An apparatus for heating water has a tank for storing water and an air conditioning system that defines a refrigerant flow path through which refrigerant flows. The refrigerant flow path passes through a heat exchanger so that refrigerant heat is contributed to the tank. The heat exchanger houses a phase change material. A controller controls operation of the water heating apparatus.

A micro environmental control system that can remove or add 30W from or to the near range personal microenvironment of a user. For cooling, the μX uses a micro vapor compression system during the un-occupied period to freeze a phase-change-material in a thermal storage module. A fan then moves air over the phase-change-material to deliver cooled air. Heating is delivered by a small electric heater integrated into a condensing unit. The resulting system is inexpensive to build and uses a limited amount of energy.

A system for selectively heating and cooling including a three-way heat exchange apparatus, a source apparatus for selectively heating and cooling a source fluid, a phase change material for selectively storing heating and cooling potential, and a distribution apparatus for selectively distributing heating and cooling a distribution fluid, wherein the three-way heat exchange apparatus is connected to the phase change material by an interface between the heat exchange apparatus and the phase change material.

A cooling system comprises an air cooled condensing unit (ACCU) having a condenser outlet and a condenser inlet, and a phase change composite thermal energy storage module (PCCTESM) having first and second fluid paths disposed therethrough, wherein each of the first and second fluid paths have an inlet and an outlet. The cooling system further comprises at least one air handling unit (AHU) having an AHU inlet and an AHU outlet, a first expansion valve disposed between the condenser outlet and the first fluid path inlet, a fluid connection between the second fluid path inlet and the condenser outlet, a second expansion valve disposed between the AHU inlet and the second fluid path outlet, and a second fluid connection that connects the first fluid path outlet and the AHU outlet to the condenser inlet.

The present disclosure provides an air conditioner, a control strategy of the air conditioner and an air conditioning system. The air conditioner includes a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a phase-change thermal-storage heat exchanger, a throttling device and a box. The throttling device is provided between the first heat exchanger and the phase-change thermal-storage heat exchanger. One of the first heat exchanger and phase-change thermal-storage heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and the other functions as a condenser. The box includes an air supply port and an air return port. The compressor, the first heat exchanger, the phase-change thermal-storage heat exchanger and the throttling device are mounted in the box, thereby facilitating installation of the air conditioner.

The present disclosure provides an air conditioner, a control strategy of the air conditioner and an air conditioning system. The air conditioner includes a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a phase-change thermal-storage heat exchanger, a throttling device and a box. The throttling device is provided between the first heat exchanger and the phase-change thermal-storage heat exchanger. One of the first heat exchanger and phase-change thermal-storage heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and the other functions as a condenser. The box includes an air supply port and an air return port. The compressor, the first heat exchanger, the phase-change thermal-storage heat exchanger and the throttling device are mounted in the box, thereby facilitating installation of the air conditioner.

During a normal operation, a refrigeration cycle device is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which heat contained in a high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of an interior radiator is stored in a heat storage member. When frost is formed on an evaporator, the refrigeration cycle device is switched to another refrigerant circuit in which the exterior heat exchanger is heated and defrosted using heat stored in the heat storage member as a heat source. The heat storage member uses a material formed by adding W (tungsten) as an additive to VO.sub.2 (vanadium dioxide) which is a transition metal oxide having a property of a phase transition between a metal and an insulator. The heat storage member effectively stores or dissipates heat depending on a temperature zone of the refrigerant, thereby suppressing an increase in energy consumption of a compressor.

A micro environmental control system that can remove or add 30W from or to the near range personal microenvironment of a user. For cooling, the X uses a micro vapor compression system during the un-occupied period to freeze a phase-change-material in a thermal storage module. A fan then moves air over the phase-change-material to deliver cooled air. Heating is delivered by a small electric heater integrated into a condensing unit. The resulting system is inexpensive to build and uses a limited amount of energy.

A refrigeration device includes a thermal transfer unit with an evaporative region, an adiabatic region, and a condensing region with a reversible valve attached to the adiabatic region. The device includes a container sealed around PCM, with a set of refrigeration coils of a compressor unit in thermal contact with the PCM. A storage region is in thermal contact with the evaporative region of the thermal transfer unit. A controller is operably connected to the reversible valve and the refrigeration compressor unit. The storage region can be used to store cold packs within a predetermined temperature range for medical outreach.

A heat utilizing apparatus includes a heat pump including a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, a first heat storage unit storing heat exchanged in the first heat exchanger, a second heat storage unit storing heat exchanged in the second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger exchanging heat with the first heat storage unit, a fourth heat exchanger exchanging heat with the second heat storage unit 8, a measurement unit measuring a heat storage amount of the first heat storage unit, a heat rejection unit reducing the heat storage amount of the first heat storage unit, a determination unit determining, in accordance with a measurement result of the measurement unit, whether to reduce the heat storage amount of the first heat storage unit and a heat storage amount of the second heat storage unit, and a control unit adjusting the amount of heat to be reduced through the heat rejection unit in accordance with a determination result of the determination unit.