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WO2013081643A1 - Système refroidisseur modulaire - Google Patents

Système refroidisseur modulaire Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013081643A1
WO2013081643A1 PCT/US2012/000565 US2012000565W WO2013081643A1 WO 2013081643 A1 WO2013081643 A1 WO 2013081643A1 US 2012000565 W US2012000565 W US 2012000565W WO 2013081643 A1 WO2013081643 A1 WO 2013081643A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
chiller
fluid
legs
chilled
bank
Prior art date
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Ceased
Application number
PCT/US2012/000565
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English (en)
Inventor
Jeffrey A. Weston
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Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of WO2013081643A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013081643A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F5/00—Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00, e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an oven or water heater
    • F24F5/0003—Exclusively-fluid systems
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
    • F24D17/00—Domestic hot-water supply systems
    • F24D17/02—Domestic hot-water supply systems using heat pumps
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/70—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
    • F24F11/80—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air
    • F24F11/83—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/70—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
    • F24F11/80—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air
    • F24F11/83—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers
    • F24F11/84—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers using valves
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F3/00—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems
    • F24F3/06—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the arrangements for the supply of heat-exchange fluid for the subsequent treatment of primary air in the room units
    • F24F3/065—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the arrangements for the supply of heat-exchange fluid for the subsequent treatment of primary air in the room units with a plurality of evaporators or condensers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
    • F24D2200/00—Heat sources or energy sources
    • F24D2200/12—Heat pump
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
    • F24D2200/00—Heat sources or energy sources
    • F24D2200/32—Heat sources or energy sources involving multiple heat sources in combination or as alternative heat sources
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F2221/00—Details or features not otherwise provided for
    • F24F2221/36—Modules, e.g. for an easy mounting or transport
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B25/00—Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00
    • F25B25/005—Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00 using primary and secondary systems

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to heating and cooling systems for buildings, campuses and other facilities, and, more particularly, to a modular chiller system having a plurality of chiller units with independently controllable pumps for fluid medium that provides efficient supply/uptake of thermal energy to/from the facility. b. Related Art
  • chillers or chiller units are machines that remove heat from a liquid, typically via a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle, with the liquid then being recirculated through a heat exchanger to cool air in various spaces or equipment of the facility.
  • the facility may be a single building, or may be multiple buildings serviced from one or more centralized physical plants.
  • chillers are perhaps most commonly associated with air conditioning, refrigeration or other applications in which thermal energy is absorbed from the air (particularly through a heat exchanger), the refrigeration cycle requires that the absorbed thermal energy subsequently be released into another fluid, resulting in heating of the latter.
  • chillers conventionally include an evaporator section or stage (commonly designated “E") in which the refrigerant is evaporated to absorb energy from the circulating fluid, and a condenser section or stage (commonly designated “C”) in which the refrigerant is condensed so as to release the thermal energy into the second fluid.
  • E evaporator section or stage
  • C condenser section or stage
  • the second fluid is simply the outside air (e.g., in a cooling tower), however, for many facilities it is much more efficient to recover the thermal energy for use in meeting heating requirements of the facility, such as domestic hot water heating for example.
  • chiller units by nature tend to operate optimally within a fairly narrow, steady range of parameters outside of which efficiency rapidly drops off and the potential for failure increases; as a result, operation of a single chiller unit is generally constrained to the narrow set of parameters and cannot be greatly adjusted, regardless of the actual energy demands of the facility (the chiller unit typically being sized to meet the demands at their maximum), resulting in significant inefficiencies and high operating costs.
  • modular chiller systems have been developed, such as those available from Multistack LLC (Sparta, WI). While offering the possibility of greater efficiency and improved system redundancy for many facilities, prior modular chiller systems remain hampered by certain drawbacks.
  • the modular chillers have generally been arranged in series such that a first unit comes on line and then a second and then a third, etc., to meet increasing thermal demands, and then deenergized in reverse sequence as the thermal demand decreases, with the chilled water on the evaporator side and the heated water on the condenser side being supplied from the chiller bank to the facility by variable speed pumps according to the number of units in operation.
  • variable speed pumps which while capable of varying output of the fluid generally are not able to do so outside a relatively narrow range without a significant decline in efficiency; in other words, since pumps are most efficient at an optimum flow condition, a variable speed pump saves energy by reducing flow but the efficiency of the pump is no longer optimized at the lower flow. It will be understood that losses in pumping efficiency are not trivial in nature, with pumping costs often representing on order of 15-20% of the total operating costs of even well-designed systems.
  • a related drawback in prior systems is the need to use valves on both sides to actuate the operating/non-operating chiller modules, which results in decreased pumping efficiency and increased costs.
