Energy efficient heating/cooling module

Abstract

A heating/cooling module for interconnecting a heating/cooling system with a heating/cooling unit. The heating/cooling module including a solid-state energy conversion device, having a first side configured to receive a fluid flow preheated/precooled by the heating/cooling system to heat/cool the fluid flow to a higher/lower temperature while it flows through the first side of the solid-state energy conversion device, and to use the fluid flow with the higher/lower temperature for providing heat/cold to the heating/cooling unit. The solid-state energy conversion device having a second side that receives the fluid flow after being used for providing heat/cold to the heating/cooling unit to cool/heat the fluid flow to a lower/higher temperature and to reuse the fluid flow with the lower or higher temperature for preheating/precooling by the heating/cooling system.

1 . A heating/cooling module for interconnecting a heating/cooling system with at least one and heating/cooling unit, the heating/cooling module comprising:
 a solid-state energy conversion device comprising:
 a first side configured to receive a fluid flow that is preheated/precooled by a heating/cooling system to heat/cool the fluid flow to a higher/lower temperature while the fluid flow flows through the first side of the solid-state energy conversion device, and to use the fluid flow with the higher/lower temperature for providing heat/cold to a heating/cooling unit: and 
 a second side that is configured to receive the fluid flow after being used for providing heat/cold to the heating/cooling unit so as to cool/heat the fluid flow to a lower/higher temperature and to reuse the fluid flow with the lower or higher temperature for preheating/precooling again by the heating/cooling system. 
   
     
     
         2 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the solid-state energy conversion device is configured to receive the fluid flow from the heating/cooling system to provide the fluid flow with the higher/lower temperature to the heating/cooling unit to receive the fluid flow back from the heating/cooling unit and to provide the fluid flow with the lower/higher temperature back to the heating/cooling system.   
     
     
         3 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 1 , wherein the heating/cooling module comprises a heat exchanger comprising:
 a first fluid passage providing an inlet for receiving the fluid flow from the heating/cooling system and an outlet for providing the fluid flow back to the heating/cooling system after it has passed through the first fluid passage; and   a second fluid passage that is configured to output the fluid flow that is preheated/precooled indirectly by heat from the heating/cooling system and to receive the fluid flow with the lower/higher temperature; and   wherein the first fluid passage and the second fluid passage are arranged such that heat is transferrable between the fluid flow in the second fluid passage and the fluid flow in the first fluid passage.   
     
     
         4 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 3 , wherein the heating/cooling module comprises a fluid pump to drive the fluid flow through the heating/cooling module, and through the second fluid passage. 
     
     
         5 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 3 , wherein the solid-state energy conversion device is configured to heat/cool the fluid flow that is preheated/precooled by the heating/cooling system to provide the fluid flow with the higher/lower temperature to the heating/cooling unit to receive the fluid flow back from the heating/cooling unit and to provide the fluid flow with the lower/higher temperature back to the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         6 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 2 , wherein the heating or cooling module comprises a second heat exchanger comprising a third fluid passage that is configured to receive the fluid flow with the higher/lower temperature and to output the fluid flow after being used for providing heat/cold to the heating/cooling unit;
 wherein the second heat exchanger comprises a fourth fluid passage that provides an outlet for providing the fluid flow to the heating/cooling unit and an inlet for receiving the fluid flow back from the heating/cooling unit; and   wherein the third fluid passage and the fourth fluid passage are arranged such that heat is transferrable between the fluid flow in the third fluid passage and the fluid flow in the fourth fluid passage.   
     
     
         7 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 6 , wherein the heating/cooling module comprises a fluid pump to drive the fluid flow through the heating/cooling module and/or the heating/cooling unit, and through the fourth fluid passage. 
     
     
         8 . A heating/cooling module for interconnecting a heating/cooling system with a heating/cooling unit, the heating/cooling module comprising:
 a first heat exchanger comprising a first fluid passage with an inlet for receiving a fluid flow from a heating/cooling system and an outlet for providing the fluid flow with a higher/lower temperature to a second inlet of the heating/cooling unit;   a second heat exchanger;   a solid-state energy conversion device comprising:
 a first side that is configured to receive the fluid flow from an outlet of a second fluid passage of the first heat exchanger, to cool/heat the fluid flow to a lower/higher temperature while the fluid flow flows through the first side of the solid-state energy conversion device, and to provide the fluid flow with the lower/higher temperature to an inlet of a third fluid passage of the second heat exchanger; 
 a second side that is configured to receive the fluid flow from an outlet of the third fluid passage of the second heat exchanger and to heat or cool the fluid flow to a higher/lower temperature while the fluid flow flows through the second side, and to provide the fluid flow with the higher/lower temperature to an inlet of the second fluid passage of the first heat exchanger; and 
   the second heat exchanger comprising a fourth fluid passage with an inlet for receiving the fluid flow from the heating/cooling unit and with an outlet for providing the fluid flow back to the heating/cooling system.   
     
