Symmetrical intermediate storage means for heat pumps with cyclical drainage into a main system

Abstract

Heat pumps and refrigerating machines operate optimally if the temperature difference of the connected heat sources and heat sinks is as small. If this is not the case, there are two negative effects: At a high spread, increased dissipation occurs in the condensers and evaporators. In order to increase spread, the heat return flow is frequently mixed with the heat pump flow. For this purpose, hydraulic separators and overflow valves are employed. This results in highly dissipative mixing of heat carrier medium with differing temperatures. Using a pair of intermediate storage means, the dissipation that occurs can be drastically reduced. The low spread of the heat pump is adjusted to the high spread of the remaining system. The COP of the system is substantially improved. With heat pumps, the improvement ranges from about 5% to 20%.

1 . A set-up of a temperature control system with a heat pump or refrigerating machine, with a first intermediate storage means, a second intermediate storage means, valves and a control and with a remaining system which is supplied with temperature-controlled heat transfer liquid, characterized in that the two intermediate storage means can be connected by means of the valves selectively and alternately to the heat pump or the refrigerating machine or else to the remaining system. 
     
     
         2 . The functioning of a temperature control system with the set-up as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the heat pump/refrigerating machine, in a first stroke, beams the heat transfer medium in the intermediate storage means  1  to a desired temperature level, while the intermediate storage means  2  discharges already heated/cooled heat transfer medium to a remaining system, and the heat pump/refrigerating machine, in a second stroke, brings the heat transfer medium in the intermediate storage means  2  to a desired temperature level, while the intermediate storage means  1  discharges already heated/cooled heat transfer medium to a remaining system, this then being followed again by stroke  1  in the case of a heating/cooling demand. 
     
     
         3 . The functioning of a temperature control system with a heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the remaining system contains a heating installation with a store, into which temperature-controlled heat transfer medium is pumped from the intermediate storage means, the buffer store of the remaining system preferably allowing stratified heat storage. 
     
     
         4 . The set-up of a temperature control system with a heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the overall system comprises an installation for service water heating and/or room heating. 
     
     
         5 . The functioning of a temperature control system with a heat pump as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the flow passes through intermediate storage means in opposite directions during loading and unloading, the loading of the intermediate storage machines in the case of heat pumps taking place from the top downward and in the case of refrigerating machines taking place from the bottom upward.