  • chiller units operate effectively within very specific flow ranges which are difficult to match with variable speed pumps, again resulting in declines in efficiency. Still further, in prior modular chiller systems, operating in the sequential manner described above, it can be difficult or impossible to equalize running times of the modules in the bank, such that one or two will acquire operating hours at a much faster rate than the modules that are energized only to meet peak demands.
  • the present invention addressed the problems cited above, and provides a modular chiller system having increased efficiency and flexibility in operation.
  • the modular chiller system comprises: (a) a chiller bank, comprising a plurality of individually operable chiller units, each of the chiller units having an evaporator section and a condenser section; (b) chilled fluid lines and heated fluid lines connected respectively to the evaporator sections and condenser sections of the chiller units in circuits for flow of a thermal transfer fluid therethrough; and (c) at least one individually controllable pump associated with each of the evaporator sections and condenser sections of the chiller units, that circulate the thermal transfer fluid from the chilled fluid and heat fluid lines through each of the evaporator sections and condenser sections of the plurality of chiller units on an individually controllable basis.
  • the plurality of individually controllable pumps may comprise a plurality of individually energizable constant speed fluid pumps.
  • the chilled fluid lines and heated fluid lines may respectively comprise chilled water lines and heated water lines.
  • the chilled fluid lines and heated fluid lines may respectively comprise first and second chilled fluid legs from which the pumps associated with the evaporator sections of the chiller units draw the thermal transfer fluid at a first temperature and return the thermal transfer fluid at a second temperature, and first and second heated fluid legs from which pumps associated with the condenser sections of the chiller units draw the thermal transfer fluid at a first temperature and return the thermal transfer fluid at a second temperature.
  • the modular chiller system may further comprise means for selectively proportioning flow through the chilled fluid legs and heated fluid legs in opposite directions from the chiller bank.
  • the means for selectively proportioning flow through the chilled fluid legs and heated fluid legs may comprise a plurality of selector valves mounted in the chilled fluid legs and heated fluid legs intermediate the chiller units and at opposite ends of the chiller bank.
  • the means for selectively proportioning flow through the chilled fluid legs in opposite directions from the chiller bank may comprise a plurality of modulating valves mounted in the chilled fluid legs and heated fluid legs at opposite ends of the chiller bank; the means for selectively proportioning flow may further comprise flow meters operatively connected to the modulating valves that adjust the modulating valves on the basis of measured flow through the chilled fluid legs and heated fluid legs.
  • the chilled fluid lines and heated fluid lines may each comprise a portion of a header containing the thermal transfer fluid in a thermal gradient from a heated end to a chilled end, from which heating and cooling equipment of a facility draw and discharge fluid at locations in which temperatures of the fluid in the header correspond to optimized intake and discharge temperatures for the equipment.
  • the chilled fluid line may comprise a chilled fluid portion of the thermal gradient header
  • the heated fluid line may comprise a heated fluid portion of the thermal gradient header.
  • the plurality of individually operable chiller units may comprise a plurality of substantially identical chiller units.
  • the modular chiller system may comprise: (a) a chiller bank comprising a plurality of individually operable chiller units, each of the chiller units having an evaporator section and a condenser section; (b) first and second chilled fluid legs for flow of a thermal transfer fluid therethrough; (c) first and second heated fluid legs for flow of a thermal transfer fluid therethrough; (d) an independently controllable pump associated with each of the evaporator sections of the individually controllable chiller units in the chiller bank, that circulates the thermal transfer fluid through the associated evaporator section from the first chilled fluid leg to the second chilled fluid leg; (e) an independently controllable pump associated with each of the condenser sections of the individually controllable chiller units in the chiller bank, that circulates the thermal transfer fluid through the associated condenser section from the first heated fluid leg to the second heated fluid leg; and (f) a plurality of selector valves, mounted in the first and second chilled fluid legs and the first and second heated fluid legs intermediate each
  • the plurality of independently controllable pumps may comprise a plurality of individually energizable constant speed pumps.
  • the thermal transfer fluid may be water.
