FORM-2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2006
COMPLETE
Specification
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)
A COOLING/HEATING ARRANGEMENT UTILIZING
SOLAR ENERGY
THERMAX LIMITED
an Indian Company
of D-13, MIDC Industrial Area, R.D. Aga Road,
Chinchwad, Pune-411 019
Maharashtra, India.
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is
to be performed.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure relates to a cooling/heating arrangement, particularly, the present disclosure relates to a cooling/heating arrangement using solar energy.
BACKGROUND
A solar collector is a device which concentrates the solar radiations on a particular area to transfer optimum heat from the solar radiations to a source, generally a fluid. A vapor absorption machine, generally used for obtaining refrigeration/cooling, can be operated in communication with the solar collectors for usiqg sustainable solar energy to produce the cooling effect,
The known cooling systems using solar energy to operate the vapor absorption cycle involve using the solar energy to heat a fluid such as water or a thermic fluid. The heated fluid is used as a heat source to drive the vapor absorption cycle. One major drawback of these cooling systeins employing solar energy is that the efficiency of the cooling system varies depending upon the amount of heat captured by the solar collectors. This results in inconsistent and unreliable performance of the cooling systems making such Pooling systems feasible only during summers and for particular hours through the day. For instance, a cooling system designed for peak performance during peak solar input, works at very low efficiencies otherwise. Furthermore, a system designed to operate using other heat inputs during low solar heat input, occupies a larger foot print. Also, the known cooling systems are limited in coping with fluctuations in the cooling load, i.e. the amount of cooling required in a cooling area at a particular time depending upon the number of people or activity. A solar based system is not able to immediately take up these variations as its response time is high.

A typical chemical heat pump for providing heating and cooling is disclosed in US4441484. This system is adapted to utilize solar energy, but also uses the efficiency of other forms of thermal energy when solar energy is not available. When solar energy is not available for relatively short periods of time, the heat storage capacity of the chemical heat pump is utilized to heat the structure, as during nighttime hours.
Another typical example of a hybrid-driven cold/heat storage type heat pump using solar photovoltaic power and commercial power is disclosed in US20110296865. This system comprises a DC compressor and an AC compressor. When there is sunshine, the DC generated by a solar cell panel is used for driving the DC compressor directly to produce cold and heat capacity, and the produced cold and heat capacity could be stored respectively in a phase-change cold storage medium and a phase-change heat storage medium. When the DC power is insufficient, the AC power from power network is used for power supply.
Yet another typical example of a combined heating/cooling system is disclosed in EP1861663 in which a latent heat storage (PCM storage: Phase-change material) is used for absorbing waste heat given off by a cooling system during the cooling operation.
OBJECTS
It is, therefore, an object in the present disclosure to provide a cooling arrangement that uses solar energy extracted by solar collectors to operate a vapor absorption machine, which overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of known cooling systems.

Another object in the present disclosure is to provide a cooling arrangement that uses a controllable system for obtaining consistent and continuous cooling even under fluctuations in the heat input and cooling load.
Yet another object in the present disclosure is to provide a heating arrangement during winters.
Still another object in the present disclosure is to provide a cooling/heating arrangement, in which, the operation is not completely dependent upon the soter collectors.
One more object in the present disclosure is to provide a cooling/heating arrangement which is economical and compact in construction.
Other objects and advantages in the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
In accordance with the present invention, there is envisaged a cooling/heating arrangement using solar energy, said arrangement comprising:
■ a solar field for extracting solar energy to provide a heated fluid;
■ a first thermal storage chamber for receiving said heated fluid, said first thermal storage chamber comprising heat storage phase change material adapted to absorb a portion of heat from said heated fluid and melt or give a

portion of heat to said heated fluid and solidify, thereby providing a fixed temperature heat source;
■ a vapor absorption machine receiving said fixed temperature heat source for driving a vapor absorption cycle to provide a chilled fluid;
■ a second thermal storage chamber for receiving said chilled fluid, said second thermal storage chamber comprising cold storage phase change material adapted to give heat to said chilled fluid and freeze or absorb heat from said chilled fluid and melt, thereby providing a selective temperature cooling source;
■ a first bypass arrangement for bypassing said vapor absorption machine and said second thermal storage chamber;
■ a heat exchanger in operative communication with said first bypass arrangement for receiving said fixed temperature heat source from said first thermal storage chamber, said heat exchanger being adapted to provide hot water; and
■ an air conditioning unit for receiving an air conditioning means selected from said cooling source and said hot water, to provide cooling or heating.
Typically, in accordance with the present invention, said heat storage phase change material is selected from paraffin, hydrated salt and sodium sulfate decahydrate and said cold storage phase change material is selected from glycerol, water, hydrated salt and paraffin.
Typically, in accordance with the present invention, said air conditioning means leaving said air conditioning unit is pumped to said vapor absorption machine by means of at least one cooling water pump via an expansion tank.

