A thermal energy storage system including an enclosure having an internal volume. An incompressible phase change material (PCM) is provided within the internal volume of the enclosure, where the PCM contracts into a solid state when its temperature falls below a certain temperature and expands into a liquid state when its temperature goes above the certain temperature. An elastic bladder is positioned adjacent to the PCM within the internal volume of the enclosure and is filled with a compressible material, where the PCM pushes against the bladder when it is expanded to the liquid state and causes the compressible material to be compressed within the bladder and the enclosure.

A reserve tank includes a plurality of chambers, including a first chamber, a second chamber, and at least one intermediate chamber, a first inflow port connected to the first chamber, a first outflow port connected to the first chamber, a second inflow port connected to the second chamber, a second outflow port connected to the second chamber, and a plurality of partition walls separating the chambers. Each of the partition walls is provided with a corresponding one of a plurality of refrigerant flow ports. A specific refrigerant flow port includes a first through hole and a second through hole that pass through a specific partition wall and are separated from each other. The specific refrigerant flow port being a refrigerant flow port provided in the specific partition wall among the partition walls.

There is herein described a heat battery design for horizontal and vertical planes and a heat battery using a separate volume compensator. In particular, there is described an improved heat battery design which overcomes the problem of over-pressurisation within a battery cell during use.

A heat exchanger includes: a plate-like fin having one end and an other end in a first direction; and a first heat transfer tube and a second heat transfer tube that each extends through the fin and that are adjacent to each other in a second direction. A portion to which the fin and the first heat transfer tube are connected and a clearance portion that separates between the fin and the first heat transfer tube are disposed between the fin and the first heat transfer tube. The clearance portion is disposed at one end side in the first direction relative to an imaginary center line that passes through a center of the first heat transfer tube in a long side direction and that extends along a short side direction.

A system for providing a pressurized liquid, having a reservoir for the liquid, which has a discharge and a feed, having a pump, having a first valve, having a separate filter chamber, having an inlet and at least one outlet, and a compressible, closed buffer body. The pump is between the discharge of the reservoir and the filter chamber and configured to increase pressure of the liquid within the filter chamber, the first valve between the feed of the reservoir and the filter chamber and configured to open in the direction of the reservoir upon attainment or exceedance of a minimum pressure of the liquid in the filter chamber. The buffer body is in the filter chamber such that it can be surrounded by liquid.

A reserve tank includes a plurality of chambers, including a first chamber, a second chamber, and at least one intermediate chamber, a first inflow port connected to the first chamber, a first outflow port connected to the first chamber, a second inflow port connected to the second chamber, a second outflow port connected to the second chamber, and a plurality of partition walls separating the chambers. Each of the partition walls is provided with a corresponding one of a plurality of refrigerant flow ports. A specific refrigerant flow port includes a first through hole and a second through hole that pass through a specific partition wall and are separated from each other. The specific refrigerant flow port being a refrigerant flow port provided in the specific partition wall among the partition walls.

There is herein described a heat battery design for horizontal and vertical planes and a heat battery using a separate volume compensator. In particular, there is described an improved heat battery design which overcomes the problem of over-pressurisation within a battery cell during use.

A system for draining an airfan heat exchanger includes an airfan heat exchanger including a housing, a pressurized gas source fluidly coupled to the airfan heat exchanger and configured to hold a purging gas at a predetermined pressure, and a controller configured to control delivery of the purging gas to the airfan heat exchanger. The pressurized gas source is configured to provide a flow of the purging gas to the airfan heat exchanger and thereby drain water held in the airfan heat exchanger. The purging gas to the airfan will cause the airfan to drain quickly avoiding potential damage to the airfan from freezing of the water during cold weather.

A fluid coil includes a tube bundle having a series of straight tubing runs and a series of return bends extending between and fluidically connecting ones of the straight tubing runs, an expansion header fluidically connected to at least some of the return bends and a polymeric material disposed in the expansion header. The polymeric material has an initial shape and is compressible to repeatedly expand and contract between a first volume in which water is present in the tube bundle and a second volume in which the water undergoes a phase change. Contraction of the polymeric material absorbs an increase in volume as the water undergoes the phase change to prevent stressing and rupture of the tube bundle and upon an opposite phase change, the polymeric material returns to its initial shape. The polymeric material can be a pressurizable bladder. A system and method to prevent the rupture of a tube bundle in a fluid coil are also disclosed.

A heat exchanger includes a first flow path through which a first fluid flows, a second flow path through which a second fluid flows, and an adjustment layer disposed between the first flow path and the second flow path adjacent to each other and that adjusts an amount of heat exchange between the first flow path and the second flow path. The adjustment layer includes a first portion and a second portion having a heat transfer performance lower than that of the first portion, and has a heat transfer performance varied depending on a position in the adjustment layer.