectively controlling a flow of coolant through the coolant loop to provide the coolant to the second heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop in the heating mode or to provide the second process fluid to the second heat exchanger in the cooling mode.
19. 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising circulating a cooling fluid from a cooling fluid loop to selectively supply the cooling fluid to the first heat exchanger of the first heat transfer loop and the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer loop in the cooling mode.

Description

Selectively operable heating and cooling system and method of operating same Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to heating and cooling systems that are selectively operable in either a cascade operation or a parallel operation. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) systems for conditioning a space, and methods for operating heat transfer circuits in a cascade operation or in a parallel operation. Background Heating and cooling systems may be used to heat and cool one or more process fluids for various applications. For example, the heating and cooling system may be used to heat a heating load and/or cool a cooling load for an industrial process, such as heating and/or cooling a gas or liquid stream to maintain a reaction temperature or temperature set point, cooling industrial waste, providing heat to replace a gas boiler, providing refrigeration, and the like. The heating and cooling system may also be used to condition a space, for example, an HVACR system may be used to provide heating and/or cooling to the conditioned space. In some cases, the HVACR system can be a plumbing circulation system that includes a heat transfer loop to provide a liquid process fluid (e.g., water, brine solution, or glycol solution) as a heat transfer medium to condition space in a building or occupied space. HVACR systems generally include a heat transfer circuit system that may include one or more compressors, expanders, condensers, evaporators, fans, filters, dampers, circulation pumps, and various other devices, where the compressor(s), condenser(s), expander(s), and evaporator(s) are fluidly connected. Disclosure of Invention The present disclosure relates generally to heating and cooling systems that are selectively operable in either a cascade operation or a parallel operation. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) systems for conditioning a space, and methods for operating heat transfer circuits in a cascade operation or in a parallel operation. The HVACR system may be a water heating cycle system in which thermal energy in a heat transfer loop is exchanged with process fluid(s) (e.g., ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, water, brine solution, etc.) used to condition a space. For example, when heating is provided to a conditioned space, heat generated by compression of the working fluid in the heat transfer circuit may be used to transfer thermal energy to the process fluid circulating in the heated water circuit of the plumbing circulation system, thereby conditioning the space. Similarly, to provide cooling to the conditioned space, the HVACR system can extract heat from a second process fluid circulating in a cooling water loop of the plumbing circulation system to cool the process fluid to condition the space. In an embodiment, a heating and cooling system is provided. The heating and cooling system includes a first heat transfer circuit including a first compressor, a first heat exchanger, and a second heat exchanger, a second heat transfer circuit including a second compressor, a third heat exchanger, and a fourth heat exchanger, a coolant loop including a coolant configured to thermally communicate thermal energy between the second heat exchanger of the first heat transfer circuit and the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer circuit, and a controller. The controller is configured to selectively operate the heating and cooling system in a heating mode, wherein the heating and cooling system is configured to operate the first and second heat transfer circuits in a cascade operation to heat a first process fluid via heat transfer with the first heat exchanger, wherein the coolant loop is configured to thermally communicate thermal energy between the third heat exchanger of the second heat transfer circuit and the second heat exchanger of the first heat transfer circuit, and a cooling mode, wherein the heating and cooling system is configured to operate the first and second heat transfer circuits in a parallel operation to provide cooling to a second process fluid via heat transfer with the fourth and second heat exchangers. In another embodiment, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system is provided. The HVACR system includes a water heating circulation system including a first process fluid and a second process fluid for conditioning one or more spaces, a first heat transfer loop, wherein the first heat transfer loop includes a first compressor, a first heat exchanger, and a first chiller, wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to selectively exchange heat with a first process fluid, wherein the first process fluid also exchanges heat with a heating load in the one or more spaces, or exchanges heat with a cooling fluid, a second heat transfer loop, wherein the second heat transfer loo