Preferably, in accordance with the present invention, said heat source leaving said vapor absorption machine is pumped to said solar field by means of at least one hot water pump.
Additionally, in accordance with the present invention, a cooling tower is provided to circulate cooling water to said vapor absorption machine.
Typically, in accordance with the present invention, a feed water tank is provided to supply make-up water to said solar field and said cooling tower.
Preferably, in accordance with the present invention, a pressurized expansion tank is provided between said feed water tank and said solar field to control the pressure of water entering said solar field.
Alternatively, in accordance with the present invention, a second bypass arrangement is provided to bypass said solar field.
In accordance with the present invention, thers is provided a method for providing cooling using solar energy, said method comprising the following steps:
■ obtaining a heated fluid from a solar field;
■ receiving said heated fluid in a first thermal storage chamber comprising heat storage phase change material, wherein said heat storage phase change material absorbs a portion of heat from said heated fluid and melts or gives a portion of heat to said heated fluid and solidifies, to provide a fixed temperature heat source;

■ utilizing said fixed temperature heat source in a vapor absorption machine to produce a chilled fluid;
■ receiving said chilled fluid in a cold thermal storage chamber comprising cold storage phase change material, wherein said cold storage phase change material gives heat to said chilled fluid and freezes or takes heat from said chilled fluid and melts, to provide a selective temperature cooling source; and
■ receiving said fixed temperature cooling source in an air conditioning unit to provide cooling.
Alternatively, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for providing heating using solar energy, said method comprising the following steps:
■ obtaining a heated fluid from a solar field;
■ receiving said heated fluid in a first thermal storage chamber comprising heat storage phase change material, wherein said heat storage phase change material absorbs a portion of heat from said heated fluid and melts or gives a portion of heat to said heated fluid and solidifies, to provide a fixed temperature heat source;
■ extracting heat from said fixed temperature heat source in a heat exchanger to obtain hot water; and
■ passing said hot water through an air conditioning unit to obtain heating.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The disclosure will now be described with the help of the non-limiting accompanying drawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 illustrates a schematic of a preferred embodiment of the cooling/heating arrangement of the present disclosure; and
FIGURE 2 illustrates a schematic of another preferred embodiment of the cooling/heating arrangement of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated the cooling/heating arrangement, in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. The arrangement comprises a solar field 10, a first thermal storage chamber 20a, a second thermal storage chamber 20b, a triple-effect vapor absorption machine 30, at least one hot water pumps 40, a hot water circuit 50, a chilled water circuit 60, a reverse osmosis unit 70, a dosing tank 80, a feed water tank 90, a feed water pump 92, a pressurized expansion tank 94, a cooling tower 96, a cooling water circuit 98, an expansion tank 99, at least one chilled water pumps 97, an air conditioning unit 12, and a water heating plate heat exchanger 95.
A plurality of the solar concentrators disposed in the solar field 10 is used for heating a fluid. The heated fluid from the solar concentrators enters the first thermal storage chamber 20a. The first thermal storage chamber 20a stores the heat contained in the heated fluid when the fluid is carrying excess heat and provides heat to the fluid when it is carrying less heat, to provide a fixed

temperature heat source. The fixed temperature heat source from the first thermal storage chamber 20a is sent to the vapor absorption machine (VAM) 30. A return stream from the VAM 30 is sent back to the solar field 10 by means of at least one pump 40, which control the flow in the circuit 50. A single pump 40, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings, can be used instead of the plurality of pumps as shown in Figure 1. A bypass arrangement is made in the circuit 50 to bypass the solar field 10. The arrangement for bypassing the solar field 10 isolates the solar field 10 when there is low/negligible solar input and the cooling/heating arrangement is instead run by heat stored in the first thermal storage chamber 20a. Further, the arrangement for bypassing the solar field 10 carj also be used when the VAM 30 is operated by using auxiliary fuel.
The arrangement can be used for providing heating in winters. In winters, the arrangement can be modified to bypass the VAM 30 by means of a first bypass arrangement. In this arrangement, the fixed temperature heat source from the first thermal storage chamber 20a is used to heat water in the circuit 60 by means of the heat exchanger 95. The water in the circuit 60 heated by the fixed temperature heat source is then used for heating air through the air conditioning unit 12.
The arrangement comprises means for handling make-up water, where, the makeup water is passed through the reverse osmosis system 70 and a dosing tank 80 before being collected in the feed water tank 90. The feed water pump 92 disposed downstream of the feed water tank 90 pumps the make-up water from the feed water tank 90 and supplies it via the pressurized expansion tank 94 to maintain the pressure in the circuit 40. The water from the feed water tank

