A waste heat recovery for use with refrigeration means and space heating/water heating to meet various seasonal demands on refrigeration and heating energy is disclosed. The system is intended for use with refrigeration means of the conventional type including a compressor and a condenser through which a compressible refrigerant is circulated. The system integrates a refrigeration system and a heating utilization system through a thermochemical system functioning as a heat transfer system and thermochemical energy storage system. Wherein the heat transfer system is used for absorbing the waste heat normally dissipated in the condenser and for discharging the recovered thermal energy to a heat utilization system for space heating and/or water heating, the thermochemical energy storage system is used for converting the waste heat collected into chemical energy for seasonal storage. The waste heat recovery system is designed with a feature that operations of the refrigeration system and the heat utilization system are de-coupled so that the refrigeration system and the heat utilization system can be operated independently at different times on demand. This feature makes implementation of the waste heat recovery system viable for more residential houses, commercial establishments, and industrial processes applications.

A multi-source ground-to-air heat transfer system is configured to store thermal energy during a cooling/dehumidification mode of operation for future use during a heating mode of operation. The multi-source ground-to-air heat transfer system utilizes a ground loop that is configured under an enclosure, such as a greenhouse, and is in thermal communication with a thermal reservoir medium to conduct and store heat. A thermal exchange fluid is pumped through the ground loop and ground heat exchanger and may receive heat from a condenser during a cooling/dehumidification mode of operation and may liberate heat to the evaporator during a heating mode. The enclosure air may receive heat from the heat pump during a heating mode and may liberate heat to the evaporator during a cooling/dehumidification mode. The heat exchange system may employ a heat pump having a reversing valve to change the mode of operation.

A thermodynamic boiler for exchanging (providing or drawing) heat with a heating circuit includes a thermal compressor. The thermal compressor acts on a compressible fluid and includes at least one compression stage, with an alternating bi-directional piston separating a first chamber and a second chamber, and a first fuel burner forming a heat source coupled to the first chamber. The thermal compressor uses the heating circuit as a cold source coupled to the second chamber and forms the compression function of a reversible heat pump type loop,

Building heating and/or cooling methods are provided that can include continuously distributing fluid from within conduits within a concrete floor of a building to conduits within grounds surrounding and/or supporting the building.

An aspect of some embodiments of the current invention relates to an integrated system for heat distribution among a plurality of users. In some embodiments, the system includes a separate automatic control of heat distribution to each user and/or separate billing to each user. For example, a system may supply hot fluid to a plurality of apartments in a building and/or in multiple buildings. Optionally, each apartment has separate remote controlled valves controlling flow of heated fluid to the apartment and/or a sensor sensing how much heat enters and leaves the apartment in the hot fluid. In some embodiments, a processor controls the valve and/or receives data from sensors. The processor optionally controls devices that generate and/or store and/or dissipate heat. Optionally the processor predicts energy availability, costs and needs controls valves and/or devices to provide for predicted and/or unexpected needs while reduce cost of the energy.

When a heating operation mode using a heating unit is specified and when a hot water supply request using the hot water in a hot water storage tank does not occur, an air conditioning apparatus transmits a first selection signal for selecting the heating unit to a three-way valve. When the heating operation mode is specified and when the hot water supply request occurs, the air conditioning apparatus transmits, to the three-way valve, a second selection signal for changing a destination of circulation of secondary refrigerant from the heating unit to a coil heat exchanger, and transmits an operation start signal to a refrigerant indoor unit.

Building heating and/or cooling methods are provided that can include continuously distributing fluid from within conduits within a concrete floor of a building to conduits within grounds surrounding and/or supporting the building while transferring air to/from the interior of the building via a heat exchanger. Building heating/cooling systems are provided that can include: a building comprising walls and concrete floors; fluid containing conduit within the concrete floors; circulating fluid within the conduit; a least one heat exchanger operatively associated within the building and configured to transfer air to/from the building; and processing circuitry operatively coupled to fluid circulation controls and heat exchanger controls.

The heat medium transport paths are arranged between the first building and the second building and transport heat media that transport heat energy. A temperature distribution acquisition means acquires the temperature distribution of the heat media that have temperatures being different from each other in the heat medium transport paths and that are sequentially transported in a state of having a predetermined length in the transport direction in the heat medium transport paths. A control means receives a load request of an air conditioner of the first building, and when a heat medium having the heat energy that satisfies the load request received reaches the first building, based on the temperature distribution acquired by the temperature distribution acquisition means, the control means causes the air conditioner of the first building to take out the heat energy from the heat medium reached.

An aspect of some embodiments of the current invention relates to an integrated system for heat distribution among a plurality of users. In some embodiments, the system includes a separate automatic control of heat distribution to each user and/or separate billing to each user. For example, a system may supply hot fluid to a plurality of apartments in a building and/or in multiple buildings. Optionally, each apartment has separate remote controlled valves controlling flow of heated fluid to the apartment and/or a sensor sensing how much heat enters and leaves the apartment in the hot fluid. In some embodiments, a processor controls the valve and/or receives data from sensors. The processor optionally controls devices that generate and/or store and/or dissipate heat. Optionally the processor predicts energy availability, costs and needs controls valves and/or devices to provide for predicted and/or unexpected needs while reduce cost of the energy.

An inner power plant portion and a heat exchange station portion. The inner power plant portion includes a heat exchanger, a waste heat recovery electric heat pump, an energy-storing electric heat pump, high/low temperature water storing tanks, a heating network heater, a valve and a circulating water pump; the heat exchange station portion includes high/low temperature water storing tanks, an electric heat pump, a heat exchanger, a valve and a circulating water pump; as for the operating method of the device, the device can operate in periods of an electrical load trough, an electrical load flat and an electrical load peak respectively through combination of different valve switches, the high temperature water storing tank is used for balancing the difference between system heat supply amount and heating load, the low temperature water storing tank is used for stabilizing steam exhaust waste heat recovery amount.