  • the modular chiller system may comprise: (a) a chiller bank comprising a plurality of individually operable chiller units, each of the chiller units having an evaporator section and a condenser section; (b) first and second chilled fluid legs for flow of a thermal transfer fluid therethrough; (c) first and second heated fluid legs for flow of a thermal transfer fluid therethrough; (d) an independently controllable pump associated with each of the evaporator sections of the individually controllable chiller units in the chiller bank, that circulates the thermal transfer fluid through the associated evaporator section from the first chilled fluid leg to the second chilled fluid leg; (e) an independently controllable pump associated with each of the condenser sections of the individually controllable chiller units in the chiller bank, that circulates the thermal transfer fluid through the associated condenser section from the first heated fluid leg to the second heated fluid
  • a method of operating a modular chiller system broadly comprising the steps of: (a) providing a chiller bank, comprising a plurality of individually operable chiller units, each of the chiller units having an evaporator section and a condenser section; and (b) circulating a thermal transfer fluid from chilled fluid lines and heated fluid lines respectively through each of the evaporator sections and condenser sections of the plurality of chiller units on an individual basis, using at least one individually controllable pump associated with each of the evaporator sections and condenser sections of the chiller units.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a modular chiller system in accordance with the present invention, illustrating exemplary connections of the bank of chiller modules to respective hot water and chilled water sections of a thermal gradient header via individually controllable pumps associated with the chiller (evaporator) and heater (condenser) sections of the individual modules;
  • FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a modular chiller bank similar to that of FIG. 1 but incorporating three rather than four chiller modules, showing the connections of the chilled water and heated water circuits and respective individual pumps in greater detail;
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial view of a modular chiller bank, similar to that of FIG. 2, illustrating the connections and internal flow of the modules in greater detail;
  • FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a modular chiller system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention similar to that of FIG. 1 , but with a revised arrangement of valves and supply/discharge lines;
  • FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a modular chiller system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention that, in contrast to the selection valves of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, employs modulating valves and flow meters to regulate the flows based on f heating/cooling demands.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a modular chiller system 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • bank 12 of modular chiller units 14 that in the illustrated embodiment are substantially identical in capacity and design, but which in some embodiments may vary somewhat from one another based on various design factors.
  • the term "bank” refers to a grouping of a plurality of units in combination to service, for example, a building, campus or other facility.
  • the chiller units themselves can be of a conventional nature, suitable units being available from a number of manufacturers, and each includes an evaporator section 16 and condenser section 18. Electrical power is supplied for operation of the chiller units from a suitable source (not shown).
  • thermal transfer fluid e.g., water, with or without other constituents
  • thermal transfer fluid e.g., water, with or without other constituents
  • water or other thermal transfer fluid
  • the individual pumps 20, 30 are preferably constant speed rather than variable speed, as is made feasible by the modular arrangement of the present invention although it is envisioned that pumps of the latter type may be used in some embodiments.
  • the chilled water return line 26 discharges at connection 38 into an end of a chilled water line 40 that constitutes the "cold" end of an elongate thermal gradient header 42, which contains water (or other thermal transfer fluid) at a generally continuous gradient from cold at one end to hot at the other; similarly, the warm water (or other thermal transfer fluid) entering the condenser sections of the chiller modules enters a heated water line 44 formed by a segment of the thermal gradient header, from discharge lines 36a, 36b at connection points 46a, 46b.
  • a thermal gradient header suitable for use with the system of the present invention is disclosed in my copending application serial number 12/459,724, published 21 January 2010 as US 2010/0012290-A1, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
  • individual heating/cooling equipment/systems draw from and discharge to the thermal gradient header at points where the temperatures generally match those optimum for operation of the equipment, so as to achieve significantly increased efficiency.
  • FIG. 12/459,724 published 21 January 2010 as US 2010/0012290-A1
  • FIG. 1 shows an air conditioning unit 50 having a heat exchanger 52 that employs chilled water supplied from the thermal gradient header; as can be seen, the chilled water is drawn from a connection 54 on the thermal gradient header where the temperature of the water or other thermal transfer fluid is comparatively low, and is supplied therefrom to the heat exchanger via a supply line 56 and pump 58, while water exiting the heat exchanger returns to the header via a discharge line 60 and connections 62, 64 on the header, depending on whether the temperature gain is relatively lower/higher.
  • an exemplary refrigeration system 70 having its own chiller unit 72 is shown with its evaporator section connected to the cold segment of the header by intake and discharge lines 74, 76 and pump 78, while its condenser section is connected to the hot leg of the header by supply and return legs 80, 82 and pump 84.
  • numerous other systems can be connected at optimized locations along the header in a corresponding manner. It will be understood, however, that the modular chiller system of the present invention can be used in more conventional thermal distribution systems without a thermal gradient header and still provide significant improvements in efficiency.
  • each chiller module can be energized/de-energized irrespective of the others, with the pumps 20, 30 simply being likewise de-energized rather than having to operate at slower/higher speeds outside their optimal flows.
