A heat pump system can be reversed to either heat or cool a controlled space, such as environment in a building. In a typical use, such as heat pump system extracts heat or cold energy from the surrounding air around the building. A water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger is added to the refrigerant loop of the heat pump system along with a control system to operate water flow and a thermal energy exchange process. Addition of the water heat exchanger can add the heat or cold energy stored in a pool, or other external water reservoir, into the heat or cold exchanging process. Depending upon surrounding conditions, the automatic control system can switch in-between the energy sources, or use a combination of them, to improve efficiency the heat pump system.

A heat-pump system includes a compressor, an outdoor heating exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a supplemental heater. The outdoor heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the compressor. The indoor heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the compressor. The expansion device is in fluid communication with the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers. The supplemental heater includes a burner and a working-fluid conduit. The burner is configured to burn a fuel and heat the working-fluid conduit. When the heat-pump system is operating in a heating mode, the indoor heat exchanger receives working fluid from the working-fluid conduit such that the working fluid flows from an outlet of the working-fluid conduit to an inlet of the indoor heat exchanger.

A refrigerant circuit includes a compressor operable to compress a refrigerant, an expansion valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger in a fresh air inlet to a conditioned space, a recovery heat exchanger in an extracted air outlet from the conditioned space, and a reversing valve operable to direct a direction of refrigerant flow between a cooling mode and a heating mode.

An air conditioning and heat pump system includes an outdoor main unit and an indoor heat distribution system. The main outdoor unit includes a compressor, a refrigerant storage tank, a switching valve, a first outdoor heat exchanger and a cooling tower. The indoor heat distribution system includes at least one indoor heat exchanger, and a ventilating device. The ventilating device includes a supporting frame, a ventilating heat exchanging unit and an energy efficient heat exchanger supported in the supporting frame at a position between an air intake opening and the ventilating heat exchanging unit such that the ambient air from the air intake opening is arranged to pass through the energy efficient heat exchanger before passing through the ventilating heat exchanging unit. Refrigerant circulating between the main outdoor unit and the indoor heat distribution system may be cooled by cooling water and ambient air.

The present disclosure relates to a heat pump system comprising an outdoor unit disposed in an outdoor space, a plurality of thermal load units supplied with cool air and hot air, and an intermediate unit disposed between the outdoor unit and the plurality of thermal load units, wherein the intermediate unit is connected to the outdoor unit through refrigerant pipes and connected to the plurality of thermal load units through thermal medium pipes.

A Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) dehumidification system. The system has at least one condenser module in fluid communication with one or more indoor air handlers. At least one evaporator coil is in fluid communication with the indoor air handlers and at least one reheat/reclaim coil. The evaporator and reheat/reclaim coils are also in communication with the condenser module. A plurality of electronic expansion valves (EEVs) are in fluid communication with the indoor air handlers. A plurality of sensors is disposed in the system and are in communication with at least one VRF dehumidification system controller. In one embodiment, a logic is stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the VRF dehumidification system to monitor the data input from the plurality of sensors and regulates the capacity of the VRF dehumidification system needed to maintain a set dew point parameter.

A multi-split air conditioning system and a switching control method for an operating mode of indoor units thereof. The method comprises the following steps: when any indoor unit (21, 22, 23, 24) in multiple indoor units (21, 22, 23, 24) receives a mode switching instruction, the indoor unit (21, 22, 23, 24) sends the mode switching instruction to a shunt device (30) (S1); the shunt device (30) performs switching control on a heating control valve or a refrigeration control valve corresponding to the indoor unit (21, 22, 23, 24) according to the received mode switching instruction, releases pressure by controlling a second throttling assembly (34), a first control valve, and a bypass valve in order to reduce a differential pressure across the refrigeration control valve or the heating control valve corresponding to the indoor unit (21, 22, 23, 24), obtains a switching flag bit of a four-way valve, and controls the refrigeration control valve or the heating control valve corresponding to the indoor unit (21, 22, 23, 24) and the four-way valve according to the switching flag bit of the four-way valve (S2).

A split-type air conditioning and heat pump system an indoor unit, an outdoor unit and an energy efficient arrangement. The indoor unit includes an indoor housing having an indoor air inlet, and an indoor heat exchanger. The outdoor unit includes an outdoor housing, a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger and a fan unit. The energy efficient arrangement includes an energy saving heat exchanger supported in the indoor housing and connected to the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger. The energy saving heat exchanger is positioned between the indoor air inlet and the indoor heat exchanger so that air from an indoor space is arranged to pass through the energy saving heat exchanger before reaching the indoor heat exchanger.

A heat-pump system may include a compressor, an outdoor heating exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a supplemental heater. The outdoor heat exchanger may be in fluid communication with the compressor. The indoor heat exchanger may be in fluid communication with the compressor. The expansion device may be in fluid communication with the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers. The supplemental heater may include a burner and a working-fluid conduit. The burner may be configured to burn a fuel and heat the working-fluid conduit. When the heat-pump system is operating in a heating mode, the indoor heat exchanger may receive working fluid from the working-fluid conduit such that the working fluid flows from an outlet of the working-fluid conduit to an inlet of the indoor heat exchanger.

Dehumidification cannot be performed when a load decreases. In an air conditioner of the present invention, an indoor heat exchanger includes an auxiliary heat exchanger 20 and a main heat exchanger 21 disposed leeward from the auxiliary heat exchanger 20. In an operation in a predetermined dehumidification operation mode, a liquid refrigerant supplied to the auxiliary heat exchanger 20 all evaporates midway in the auxiliary heat exchanger 20. Therefore, only an upstream partial area in the auxiliary heat exchanger 20 is an evaporation region, while an area downstream of the evaporation region in the auxiliary heat exchanger 20 is a superheat region. In the predetermined dehumidification operation mode, a compressor and an expansion valve are controlled so that the extent of the evaporation region of the auxiliary heat exchanger 20 varies depending on the load.