90 is also supplied to the cooling tower 96, for maintaining the level of water in it.
The cooling water circuit 98 handles the water supplied by the VAM 30. The make-up water for the cooling tower 96 is also Supplied from the feed water tank 90. Two cooling water pumps 97a and 97b can be provided to control the flow of cooling water to the VAM 30. However, a single cooling water pump 97 can also be used as illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
The chilled water leaving the VAM 30 enters the second thermal storage chamber 20b. From the second thermal storage chamber 20b, the chilled water is supplied to the air conditioning unit 12 to provide cooling. The return stream enters the expansion tank 99, which is used to maintain the pressure in the chilled water circuit 60. The chilled water returns to the VAM 30, by means of pumps 97a and 97b. The arrangement further includes the heat exchanger 95 for heating the water in winters when heating is recjuired rather than cooling.
In operation, water at typically 200°C enters the solar field 10 consisting of multiple concentrated solar parabolic troughs connected in series and parallel arrangement. Heat from the sun is transferred to the water by the collector and water gets heated to 210°C. This hot water then enters the first thermal storage chamber 20a. During peak solar period, the solar field 10 provides excess heat to the circulating water, thereby causing the temperature of the water to reach 220°C to 225°C.
The first thermal storage chamber 20a comprises heat storage phase change material which is arranged in parallel paths, the melting / solidification

temperature of this heat storage phase change material is about 220°C. The heat storage phase change material is generally selected from paraffin, hydrated salt and sodium sulfate decahydrate. During peak solar period, the phase change material absorbs heat from the water (at above 220°) and melts thus storing the heat in the form of latent heat. This is referred to as the charging cycle of the first thermal storage chamber 20a. If the water passing through the first thermal storage chamber 20a is below 210°C, the heat storage phase change material solidifies and supplies latent heat to the water to raise its temperature up to 220°C, thereby providing a fixed temperature heat source. This is referred to as the discharging cycle of the first thermal storage chamber 20a. During the morning hours, when the system is started, the solar input is low . This causes delays in startup of the VAM 30. The use of the first thermal storage chamber 20a helps the water in the hot water circuit 50 to reach the required temperature in a very short time, thereby reducing the startup time for the VAM 30.
By charging or discharging, the first thermal storage chamber 20a, the temperature of the water leaving the first therrnal storage chamber 20a is constantly maintained at 220°C, thereby overcoming the problem of fluctuating solar load throughout the day. Solar anomalies, such as a drifting cloud cover etc. are also handled using the first thermal storage chamber 20a. The first thermal storage chamber 20a also helps in running the VAM 30 without using of the solar field 10. Further, the first thermal storage chamber 20a enables the arrangement to operate during periods of low solar output and also stores the excess solar heat and prevents any wastage of heat. The solar demand at peak load is supplemented with first thermal storage cumber 20a. This availability of heat during periods of low solar input and also supplementary heat input

during peak cooling/heating demand helps in reducing the size of the solar field 10.
The hot water leaving the first thermal storage chamber 20a drives the VAM 30. The VAM 30 receives the cooling water from the cooling tower 96 which is used for rejecting the heat picked up in the absorber and condenser of the VAM 30. Water from the chilled water circuit 60, enters the VAM 30 at 12°C. The VAM 30 cools it to about 7°C using the triple effect vapor absorption cycle. The chilled water from the VAM 30 enters the second thermal storage chamber 20b. During periods of low cooling demand, the excess capacity of the VAM 30 is used to further lower the temperature of the chilled water.
The second thermal storage chamber 20b consists of cold storage phase change material which is arranged in parallel paths. The melting / solidification temperature of this cold storage phase change material is about 11°C. The cold storage phase change material is generally selected from glycerol, water, hydrated salt and paraffin. The chilled water from the VAM 30 freezes the cold storage phase change material in the charging cycle and the cold storage phase change material stores the cooling effect by solidification. In the discharging cycle, the cold storage phase change material melts to release this cold to the water and lowers the chilled water temperature. This provides a selective temperature cooling source. The fluctuations of the cooling load are met by the charging and discharging of the cold thermal storage phase change material, thereby overcoming the problems of sudden increase in cooling/heating load. The use of the second thermal storage chamber 20b enables the air conditioning unit 12 to provide cooling when the solar field 10 is not operating. Further, the