  • each of the pumps can be a high-efficiency constant speed pump, rather than a variable speed pump that is less efficient. In other words, by including a single pump on the chilled water and hot water side of each module, the pump energy can be optimized at all times; if a module is off, the pump is off and no flow occurs for that module. Additional efficiency is achieved by the ability to reduce the number of valves through which the discharge fluid must flow on the chilled water side, flow through line 26 suitably being controlled by a single valve 86.
  • An additional advantage of the system in accordance with the preferred embodiment that is shown in FIG. 1 is the ability to supply heated water from the condenser sections of the modules at relatively lower and higher temperatures (i.e., warmer versus hotter) via multiple connections 46a, 46b at optimized locations along the header.
  • This is a significant benefit, particularly in newer designs of building heating systems that focus on minimizing the temperature that is required to satisfy a heat demand in the building, with the result that some heat demands can be satisfied with lower temperature water than other demands:
  • the system of the present invention is able to provide two (or more) different temperatures of heat from a system by having modules perform at different levels; other modules can produce a low grade of heat, and can produce a high grade of heat as well.
  • FIGS. 2-3 illustrate the connections of the individual modules in greater detail.
  • FIG. 3 in particular shows the relationship of the supply and return lines to the modules and their respective connections, and also the flow paths through the evaporator and condenser sections of the individual modules.
  • FIGS. 4 and 5 provide a side-by-side comparison of an embodiment of a modular chiller system in accordance with an embodiment similar to that described above, that uses selection valves between the modules (FIG. 4), with another embodiment that employs flow meters and modulating valves at the ends of the chiller banks (FIG. 5) rather than selection valves between the individual modules.
  • FIG. 4 thus shows a modular chiller system 100 having a bank 102 of chiller modules 104.
  • the individual chiller modules are substantially identical in this example, with each including an evaporator section 106 and a condenser section 108.
  • water or other thermal transfer fluid
  • pump 1 10 water (or other thermal transfer fluid) is drawn by pump 1 10 from a first warm water leg 1 12 via an intake line 1 14, and after passing through the condenser section is returned at a higher temperature to a second warm leg 1 16 via a discharge line 1 18.
  • each evaporator section is supplied with water (or other thermal transfer fluid) by a pump 120 that draws on a first chill water leg 122, with the water being discharged at a lower temperature to a second chill water leg 126 via an output line 128.
  • selection ("on-off) valves 130, 132 are installed between each of the individual modules 104 in bank 100, in supply and discharge warm water legs 1 12 and 1 16, respectively, and selection valves 134, 136 are installed between the individual modules in inflow and outflow chill water legs/lines 122 and 126.
  • Additional selection valves 140, 142 are mounted in the warm water segments 1 12, 1 16 at the ends of the chiller package 102, as are selection valves 144, 146 in chill water legs 122, 126.
  • the selection valves make it possible to tailor the output/input flows through the warm water and chill water legs to the thermal demands imposed by the various heating and cooling systems of the facility that are connected thereto, e.g., hot potable water systems, air conditioning systems, refrigeration systems, and so on.
  • valves 130, 132 may be closed in both warm water legs 1 12, 1 16 between the left module 104 and the other two modules in, so that approximately one-third of the heat output of the bank is outputted through the higher temperature warm water leg 1 16 in the direction indicated by arrow 150a, while two-thirds is outputted in the other direction as indicated by arrow 150b to systems having higher requirements; in this example, one-third of the intake flow is in turn drawn through leg 1 12 in the directions indicated by arrow 152a and the other two-thirds drawn in the direction indicated by arrow 152b.
  • the flows on the chill water side of the system can be proportionally adjusted by closing/opening the isolating valves 134, 136 between the modules 104, with the output and intake flowing the direction indicated by arrows 154a, 154b and 156a, 156b. Therefore, by opening and closing the valves in various combinations, flow on the warm water and chill water sides can be outputted/drawn in from one, two or all three modules, as best suits the thermal needs of the various systems of the facility. It will be understood that although FIG. 4 shows a bank of three modules, banks having any numbers of two or greater modules may be likewise configured and operated. FIG.
  • FIG. 5 shows a modular chiller system 200 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, but instead of the selection valves between modules utilizes modulating control valves to proportion the thermal output/input from the system.
  • the chiller bank 202 of system 200 includes chiller modules 104 similar to the system in FIG. 4, there are no isolating valves mounted in the warm and chill water lines between the modules; by comparison with FIG. 4, valves 130, 132, 134 and 136 are absent.
  • modulating valves 204, 206 are mounted in the warm water intake and output lines 1 12, 1 16 at the ends of the chiller bank (in place of selectiong valves 140, 142 in FIG. 4), together with associated flow meters 208, 210.
