A DC-powered system may include controls configured to switch between available DC power supplies and manage the refrigeration system in accordance with one or more methods. The one or more methods of the control system may include multiple tiers of power management, including, e.g., maximization of power usage when on a photovoltaic power supply to subcool a refrigerated load.

A closed loop system utilizing a solar refrigerant turbocharger and pump in conjunction with a solar collector to operate a heating and cooling system for a building by utilization of a renewable energy source. The liquid pump within the solar turbocharger is used to boost the refrigerant pressures into the solar collector, the refrigerant absorbs heat inside the solar collector and changes phase from a liquid to a vapor. The vapor is expanded across the turbine causing the turbine to spin. The ability of the refrigerant to change phase or flash from a liquid to a vapor is due to the solar energy that is transferred from evacuated tubes into the solar collector manifold and into the refrigerant. The gas is routed to the solar turbo pump turbine to drive the compressor and liquid pump. The resulting fluid gas leaving the turbine is routed to the condenser for normal operation.

A device is provided for supplying heating and cooling, the device having a heat transfer medium arranged in the interior of a storage tank and having at least one cycle process plant operated using a working substance. The heat transfer medium has a lower temperature in a bottom region of the interior than in a region of the interior arranged thereabove. All the components of the cycle process plant that contain the working substance are arranged in the interior. The components of the cycle process plant arranged inside the storage tank are surrounded by the heat transfer medium. The heat transfer medium has constituents to bind or convert the working substance. The amount of the constituent as a proportion of the heat transfer medium is dimensioned in such a way that the working substance contained in the cycle process plant can be completely bound or converted by the constituent after an escape from the cycle process plant.

A solar distillation system for producing a distillate and providing cooling for a structure or appliance, and a method of using the system to produce a distillate and cool a structure or appliance. The system includes a distillate cooling coil, a secondary cooling coil, an expansion valve which is capable of controlling an amount of a coolant that flows through each of the coils. The system also includes a compressor, a plurality of sensors including a temperature sensor and a distillate flow sensor, and a controller which receives input from the sensors and controls the activity of the compressor and expansion valve. The system is capable of producing distillate at night in the absence of solar radiation.

The air conditioning system with solar-powered subcooling system includes a main cooling system having an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve configured to operate in a conventional vapor compression refrigerant cycle. The subcooling system includes a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve, the compressor being powered by at least one rechargeable battery connected to a photovoltaic solar panel. The main system and the subcooling system are linked by a heat exchanger having a primary coil in the main system between the condenser and the expansion valve and a secondary coil in the subcooling system disposed between the expansion valve and the compressor. The main system and the subcooling system may use the same type of refrigerant, or different refrigerant types. The additional cooling provided to the refrigerant in the main system by subcooling increases the efficiency of the air conditioning system.

A temperature control system, including a closed refrigerant circuit having an evaporator unit for absorbing heat via the refrigerant, thereby evaporating it, a compressor unit with a mechanical compressor for increasing the pressure of the refrigerant and a thermal collector for using an external heat source to increase the temperature of refrigerant within the circuit, and a condenser unit for rejecting heat from the refrigerant, liquefying it.

A solar power refrigerant heating device for use in an air conditioning system includes an intake passageway and a plurality of intake valves are in fluid communication with the intake passageway. A plurality of heating chambers are in fluid communication with respective ones of the plurality of intake valves. A plurality of discharge valves are in communication with respective ones of the plurality of heating chambers. A solar powered temperature control device is in thermal communication with the heating chambers for converting solar energy into heat and selectively applying the heat to the heating chambers. The intake valves, the discharge valves, and the solar powered temperature control device are operatively connected to facilitate sequential receipt of refrigerant from the intake passageway into the heating chambers, heating of the received refrigerant within the heating chambers, and discharge of the refrigerant from the heating chambers according to a prescribed operational sequence.

Embodiments of the present invention reduce the amount of energy required to operate air-conditioners and refrigerators by providing a vapor-compression system that harnesses a low- or no-cost source of energy, namely, heat, and uses the harnessed heat to power a new kind of compressor, called a “burst compressor” and a new kind of pump, called a “vapor pump.” The heat-driven burst compressor pressurizes the refrigerant, while also providing “push and pull” vapor refrigerant to the vapor pump. The vapor pump, actuated by the high pressure refrigerant in gaseous form provided by the burst compressor, is configured to pump a combination of gaseous, vaporous and liquid refrigerant out of the receiver tank and inject that low pressure refrigerant mix into the burst compressor, where it is heated to change the state of the refrigerant to a heated, pressurized gas. Then the heated, pressurized gas is released in bursts into the other components of the vapor compression cycle. Thus, embodiments of the present invention use heat to provide cold. Because of this arrangement, vapor-compression systems constructed and arranged to operate according to embodiments of the present invention are able to provide air-conditioning and/or refrigeration much more efficiently and with much less expense than traditional vapor compression systems for air-conditioning and refrigeration.

A system for a heat pump that allows the heat pump to work efficiently in extreme cold weathers. The system includes an evaporator in fluid communication with an expansion valve, the expansion valve can receive a liquid refrigerant from a condenser of the heat pump. The evaporator contains a pool of liquid refrigerant and an electric resistance heating source dipped in the pool of liquid refrigerant. The electric resistance heating source can heat the liquid refrigerant of the pool to generate vapors and thus maintaining a desired pressure within the heat pump.

Water generation systems and related methods of generating water from air are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, water generation systems and related methods comprise a solar unit or layer to convert solar radiation into heat and/or electrical energy, a sorption unit or layer comprising a hygroscopic material to capture water vapor from ambient air, a regeneration gas to accumulate water vapor from the sorption unit or layer, and a heat exchange assembly to condense water vapor from the regeneration gas to produce liquid water. Disclosed heat exchange assemblies can comprise a vapor-compression cycle or refrigeration circuit configured to circulate a refrigerant. A refrigerant evaporator can transfer heat from condensation of water vapor in the regeneration gas to the refrigerant and/or a refrigerant condenser can transfer heat from condensation of refrigerant vapor to the sorption unit or layer. Various embodiments include a controller to adjust a system operational setpoint based on a system operational state and/or an environmental condition.