A water-heating system, including: a controller; a refrigerant-water heat exchanger for exchanging heat between refrigerant and water; a sensor circuit for measuring a current water temperature of water in a water heater and providing the current water temperature to the controller; a first refrigerant pipe for passing the refrigerant from a refrigerant source to the refrigerant-water heat exchanger; a second refrigerant pipe for passing the refrigerant from the refrigerant-water heat exchanger to the refrigerant source; a first water pipe for passing the water from the water heater to the refrigerant-water heat exchanger; a second water pipe for passing the water from the refrigerant-water heat exchanger to the water heater; and a water pump for pumping water from the water heater to the refrigerant-water heat exchanger via the first water pipe and from the refrigerant-water heat exchanger to the water heater via the second water pipe based on a control signal.

[OBJECT] To provide an evaporator which can improve heat exchange performance.

[SOLVING MEANS] An evaporator including a metal wall and a porous metal film directly connected to the metal wall, wherein the porous metal film has communication holes having an average pore size of 8 μm or less, and the porous metal film has a porosity of 50% or more.

A local energy distributing system includes a local feed conduit; a local return conduit; a central heat exchanger connected to a heating grid having a feed conduit for an incoming flow of heat transfer fluid having a first temperature in the range of 50-120° C., and a return conduit for a return flow of heat transfer fluid having a second temperature, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature, wherein the central heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat from the incoming flow of heat transfer fluid to an outgoing flow of local heat transfer fluid in the local feed conduit. The system also includes a plurality of local heating systems, each having an inlet connected to the local feed conduit and an outlet connected to the local return conduit, wherein each local heating system is configured to provide hot water and/or comfort heating to a building.

A controller configured to selectively set a reversible heat pump assembly (100) in either a heating mode or in a cooling mode is presented. The controller comprising a control circuit (44) configured to: for a time period, determine, using a demand determining function (50), a heating demand for heat from one or more local heating circuits (140) connected to the reversible heat pump assembly (100) and a cooling demand for cold from one or more local cooling circuits (140) connected to the reversible heat pump assembly (100); generate, using a control function (52), a control signal indicative of if the reversible heat pump assembly (100) is to be set in either the heating mode or in the cooling mode, wherein the control function is configured to use the heating demand and the cooling demand as input data; and send, using a transmission function (54), the control signal to a heat pump (110) of the reversible heat pump assembly (100). Also a method for controlling the reversible heat pump assembly (100) is presented.

A distributed heating and cooling network is described. In one aspect a distributed heating and cooling network used in a district heating architecture is described.

Heat pump system (100) comprising at least one heat medium circuit (210,220,230,240,250,310,320,410,420,430,440,450,460) in turn comprising a compressor (211), an expansion valve (232,242), at least two different primary heat sources or sinks selected from outdoor air, a water body, the ground or exhaust air, at least one of two different secondary heat sources or sinks selected from indoors air, pool water and tap water, a respective temperature sensor (412,432) at each of said primary heat sources or sinks, a valve means (421,431,451) for selectively directing the primary-side heat medium to at least one of said primary heat exchanging means, and a control means (500). The invention is characterised in that, in a secondary-side heating operating mode, the temperature of said primary heat sources or sinks is measured, and in that the primary-side heat medium is directed only to available primary heat exchanging means associated with the heat sources or sinks with the highest temperature. The invention also relates to a method.

Systems and methods for a thermosyphonic water heating system for a storage tank. A DC heat pump receives power from a DC power source and heats water via a heat exchanger using a thermosyphonic piping system. A passive back-flushing having a cold water inlet pipe connected to the hot water return pipe draws cold water into the storage tank through the heat exchanger. A vertical array of temperature sensors distributed throughout the storage tank monitor temperature of stored water at multiple heights and a communication unit communicates monitored data to an external control device.

A heat pump may include a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant, a first temperature sensor provided in heating pipes connected to a heating device that heats an indoor space to sense a temperature of fluid flowing through the heating pipes, and a controller. The controller may be configured to determine whether a boiler is operating to heat an indoor space or is operating to supply hot water based on a sensing value of the first temperature sensor. The compressor may operate when the controller determines that the boiler is not operating to heat the indoor space and/or determines that the boiler is operating to supply hot water.

The present invention relates to a local thermal energy consumer assembly and a local thermal energy generator assembly to be connected to a thermal energy circuit comprising a hot and a cold conduit. The local thermal energy consumer assembly is selectively connected, via a pump or a valve to the hot conduit. The local thermal energy generator assembly is selectively connected, via a pump or a valve to the cold conduit. The use of either the valve or the pump is controlled by determining a local pressure difference between heat transfer liquid of the hot and the cold conduits.

The present invention relates to a gas heat pump system. The gas heat pump system, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: an air conditioning module comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion apparatus, an indoor heat exchanger and a refrigerant line; and an engine module comprising an engine for combusting a mixture of fuel and air, thereby providing power for driving the compressor. The engine module comprises: a mixer for mixing and discharging the air and fuel; a supercharging means for receiving the mixture discharged from the mixer, compressing same, and then discharging same; an intercooler for receiving the mixture compressed in the supercharging means, cooling same by a heat exchange method, increasing the density thereof, and then discharging same; an adjustment means for receiving the mixture discharged from the intercooler, adjusting the quantity thereof, and then supplying same to the engine; and an exhaust gas heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a coolant and exhaust gas discharged from the engine, wherein the exhaust gas heat exchanger is directly connected to an exhaust manifold of the engine.