The application pertains to, for example, novel processes and systems for heat transfer, refrigeration, energy storage, and various cooling and heating processes. Such processes may include cooling or mixing various liquid-liquid phase transition liquids to release and/or energy. Additionally or alternatively, such processes may include charging and/or discharging thermal storage reservoirs with layered liquids of various temperatures.

A thermal storage system, capable of storing and releasing thermal energy, with a radiative heat exchange outer surface and a method of operating the device to cool a room-space without using a circulating refrigerant in the room cooling step.

A conditioning system includes a first plenum and a second plenum. The second plenum receives heated air from an enclosed space and supplies cooled air to the space. The system also includes a first liquid-to-air membrane energy exchanger (LAMEE1) arranged inside the first plenum. LAMEE1 is configured to use a liquid desiccant to lower an enthalpy of the first air stream. A LAMEE2 is arranged inside the first plenum downstream of LAMEE1. LAMEE2 is configured to use the first air stream to evaporatively cool water flowing through LAMEE2. A first LAHX (LAHX1) is arranged inside the second plenum. LAHX1 is configured to directly and sensibly cool the second air stream using a first cooling fluid. A second LAHX (LAHX2) is in fluid communication with LAMEE1 and is configured to receive the liquid desiccant from LAMEE1 and cool the liquid desiccant using outdoor air.

A portable air conditioner includes a housing and a cooling system. The cooling system includes a compressor, an air outlet of which is provided with heat dissipation material; a condenser; a first fan arranged on one side of the condenser and the compressor; a throttling device; an evaporator connected to the throttling device and the air inlet of the compressor, where a solenoid valve is connected between the first evaporator and the condenser; a second evaporator connected to the throttling device and the air inlet of the compressor; a regenerator having a storage space provided with a cool storage material; a third evaporator arranged on one side of the first evaporator; a power device communicatively connected to the storage space and the third evaporator; and a second fan arranged on one side of the first evaporator and the third evaporator.

A building HVAC system includes an airside system having a plurality of airside subsystems, a high-level model predictive controller (MPC), and a plurality of low-level airside MPCs. Each airside subsystem includes airside HVAC equipment configured to provide heating or cooling to the airside subsystem. The high-level MPC is configured to perform a high-level optimization to generate an optimal airside subsystem load profile for each airside subsystem. The optimal airside subsystem load profiles optimize energy cost. Each of the low-level airside MPCs corresponds to one of the airside subsystems and is configured to perform a low-level optimization to generate optimal airside temperature setpoints for the corresponding airside subsystem using the optimal airside subsystem load profile for the corresponding airside subsystem. Each of the low-level airside MPCs is configured to use the optimal airside temperature setpoints for the corresponding airside subsystem to operate the airside HVAC equipment of the corresponding airside subsystem.

A heat exchange system includes a heat-absorbing substance such as Liquid Natural Gas (LNG), a heat dissipation apparatus, a water storage tank, a heating portion, and a cooling portion. The heating portion is coupled between the LNG and the water storage tank. The cooling portion is coupled between the heat dissipation apparatus and the water storage tank. The cooling portion transfers heat of the heat dissipation apparatus to water of the water storage tank to heat the heating portion, and the heating portion transfers heat of the water of the water storage tank to the LNG.

In an air conditioning system, a cooling tower cools cooling water. A chiller generates cold water using the cooling water cooled by the cooling tower. A cooling water circulation passage circulates cooling water between the cooling tower and chiller. A first heat exchanger exchanges heat between air and the cold water generated by the chiller. A cold water circulation passage circulates the cold water between the chiller and first heat exchanger. A second heat exchanger exchanges heat between a portion of the cooling water cooled by the cooling tower and air heat-exchanged with the cold water. A cooling water branch passage, branching from the cooling water circulation passage, introduces to the second heat exchanger the portion of the cooling water introduced to the chiller from the cooling tower, and introduces to the cooling water circulation passage the portion of the cooling water heat-exchanged with air by the second heat exchanger.

Methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces to enable the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems. The methods may be in part based on dynamically changing functional elements with variable properties, or effective properties, in terms of their electromagnetic radiative behavior and/or their thermal energy storage properties, or the spatial distribution of the stored thermal energy, which permits the application of methods to control the overall thermal behavior of the entire structure in such a way that desired levels of inside temperature can be reached with reduced consumption of external energy (typically electricity, gas, oil, or coal). In some instances no conventional heating of cooling is required at all. In some instances the invention reduces the time to reach desired temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other predominantly enclosed spaces.

A frequency response optimization system includes a battery configured to store and discharge electric power, a power inverter configured to control an amount of the electric power stored or discharged from the battery at each of a plurality of time steps during a frequency response period, and a frequency response controller. The frequency response controller is configured to receive a regulation signal from an incentive provider, determine statistics of the regulation signal, use the statistics of the regulation signal to generate an optimal frequency response midpoint that achieves a desired change in a state-of-charge (SOC) of the battery while participating in a frequency response program, and use the midpoints to determine optimal battery power setpoints for the power inverter. The power inverter is configured to use the optimal battery power setpoints to control the amount of the electric power stored or discharged from the battery.

A modular process chiller and method of manufacturing a modular process chiller. A pump and tank are positioned in a fluid module configured for receiving fluids from an external source. A refrigeration module comprises a condenser arranged diagonally with a heat exchanger on one side and a fan on the opposite side, wherein the heat exchanger is in cool air flow and air is pulled through the condenser. Nonpermeable and air permeable panels are positioned to direct airflow through the refrigeration module. An electronics module is coupled to the refrigeration module in a configuration to provide user access. In processing systems, a process chiller is selectively configured for positioning proximate a process machine but configured for receiving fluid from external sources and maintaining a fluid temperature, flow rate and fluid pressure independent of the positioning.