The present invention provides stretchable laminates with a flat appearance on the visible surface. The laminates comprise a textile layer, a functional layer, and a plurality of elastic fibers. The plurality of elastic fibers are in a substantially parallel arrangement and the internal distance between adjacent fibers does not exceed the maximum fiber spacing, which depends on laminate thickness in a stretched state. Also provided are garments and footwear comprising the stretchable laminates and methods of producing the stretchable laminates.

The present invention provides stretchable laminates with a flat appearance on the visible surface. The laminates comprise a textile layer, a functional layer, and a plurality of elastic fibers. The plurality of elastic fibers are in a substantially parallel arrangement and the internal distance between adjacent fibers does not exceed the maximum fiber spacing, which depends on laminate thickness in a stretched state. Also provided are garments and footwear comprising the stretchable laminates and methods of producing the stretchable laminates.

A liquid desiccant regenerator configured to produce a first output stream with a higher concentration of a liquid desiccant than a first input stream. The regenerator also produces a second output stream with a lower concentration of the liquid desiccant than a second input stream. Regeneration of the liquid desiccant in the liquid desiccant regenerator decreases a temperature of the liquid desiccant regenerator. The system includes an air contactor coupled to the first output stream and exposing an input air stream to the first output stream. The first output stream absorbs water from the input air stream to form at least one diluted output desiccant stream. A heat pump of the system is thermally coupled to move the heat from the first output stream to the liquid desiccant regenerator. The heat moved to the liquid desiccant regenerator increases an efficiency of the liquid desiccant regenerator.

A Building Management System (BMS) is configured to monitor and control building equipment. The BMS includes a number of sensors configured to transmit input data associated with the building equipment. The BMS further includes a condition based maintenance scheduler configured to determine a number of potential problems associated with the building equipment based on the input data. The condition based maintenance scheduler determines the number of potential problems by comparing the input data to a set of conditions. The BMS is further configured to schedule a number of maintenance events associated with the building equipment based on the number of potential problems.

A thermal energy storing system includes two or more volumes of a formulation of active material. The formulation of active material in each of the two or more volumes includes a solvent and one or more of a salt, a base, or an acid as the active material. The formulation of active material in each of the two or more volumes also has multiple congruent solid/liquid phase transitions at different concentrations of the solvent. A phase transition temperature of each volume of the two or more volumes of the formulation of active material can be adjusted by changing the concentration of solvent in each formulation. This tunability notably improves the performance and cost effectiveness of heat pumps, shifting electrical loads to lower-cost, off-peak/renewable-intensive periods, improving efficiency, and enabling recovery of low-grade renewable and waste heat. The system has a relatively small footprint, which is particularly attractive in urban applications.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a heat pump having a housing. The HVAC system also includes an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) or heat recover ventilator (HRV) integrated with the heat pump such that an access panel to the ERV or HRV faces outwardly from the housing of the heat pump, and such that the access panel is accessible at an outer boundary of the housing.

A thermal energy system adapted to be coupled to a building energy system which selectively provides heating and/or cooling to a building, the thermal energy system comprising a heat pump system having an output for a working fluid connected to a heating output of the thermal energy system, a first geothermal system in which a working fluid is, in use, circulated, a first switch assembly selectively connecting the first geothermal system to at least one of the heating output of the thermal energy system and an input for a working fluid of the heat pump system, a second geothermal system in which a working fluid is, in use, circulated, and a second switch assembly selectively connecting the second geothermal system to at least one of a cooling output of the thermal energy system and the input of the heat pump system.

A metering device is fluidly coupled to the condenser coil. A distributor is fluidly coupled to the metering device. An evaporator coil is fluidly coupled to the distributor via a plurality of evaporator circuit lines. A re-heat coil is disposed adjacent to the evaporator coil. The re-heat coil includes a first fluid connection to the metering device via a re-heat return line and a second re-heat feed line. The re-heat coil includes a second fluid connection to the condenser coil via a connecting line and a condenser intake line. A first check valve is disposed between the connecting line and the condenser intake line. A second check valve is disposed between the re-heat return line and the second re-heat feed line.

Disclosed herein are systems and processes to thermally regenerate and re-concentrate a liquid desiccant (absorbent) with an electrically driven heat pump. The regeneration and re-concentration may be performed in a cost and energy efficient manner.

An air conditioner is disclosed. The air conditioner includes a case having a first and a second indoor suction port and a first and a second indoor discharge port, an air conditioning unit having a first and a second heat exchanger, a first indoor flow channel connected between the first indoor suction port and the first indoor discharge port, a second indoor flow channel connected between the second indoor suction port and the second indoor discharge port, and a condensing unit to receive regenerated air, heat-exchanged with the condenser, from one of the first indoor flow channel and the second indoor flow channel, and perform a heat exchange between the regenerated air and a cooling fluid having a lower temperature than the regenerated air.