Utilities grid for distributed refrigeration system

Abstract

A distributed refrigeration appliance system for use in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling and includes multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit. The refrigeration system can have more than one refrigeration machine providing cooling to the secondary refrigeration loop.

1 . A distributed refrigeration system for use in a kitchen and other locations in a residential dwelling comprising:
 a variable cooling capacity primary refrigeration machine having a cooling circuit including a primary heat exchanger for providing cooling;   at least one secondary refrigeration loop positioned in the residential dwelling utilizing a cooling medium fluid comprising;
 a plurality of access points located in the residential dwelling; 
 a secondary cooling medium circuit connecting the primary heat exchanger and the plurality of access points to convey cooling medium fluid from the primary heat exchanger to the plurality of access points, and to return cooling medium fluid to the primary heat exchanger; and 
 a variable speed electric motor driven variable flow rate pump for circulating cooling medium fluid in the cooling medium circuit; 
   a controller connected to the primary refrigeration machine including;
 a first sensor connected to the controller to sense the temperature rise of the cooling medium fluid returning to the primary heat exchanger in the secondary cooling medium circuit; and 
 a second sensor to connected to the controller to determine the flow rate of the cooling medium fluid in the secondary cooling medium circuit; 
   a plurality of remote refrigeration devices each associated with the residential dwelling to provide distributed refrigeration at a location associated with the residential dwelling and arranged to connect to the secondary refrigeration loop at one of the plurality of access points including:
 a connector to receive cooling medium fluid from the secondary cooling medium circuit and return cooling medium fluid to the secondary cooling medium circuit at an access point; 
 a remote refrigeration device heat exchanger connected to the connector and arranged to receive cooling medium fluid from and return cooling medium fluid to the connector to cool the remote refrigeration device; 
 a control device connected between the remote refrigeration device heat exchanger and the connector to control the flow of cooling medium fluid to the remote refrigeration device heat exchanger; 
 a remote device sensor arranged to sense a predetermined condition of the remote refrigeration device and arranged to connect to the control device; and 
 a selector connected to the remote device sensor arranged to allow a user to set the desired predetermined condition for the remote refrigeration device; 
   wherein the controller is arranged to adjust the cooling capacity of the variable cooling capacity primary refrigeration machine to match the aggregate cooling demand of the plurality of remote refrigeration devices based the temperature rise of the cooling medium fluid sensed by the first sensor and flow rate of the cooling medium fluid sensed by the second sensor.   
     
     
         2 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the access points further comprise an electrical connector to supply electrical power to a remote refrigeration device. 
     
     
         3 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the distributed refrigeration system includes a control circuit and the plurality of access points further comprise a control circuit connector arranged to connect a remote refrigeration device to the controller. 
     
     
         4 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the variable cooling capacity primary refrigeration machine comprises a central cooling unit having a variable speed compressor, condenser, expansion device and chilled liquid evaporator connected in a cooling circuit. 
     
     
         5 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller adjusts the speed of the variable speed compressor to adjust the cooling capacity of the primary refrigeration machine. 
     
     
         6 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the variable cooling capacity primary refrigeration machine comprises a central cooling unit selected from the group including a vapor compression system having a chilled liquid primary heat exchanger, an absorption system having a chilled liquid primary heat exchanger and a Stirling cycle cooler having a chilled liquid primary heat exchanger. 
     
     
         7 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 3 , further including a user interface located in the residential dwelling connected to the control circuit; wherein the user interface comprises the selector for the plurality of remote refrigeration devices. 
     
     
         8 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the second sensor comprises electric sensors arranged to sense the speed voltage and current of the electric motor to determine the electric motor torque. 
     
     
         9 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the second sensor comprises a flow rate sensor arranged to sense the flow rate of cooling medium fluid in the secondary cooling medium circuit. 
     
     
         10 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the control device comprises a valve arranged to allow or prevent flow of cooling medium fluid through the remote refrigeration device heat exchanger in response to the condition sensed by the remote device sensor. 
     
     
         11 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the control device comprises a variable flow valve arranged to control the flow of cooling medium fluid through the remote refrigeration device heat exchanger in response to the condition sensed by the remote device sensor. 
     
     
         12 . The distributed refrigeration system according to  claim 1 , wherein the remote refrigeration devices comprise one or more of the following: a compact refrigerator; a local area cooler; a cascade cooling unit refrigerator or freezer; a CPU cooler and a dehumidifier. 
     
     
         13 . The method of operating a distributed refrigeration system arranged for use in a kitchen and other locations in a residential dwelling having:
 a variable cooling capacity primary refrigeration machine having a primary heat exchanger;   a secondary refrigeration loop utilizing a cooling medium fluid connecting a plurality of access points to convey cooling medium from the primary heat exchanger to the plurality of access points and return cooling medium fluid to the primary heat exchanger;   a variable speed electric motor driven variable flow rate pump for circulating cooling medium in the cooling medium circuit;   a controller connected to the primary refrigeration machine including a first sensor connected to the controller to sense the temperature rise of the cooling medium fluid returning to the primary heat exchanger, and a second sensor connected to the controller to determine the flow rate of the cooling medium in the secondary refrigeration loop;   a plurality of remote refrigeration devices each associated with the residential dwelling to provide distributed refrigeration at a location associated with the residential dwelling and arranged to connect to the secondary refrigeration loop at one of the plurality of access points, each remote refrigeration device including:
 a remote refrigeration device heat exchanger; 
 a control device to control flow of cooling medium fluid from the secondary cooling medium circuit to the remote device heat exchanger; 
 a remote device sensor arranged to sense a predetermined condition of the remote refrigeration device and arranged to connect to the control device; and 
 a selector connected to the remote device sensor arranged to allow a user to set the desired predetermined condition for the remote refrigeration device; 
   the method comprising:
 continuously operating the primary refrigeration machine to provide chilled cooling medium fluid to the plurality of remote refrigeration devices connected to the secondary refrigeration loop; 
 sensing the temperature rise of the cooling medium fluid returning to the primary heat exchanger with the first sensor; 
 sensing the flow rate of the cooling medium fluid in the secondary cooling medium circuit with the second sensor; 
 determining the aggregate cooling demand of the plurality of remote refrigeration devices operating in the secondary refrigeration loop based on the temperature rise of the cooling medium fluid returning to the primary heat exchanger and the flow rate of the cooling medium in the secondary cooling medium circuit; and 
 adjusting the cooling capacity of the variable cooling capacity primary refrigeration machine to match the aggregate cooling demand.