A stand-alone long-distance closed-loop heat energy capture, conveyance, and delivery system, comprises three closed-loop modules in serial communication. The first module is in communication with a first closed-loop piping infrastructure interconnected with a source of heat energy, and has a LBP liquid circulating therein whereby the LBP liquid is converted into its gas phase when flowing through the source of heat energy thereby capturing a portion of heat energy therefrom, and is converted into its liquid phase when flowing through a first heat exchanger that transfers the captured-heat energy to a second closed-loop piping infrastructure wherein also is circulating a LBP liquid. The second closed-loop module may extend for long distances. The captured-heat energy in the second module is transferred to a third closed-loop piping infrastructure wherein is also circulating a LBP liquid. The captured-heat energy is transferred from the third module to a delivery site.

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 district energy system includes at least one energy provisioning unit, an energy management controller; a thermal distribution network coupled to the energy provisioning units and to a plurality of coupling interfaces connectable to the associated HVAC system of buildings within a district, and an electrical distribution network coupled to the energy provisioning units and to the coupling interfaces. The coupling interfaces may include both heat pumps and heat exchangers at each building, to provide heating, cooling and enable harvesting of normally wasted thermal energy from the buildings for re-distribution. The controller can manage the selection and number of energy provisioning units (and their operational set points) coupled to the district thermal distribution network and the electrical distribution network to meet the thermal and electrical demands of the district while satisfying other operational goals such as the minimization of greenhouse gas emissions.

[OBJECT] To provide an evaporator which can improve heat exchange performance.

[SOLVING MEANS] An evaporator including a metal wall and a porous metal film directly connected to the metal wall, wherein the porous metal film has communication holes having an average pore size of 8 μm or less, and the porous metal film has a porosity of 50% or more.

A local energy distributing system includes a local feed conduit; a local return conduit; a central heat exchanger connected to a heating grid having a feed conduit for an incoming flow of heat transfer fluid having a first temperature in the range of 50-120° C., and a return conduit for a return flow of heat transfer fluid having a second temperature, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature, wherein the central heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat from the incoming flow of heat transfer fluid to an outgoing flow of local heat transfer fluid in the local feed conduit. The system also includes a plurality of local heating systems, each having an inlet connected to the local feed conduit and an outlet connected to the local return conduit, wherein each local heating system is configured to provide hot water and/or comfort heating to a building.

The present invention relates to a thermal server plant (40) arranged to be connected to a thermal energy circuit (10) comprising a hot conduit (12) configured to allow heat transfer liquid of a first temperature to flow therethrough, and a cold conduit (14) configured to allow heat transfer liquid of a second temperature to flow therethrough. The thermal server plant comprises a balancing device (41) arranged to be connected to the hot conduit and to the cold conduit for selectively allowing heat transfer liquid to flow from the hot conduit, via a regulator (42) and a heat exchanger (44), into the cold conduit or allowing heat transfer liquid to flow from the cold conduit, via the regulator and the heat exchanger, into the hot conduit. The flow direction is determined by a pressure difference between the hot and cold conduits. The heat exchanger is configured to alter the temperature of the heat transfer liquid flowing through the balancing device by selectively cool heat transfer liquid from the hot conduit or heat transfer liquid from the cold conduit.

A controller configured to selectively set a reversible heat pump assembly (100) in either a heating mode or in a cooling mode is presented. The controller comprising a control circuit (44) configured to: for a time period, determine, using a demand determining function (50), a heating demand for heat from one or more local heating circuits (140) connected to the reversible heat pump assembly (100) and a cooling demand for cold from one or more local cooling circuits (140) connected to the reversible heat pump assembly (100); generate, using a control function (52), a control signal indicative of if the reversible heat pump assembly (100) is to be set in either the heating mode or in the cooling mode, wherein the control function is configured to use the heating demand and the cooling demand as input data; and send, using a transmission function (54), the control signal to a heat pump (110) of the reversible heat pump assembly (100). Also a method for controlling the reversible heat pump assembly (100) is presented.

A combined cooling and heating system including a district cooling grid having a feed conduit for an incoming flow of cooling fluid having a first temperature, and a return conduit for a return flow of cooling fluid having a second temperature, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature; a local cooling system being configured to absorb heat from a first building and comprising a heat exchanger having a heat exchanger inlet and a heat exchanger outlet; and a local heating system being configured to heat the first or a second building and comprising a heat pump having a heat pump inlet and a heat pump outlet. The heat exchanger inlet is connected to the feed conduit of the district cooling grid; and the heat pump inlet is connected to the return conduit of the district cooling grid and to the heat exchanger outlet.

An energy-saving system using electric heat pump to recover flue gas waste heat for district heating uses flue gas waste heat recovery tower to absorb the sensible and latent heat in the high-temperature flue gas by direct contact heat and mass transfer. The circulating water is sprayed from the top and the flue gas flows upwards in the tower. The electric heat pump is indirectly connected with circulating water through the anti-corrosion and high-efficiency water-water plate heat exchanger. The return water of the heat-supply network enters the electric heat pump through the anti-corrosion and high-efficiency water-water plate heat exchanger and exchanges heat indirectly with the high-temperature circulating water. The electric heat pump uses the electric energy of the power plant as the driving power.

The present invention relates to a district thermal energy distribution system comprising a thermal energy circuit comprising a hot and a cold conduit for allowing flow of heat transfer liquid therethrough, a thermal energy consumer heat exchanger and a thermal energy generator heat exchanger. The thermal energy consumer heat exchanger is selectively connected to the hot conduit via a thermal energy consumer valve or a thermal energy consumer pump. The thermal energy generator heat exchanger is selectively connected to the cold conduit via a thermal energy generator valve or a thermal energy generator pump.