A method for increasing working gas flow rate through gas bearings of a free piston, gamma configured Stirling heat pump to avoid failure of the gas bearings while maintaining thermal cooling power. The Stirling heat pump lifts heat from a storage chamber and has pistons that are driven in reciprocation at an operating frequency by linear electric motors. A temperature control maintains a steady state storage chamber temperature by sensing storage chamber temperature and modulating piston amplitude. The invention comprises (a) driving the pistons with linear electric motors that are driven by a variable frequency, AC power source; (b) sensing the pistons' amplitude of reciprocation; and (c) if the sensed piston amplitude is less than a selected piston activation amplitude, increasing the frequency of the AC power source to increase the Stirling heat pump's operating frequency. That decreases thermal cooling power which causes the temperature control to increase piston amplitude.

An absorption cooling system that includes a plurality of solar collectors, a generator containing a dilute absorbent-refrigerant solution, a condenser, an evaporator, an absorber, a heat exchanger located between the generator and the absorber, first, second, and third storage tanks, a first temperature control valve located between the solar collectors and the first storage tank, a second temperature control valve located between the first storage tank and the generator, and a plurality of additional valves, wherein the first temperature control valve and the second temperature control valve are configured to regulate a flow of a heating fluid into the generator by automatically toggling between an open mode or a closed mode in response to a controller signal indicating a presence or an absence of a set point of a solid absorbent content in the dilute absorbent-refrigerant solution of the generator.

An absorption cooling system that includes a plurality of solar collectors, a generator containing a dilute absorbent-refrigerant solution, a condenser, an evaporator, an absorber, a heat exchanger located between the generator and the absorber, first, second, and third storage tanks, a first temperature control valve located between the solar collectors and the first storage tank, a second temperature control valve located between the first storage tank and the generator, and a plurality of additional valves, wherein the first temperature control valve and the second temperature control valve are configured to regulate a flow of a heating fluid into the generator by automatically toggling between an open mode or a closed mode in response to a controller signal indicating a presence or an absence of a set point of a solid absorbent content in the dilute absorbent-refrigerant solution of the generator.

A cooling system includes an evaporator unit, a condensing unit, and a thermal battery fluidly coupled to the evaporator unit and the condensing unit. The cooling system also includes a control system configured to selectively direct a fluid refrigerant between any two of the condensing unit, the evaporator unit, and the thermal battery.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and controller therefor to operate with thermal energy reservoirs is provided to set a four-way valve to route a refrigerant through a refrigerant circuit in a first direction when the HVAC system is set to a cooling mode or in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, when the HVAC system is set to a heating mode; and set bypass valves in the refrigerant circuit based on a temperature of a temperature holding material in a thermal energy reservoir and which of the heating mode and the cooling mode the four-way valve is set to, wherein the bypass valves route the refrigerant through the thermal energy reservoir to transfer thermal energy between the refrigerant and the temperature holding material.

A temperature controller for a sorption system having an evaporator to produce a gas, a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the gas during a sorption phase, a flow channel extending between the evaporator and sorber to provide a gas pathway connecting them, a valve to control the rate of gas flow in the flow channel, and a temperature sensor positioned to measure the temperature of an evaporator surface or the air adjacent thereto indicative of an evaporator surface temperature, and generate a temperature signal. The controller includes an inflatable member having first and second inflation states, and a control unit configured to evaluate the temperature signal and in response control the state of inflation of the inflatable member and thereby the operation of the valve to control the rate of gas flow between the evaporator and sorber through the gas pathway.

An absorption cooling system that includes a plurality of solar collectors, a generator containing a dilute absorbent-refrigerant solution, a condenser, an evaporator, an absorber, a heat exchanger located between the generator and the absorber, first, second, and third storage tanks, a first temperature control valve located between the solar collectors and the first storage tank, a second temperature control valve located between the first storage tank and the generator, and a plurality of additional valves, wherein the first temperature control valve and the second temperature control valve are configured to regulate a flow of a heating fluid into the generator by automatically toggling between an open mode or a closed mode in response to a controller signal indicating a presence or an absence of a set point of a solid absorbent content in the dilute absorbent-refrigerant solution of the generator.

The present invention aims to provide cooling equipment which can reduce power consumption. Cooling equipment 1 includes a storage chamber 30 that stores storage goods; latent heat storage materials 101 to 106 disposed inside the storage chamber 30; a compressor 40 that configures a refrigerating cycle for cooling the inside of the storage chamber 30; a temperature sensor 60 that detects a temperature of the latent heat storage materials 101 to 106; and a control unit 100 that controls the compressor 40, based on a state of the latent heat storage materials 101 to 106.

The present invention aims to provide cooling equipment which can reduce power consumption. Cooling equipment 1 includes a storage chamber 30 that stores storage goods; latent heat storage materials 101 to 106 disposed inside the storage chamber 30; a compressor 40 that configures a refrigerating cycle for cooling the inside of the storage chamber 30; a temperature sensor 60 that detects a temperature of the latent heat storage materials 101 to 106; and a control unit 100 that controls the compressor 40, based on a state of the latent heat storage materials 101 to 106.

The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for determining refrigerant charge level. In one aspect, a refrigeration system includes: (1) a compressor to compress a refrigerant; (2) a condenser disposed downstream of the compressor to condense the refrigerant; (3) an evaporator disposed downstream of the condenser to vaporize the refrigerant; (4) refrigerant lines fluidly connecting the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator in series to form a refrigerant circuit for circulating the refrigerant; (5) at least one sensor configured to measure temperature and pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit; and (6) a controller communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to: (a) determine a sub-cooling level or super-heating level based on the temperature and/or pressure measured by the at least one sensor; and (b) facilitate operation of the refrigeration system based on the sub-cooling level or the super-heating level.