     
         9 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 8 , wherein the first fluid passage and the second fluid passage are arranged in the first heat exchanger to exchange heat between the first fluid passage and the second fluid passage; and/or
 wherein the third fluid passage and the fourth fluid passage are arranged in the second heat exchanger to exchange heat between the third fluid passage and the fourth fluid passage.   
     
     
         10 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 8 , further comprising a fluid pump for circulating the fluid flow through a closed loop comprising the second fluid passage and the third fluid passage and a fluid passage through the first side and a fluid passage through the second side. 
     
     
         11 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 8 , wherein the solid-state energy conversion device comprises a solid-state energy conversion module assembly between the first side and the second side, wherein the solid-state energy conversion module assembly comprises a material or compound that provides temperature gradients or temperature changes within the material or compound as a response to an external stimulus. 
     
     
         12 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 8 , wherein the solid-state energy conversion device comprises a solid-state energy conversion module assembly between the first side and the second side, wherein the solid-state energy conversion module assembly comprises a module, which is one of the following: a Peltier module, a caloric heat pump module, a thermionic heat pump module, a spin-caloritronic heat pump module, a magneto-thermoelectric heat pump module, a magnetocaloric heat pump module, an electrocaloric heat pump device, a mechanocaloric heat pump device, a multicaloric heat pump device, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 12 , further comprising between one additional module and 49 additional modules. 
     
     
         14 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 8  further comprising a power supply and/or a controller for the solid-state energy conversion device. 
     
     
         15 . A heating/cooling arrangement comprising:
 a heating/cooling module comprising:
 a first heat exchanger comprising a first fluid passage with an inlet for receiving a fluid flow from a heating/cooling system and an outlet for providing the fluid flow with a higher/lower temperature to a second inlet of the heating/cooling unit; 
 a second heat exchanger; 
 a solid-state energy conversion device comprising:
 a first side that is configured to receive the fluid flow from an outlet of a second fluid passage of the first heat exchanger, to cool/heat the fluid flow to a lower/higher temperature while the fluid flow flows through the first side of the solid-state energy conversion device, and to provide the fluid flow with the lower/higher temperature to an inlet of a third fluid passage of the second heat exchanger; 
 a second side that is configured to receive the fluid flow from an outlet of the third fluid passage of the second heat exchanger and to heat or cool the fluid flow to a higher/lower temperature while the fluid flow flows through the second side, and to provide the fluid flow with the higher/lower temperature to an inlet of the second fluid passage of the first heat exchanger; and 
 
 the second heat exchanger comprising a fourth fluid passage with an inlet for receiving the fluid flow from the heating/cooling unit and with an outlet for providing the fluid flow back to the heating/cooling system; 
   a heating/cooling system; and   a heating/cooling unit, wherein the heating/cooling module fluidly interconnects the heating/cooling system and the heating/cooling unit.   
     
     
         16 . The heating/cooling arrangement of  claim 15 , wherein the heating/cooling system operates at a lower/higher fluid temperature than the heating/cooling unit. 
     
     
         17 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 1 , wherein the first side comprises a channel or multichannel that is configured such that the fluid flow from the heating/cooling system flows only through the channel or multichannel as one direction pass and/or wherein the second side comprises a channel or multichannel that is configured such that the fluid flow from the heating/cooling unit flows only through the channel or multichannel as one direction pass, wherein the fluid flow flowing through the first side is directed in an opposite flow direction as the fluid flow flowing through the second side. 
     
     
         18 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 2 , wherein the first side comprises a channel or multichannel that is configured such that the fluid flow from the heating/cooling system flows only through the channel or multichannel as one direction pass and/or wherein the second side comprises a channel or multichannel that is configured such that the fluid flow from the heating/cooling unit flows only through the channel or multichannel as one direction pass, wherein the fluid flow flowing through the first side is directed in an opposite flow direction as the fluid flow flowing through the second side. 
     
     
         19 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 8 , wherein the third fluid passage and the fourth fluid passage are arranged in the second heat exchanger to exchange heat between the third fluid passage and the fourth fluid passage. 
     
     
         20 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 9 , wherein the third fluid passage and the fourth fluid passage are arranged in the second heat exchanger to exchange heat between the third fluid passage and the fourth fluid passage. 
     
     
         21 . The heating/cooling module of  claim 11 , wherein the external stimulus is selected from the group consisting of a voltage, an electrical current, a magnetic, electric, or pressure/force field change, or combinations thereof.