  • modulating control valves 212 and 214 are mounted in the chill water intake and output lines 122, 126 at the ends of the chiller bank, together with associated flow meters 216, 218.
  • System 200 consequently is able to proportion flows from/to the chiller bank to meet the requirements of heating/cooling systems connected thereto, similar to the system in FIG. 4 but with a finer degree of control and with other benefits described below.
  • a greater proportion of the flow will be discharged through leg 1 16 in the direction indicated by arrow 150a than in the direction indicated by arrow 150b; similarly, intake on the lower temperature warm leg 1 12 (supplied to the intake sides of the condenser sections 108) can be proportioned likewise by opening one of the modulating valves 204 to a greater extent than the other.
  • Chilled water output to leg 126 can be proportioned by opening one of the modulating valves 214 to a greater extent than the other, so that a greater or lesser proportion of the flow exits the chiller bank in the directions indicated by arrows 154a, 154b, and intake from leg 122 in the directions indicated by arrows 156a, 156b can be similarly proportioned by adjusting the relative openings of modulating valves 212.
  • the flow meters 208, 210, 216 and 218, associated respectively with modulating valves 204, 206, 212 and 214, permit the differential between the flows to be monitored and adjusted, so that the modulating valves can be opened up or throttled down as needed in order to maintain the correct portion flowing in each direction.
  • the flow meters also provide the important advantage of being able to collect data concerning the flows that are imposed by the various heating and cooling systems of the facility that are supplied by the modular chiller system, providing information that can be used is adjusting, maintaining and/or redesigning of the systems in order to achieve additional efficiencies.
  • FIG. 5 Another significant advantage of the embodiment that is illustrated in FIG. 5 is that it requires fewer valves, as is readily apparent by comparison with the system in FIG. 4; the cost savings can be very significant, particularly in banks having more than three modules. Also, the absence of the intermediate valves allows both the overall chiller bank and the individual modules to be more compact; the latter is a particularly significant benefit when installing systems utilizing preassembled chiller/pump modules, since without the individual isolating valves the modules can be made small enough to fit through existing doorways or other access points, avoiding potentially serious complications/costs when moving the modules into a facility.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Other Air-Conditioning Systems (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système (10) refroidisseur modulaire dans lequel de l'eau ou un autre fluide de transfert thermique circule au travers d'une section évaporateur (16) et d'une section condenseur (18) de chaque unité refroidisseur (14) grâce à une pompe (20, 30) à commande individuelle associée à chaque unité (20, 30). Les pompes (20, 30) aspirent et renvoient le fluide de transfert thermique de branches d'eau refroidie et d'eau réchauffée qui circulent vers et à partir d'extrémités opposées de la série de refroidisseurs. Les pompes à commande individuelle peuvent être des pompes à vitesse constante pouvant être mises sous tension individuellement afin d'améliorer le rendement. La circulation dans les branches (122,126) refroidies et réchauffées dans des directions opposées à partir de la série de refroidisseurs (12) peut être régulée par des vannes sélectrices (130,132,134,136,140,142,144,146) montées dans les branches intermédiaires entre chaque module (14) refroidisseur et aux extrémités opposées de la série (12), ou par des vannes (204, 206, 212, 214) modulatrices commandées par débitmètre montées aux extrémités de la série.
PCT/US2012/000565 2011-11-29 2012-11-29 Système refroidisseur modulaire Ceased WO2013081643A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201161629889P 2011-11-29 2011-11-29
US61/629,889 2011-11-29
US201261742332P 2012-08-07 2012-08-07
US61/742,332 2012-08-07

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Cited By (1)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN114076341A (zh) * 2020-08-12 2022-02-22 鸿富锦精密电子(天津)有限公司 数据中心热回收系统

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US20090151388A1 (en) * 2007-11-13 2009-06-18 Platt Mark Dedicated heat recovery chiller
US20100012290A1 (en) 2008-07-03 2010-01-21 Weston Jeffrey A Thermal gradient fluid header for multiple heating and cooling systems

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20090151388A1 (en) * 2007-11-13 2009-06-18 Platt Mark Dedicated heat recovery chiller
US20100012290A1 (en) 2008-07-03 2010-01-21 Weston Jeffrey A Thermal gradient fluid header for multiple heating and cooling systems

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN114076341A (zh) * 2020-08-12 2022-02-22 鸿富锦精密电子(天津)有限公司 数据中心热回收系统
CN114076341B (zh) * 2020-08-12 2023-10-27 富联精密电子(天津)有限公司 数据中心热回收系统

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