A heat pump system includes a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, an intermediate heat exchanger, a first throttling element and a first valve member. The intermediate heat exchanger includes a first heat exchange portion and a second heat exchange portion that may carry out heat exchange. A first port of the first heat exchange portion communicates with an inlet of the compressor. A second port of the first heat exchange portion may communicate with at least one of an outlet of the second heat exchanger and a second port of the third heat exchanger. A first port of the second heat exchange portion may communicate with a first port of the third heat exchanger. The first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are indoor heat exchangers which are configured to be disposed in an air-conditioning cabinet.

A method for operating a refrigeration system for a vehicle, the refrigeration system including a refrigerant circuit with a heat pump function. The refrigerant circuit has an exterior heat exchanger, which is operated as a condenser or gas cooler to perform a refrigeration system mode or which is operated as a heat pump evaporator to carry out a heat pump mode. The refrigerant circuit further has an interior heating condenser or heating gas cooler for carrying out a heating mode. The interior heating condenser or heating gas cooler is fluidically connected downstream of the exterior heat exchanger with a reheating expansion device therebetween to carry out a reheating mode. The opening cross-section of the reheating expansion device is controlled in accordance with a refrigeration system parameter indicating the required reheating power.

Disclosed is a refrigeration system, comprising refrigeration system components, a connecting pipeline, a switch structure, and discharging channels (123, 124; 623, 624). The refrigeration system components comprise three heat exchangers (101; 102; 112). The refrigeration system components can be connected via the connecting pipeline, and are combined into different working systems via the switch structure. When two heat exchangers are selected by the switch structure to form one working system and the saturation temperature corresponding to the internal pressure of the unselected heat exchanger is higher than the medium or environment temperature of the heat exchanger, a liquid refrigerant accumulates inside the non-working heat exchanger. According to the refrigeration system, the switch structure is arranged at either end of the non-working heat exchanger, so that the non-working heat exchanger is isolated from a working system cycle, and under the condition where the pressure at a low-pressure side (C; Q) of the working system is less than the internal pressure of the non-working heat exchanger, additional discharging channels (123, 124; 623, 624) communicate with the non-working heat exchanger and the low-pressure side (C; Q) of the working system, so that the refrigerant accumulating in the non-working heat exchanger is transferred to the system cycle, avoiding a lack of refrigerant in the system cycle.

A climate-control system may include a compressor, a thermal storage device, an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, a first expansion device, and a second expansion device. The compressor may include an intermediate-pressure inlet, an intermediate-pressure outlet, a discharge outlet, a suction-pressure pocket, and a plurality of compression pockets. The thermal storage device may include a conduit and a phase-change material surrounding the conduit. The first expansion valve, the second expansion valve, the outdoor heat exchanger, the indoor heat exchanger, and the thermal storage device may be in fluid communication with the compressor. The climate-control system is operable in a charging mode and a discharging mode, and is operable in a cooling mode and a heating mode. The thermal storage device may be configured to absorb heat from a working fluid or to transfer heat to the working fluid.

A refrigeration cycle device, comprising: a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant; an outdoor air heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant and outside air located outside a target space; an indoor air heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant and inside air located inside the target space; a water heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant and water; a four-way valve located between an indoor port on the indoor air heat exchanger, an outdoor port on the outdoor air heat exchanger, an input port on the compressor, and an output port on the compressor; a bypass refrigerant line connecting the indoor port to the outdoor port; and a controllable valve located on the bypass refrigerant line, the controllable valve being configured to have an open state that passes the refrigerant and a closed state that prohibits passage of the refrigerant.

A method for operating a refrigeration system for a vehicle, which refrigeration system includes a refrigerant circuit having a heat pump function. The refrigerant circuit has an exterior heat exchanger, which is operated as a condenser or gas cooler in order to perform a refrigeration system mode or as a heat pump evaporator in order to carry out a heat pump mode. The refrigerant circuit has an interior heating condenser or heating gas cooler for carrying out a heating mode. The interior heating condenser or heating gas cooler is fluidically connected to the exterior heat exchanger, downstream, by a post-heating expansion device in order to carry out a post-heating mode. The opening cross-section of the post-heating expansion device is controlled in accordance with a refrigeration system parameter indicating the required post-heating power.

An HVAC system can include a multiport valve for controlling refrigerant circulation that permits refrigerant flow in a first direction through an interior heat exchanger and in a first direction through an auxiliary heat exchanger and at least one additional configuration in which refrigerant flows in a second direction through at least one of the interior heat exchanger and the auxiliary heat exchanger. The at least one configuration can include a second configuration in which refrigerant flows in the first direction through the interior heat exchanger and in the second direction through the auxiliary heat exchanger and a third configuration in which refrigerant flows in the second direction through the interior heat exchanger and the auxiliary heat exchanger.

A geothermal heat pump system which may be installed in a building and operated as an air source heat pump system using an exterior heat exchanger as a heat source or heat source/sink, but which includes geothermal components including a geothermal heat exchanger. The geothermal heat exchanger may be isolated in initial operation of the system for heating and cooling but may be connected to a geothermal heat source/sink following initial installation of the heat pump system for use in heating and cooling as a heat source and a heat source/sink, respectively. In this manner, the heat pump system may be initially operated as a standard air source heat pump and optionally later converted into a geothermal heat pump system.

The present invention relates to an electrically driven, vapour compression heat pump device. The heat pump device comprises a variable speed or variable capacity refrigerant compressor, a compression stage having a first condenser, an expansion stage having a first evaporator, a DC to AC variable speed compressor drive inverter unit, a grid AC to DC power supply unit and an electronic control unit. The control unit varies the thermal capacity, and the power consumed by the device, in response to an input from at least one of: a renewable electricity generation input, a premises net consumption monitor, a utility grid frequency monitor, and a third party control input.

A heat pump system, comprising a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, an intermediate heat exchanger, a first throttling element and a first valve member, wherein the intermediate heat exchanger comprises a first heat exchange portion and second heat exchange portion that may carry out heat exchange; a first port of the first heat exchange portion communicates with an inlet of the compressor; a second port of the first heat exchange portion may communicate with at least one among an outlet of the second heat exchanger and a second port of the third heat exchanger; and a first port of the second heat exchange portion may communicate with a first port of the third heat exchanger.