A heat pump system provides at least six modes of heating, cooling, and/or domestic water heating operation, where domestic water heating may occur concurrently with heating or cooling a space in a structure. The heat pump system comprises a desuperheater positioned downstream of the compressor and operable as a desuperheater, a condenser or an evaporator, a source heat exchanger operable as either a condenser or an evaporator, a load heat exchanger operable as either a condenser or an evaporator, a reversing valve positioned downstream of the desuperheater heat exchanger and configured to alternately direct refrigerant flow from the desuperheater heat exchanger to one of the load heat exchanger and the source heat exchanger and to alternately return refrigerant flow from the other of the load heat exchanger and the source heat exchanger to the compressor, and an expansion valve positioned between the load heat exchanger and the source heat exchanger.

An air handling unit (1) for cooling down an indoor airflow (A1) including at least one fan (3) circulating the indoor airflow inside the air handling unit (1) and a first and a second cooling subsystems (5, 15) including a refrigeration apparatus (50, 150) comprising an evaporator (500, 1500) and a condenser (504, 1504), a first water circuit (52, 152) connected to the condenser and comprising at least one outside heat exchanger (520, 1520) exposed to outside air (A5, A15), a second water circuit (56, 156) connected to the evaporator and comprising at least one indoor heat exchanger (560, 1560) exposed to the indoor airflow, water connection means (62, 64, 162, 164) for selectively connecting, depending on a temperature of the outside air.

An HVAC system is disclosed, comprising: (a) a compressor, (b) a source heat exchanger for exchanging heat with a source fluid, (c) a first load heat exchanger operable for heating/cooling air in a space, (d) a second load heat exchanger for heating water, (e) first and second reversing valves, (f) first and second 3-way valves, (f) a bi-directional electronic expansion valve, (g) a first bi-directional valve, and (h) a second bi-directional valve to modulate exchange of heat in the first load heat exchanger when operating as an evaporator and to control flashing of the refrigerant entering the source heat exchanger when operating as an evaporator, (h) a source pump for circulating the source fluid through the first load heat exchanger, (i) a water pump for circulating water through the second load heat exchanger, and (j) a controller to control operation of the foregoing.

A retrofit heat pump system for a water heater is disclosed. The heat pump system includes a plurality of evaporators to increase the efficiency of heat exchange for the system. The system can also include a plurality of condenser circuits used to heat the water of an existing water tank. A fan disposed in a housing of the heat pump system can draw air across the plurality of evaporators and exhaust cool air external to the heat pump system. The cool air can be exhausted into duct work associated with an air conditioning system of the home. The disclosure also describes a refrigerant distributor for providing uniform liquid refrigerant to the plurality of evaporators.

A multi-refrigeration-cycle apparatus capable of reducing an installation area for equipment installed in a sub-fab and capable of shortening a pipe for delivering a cooling medium to a semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment is disclosed. The multi-refrigeration-cycle apparatus includes: a first refrigeration cycle having a first refrigerant for performing heat exchange with a cooling medium for cooling the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment, the first refrigerant circulating in the first refrigeration cycle; and a second refrigeration cycle having a second refrigerant for performing heat exchange with the first refrigerant, the second refrigerant circulating in the second refrigeration cycle. At least a part of the first refrigeration cycle is arranged in a clean room where the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment is installed, and the second refrigeration cycle is arranged in a sub-fab.

A climate-control system may include a first working fluid circuit, a second working fluid circuit and a storage tank. The first working fluid circuit includes a first compressor and a first heat exchanger in fluid communication with the first compressor. The second working fluid circuit includes a second compressor and a second heat exchanger in fluid communication with the second compressor. The storage tank contains a phase-change material. The first working fluid circuit and the second working fluid circuit are thermally coupled with the phase-change material contained in the storage tank.

A modular apparatus and system for managing the temperature of a livewell or other container housing water, and an associated method for installing the same. The system featuring a self-contained fluid line in communication with a first fluid line, which is in fluid communication with the livewell. The modular apparatus generally featuring the system and an enclosure. The enclosure can be located adjacent the livewell and detachably coupled to a fishing vessel. The modular apparatus and system can further comprise a condenser, which can be a forced air coil unit, a liquid-cooled unit, or a cold plate heat sink unit.

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for cooling using both air and/or liquid cooling sub circuits. A vapor compression cooling system having both an air and liquid cooling sub circuit designed to service high sensible process heat loads that cannot be solely cooled by either liquid or air is provided.

An air-conditioning device includes a heater unit that heats the air to be lead to a vehicle cabin using the heat of the refrigerant compressed by a compressor, a liquid receiver arranged at the downstream side of an outside heat exchanger, a liquid receiver separating the refrigerant lead from the outside heat exchanger into a liquid-phase refrigerant and a gaseous-phase refrigerant and storing the liquid-phase refrigerant, and a restrictor mechanism provided between the heater unit and the outside heat exchanger, the restrictor mechanism decompressing and expanding the refrigerant. When there is a dehumidification request, the operation mode is temporarily switched from a dehumidifying cabin-heating mode which evaporates the refrigerant by an evaporating unit and radiates heat by the heater unit in the state in which the restrictor mechanism restricts the flow of the refrigerant, to the cabin-cooling mode which evaporates the refrigerant by the evaporating unit while promoting the storage of the liquid-phase refrigerant in the liquid receiver.

A chiller includes an evaporator, a compressor including a prime mover, a first pressure sensor that detects a first pressure in the evaporator, a second pressure sensor that detects a second pressure in a condenser, and a controller. The controller determines a predicted energy level of the compressor based on the first pressure and the second pressure, the predicted energy level associated with liquid droplet flow into the compressor, compares the predicted energy level to an operating energy level, and modifies the at least one of the input power and the input current to the prime mover based on the comparison satisfying a modification condition.