use of second thermal storage chamber 20b also extends the period of operation of the arrangement.
During the startup of the VAM 30, there is some time before the VAM 30 starts to deliver the desired effect. During the startup time, the second thermal storage chamber 20b is used to provide cooling, thereby resulting in shorter startup time of the arrangement. The second thermal storage chamber 20b can also be used to supplement the VAM cooling during periods of peak cooling load. This ability of the second thermal storage chamber 20b to supplement the VAM 30 during peak loads and also provide cooling during periods when VAM 30 is not available thereby reduces the size of the VAM 30.
In order to extend the use of the arrangement during winters, a first bypass arrangement is used to bypass the VAM 30 and the second thermal storage chamber 20b. The heat exchanger 95 installed between the hot water circuit 50 and the chilled water circuit 60 is utilized for providing the heating. The hot water in the hot water circuit 50 can be used to heat the water in the chilled water circuit 60. The water in the chilled water circuit 60 heated by the hot water flowing in the hot water circuit 50 is then used for heating the air through the air conditioning unit 12. Further, a set of valves are provided for isolating the VAM 30 in the chilled water circuit 60. This unique feature of the arrangement enables the arrangement to be used during the winters also, thereby extending utility of the arrangement and avoiding need for an alternate heating system during winters.

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
A cooling/heating arrangement as described in the present disclosure has several technical advantages including but not limited to the realization of:
■ the arrangement uses a controllable system for obtaining consistent and continuous cooling/heating even under fluctuations in the heat input and load;
■ the operation is not completely dependent upon the solar collectors; and
■ the arrangement is economical and compact in construction.
Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
The use of the expression "at least" or "at least one" suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results,
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.

The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles of the present disclosure can be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only. While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the particular features of this disclosure, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principle of the disclosure. These and other modifications in the nature of the disclosure or the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

WE CLAIM
1. A cooling/heating arrangement using solar energy, said arrangement comprising:
■ a solar field (10) for extracting solar energy to provide a heated
fluid;
a first thermal storage chamber (20a) for receiving said heated fluid, said first thermal storage chamber comprising heat storage phase change material adapted to absorb a portion of heat from said heated fluid and melt or give a portion of heat to said heated fluid and solidify, thereby providing a fixed temperature heat source;
■ a vapor absorption machine (30) receiving said fixed temperature heat source for driving a vapor absorption cycle to provide a chilled fluid;
■ a second thermal storage chamber (20b) for receiving said chilled fluid, said second thermal storage chamber comprising cold storage phase change material adapted to give heat to said chilled fluid and freeze or absorb heat from said chilled fluid and melt, thereby providing a selective temperature cooling source;
■ a first bypass arrangement for bypassing said vapor absorption machine (30) and said second thermal storage chamber (20b);
a heat exchanger (95) in operative communication with said first bypass arrangement for receiving said fixed temperature heat source from said first thermal storage chamber (20a), said heat exchanger (95) being adapted to provide hot water; and

■ an air conditioning unit (12) for receiving an air conditioning means selected from said cooling source and said hot water, to provide cooling or heating.
2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat storage phase change material is selected from paraffin, hydrated salt and sodium sulfate decahydrate.
3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cold storage phase change material is selected from glycerol, water, hydrated salt and paraffin.
4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air conditioning means leaving said air conditioning unit (12) is pumped to said vapor absorption machine (30) by means of at least one cooling water pump (97) via an expansion tank (99).
5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat source leaving said vapor absorption machine (30) is pumped to said solar field (10) by means of at least one hot water pump (40).
6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cooling tower (96) is provided to circulate cooling water to said vapor absorption machine (30).

7. The arrangement as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein a feed water tank (90) is provided to supply make-up water to said solar field (10) and said cooling tower (96).
8. The arrangement as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein a pressurized expansion tank (94) is provided between said feed water tank (90) and said solar field (10) to control the pressure of water entering said solar field (10).
9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second bypass arrangement is provided to bypass said solar field (10).
10.A method for providing cooling using solar energy, said method comprising the following steps:
■ obtaining a heated fluid from a solar field;
■ receiving said heated fluid in a first thermal storage chamber comprising heat storage phase change material, wherein said heat storage phase change material absorbs a portion of heat from said heated fluid and melts or gives a portion of heat to said heated fluid and solidifies, to provide a fixed temperature heat source;
■ utilizing said fixed temperature heat source in a vapor absorption machine to produce a chilled fluid;
■ receiving said chilled fluid in a cold thermal storage chamber comprising cold storage phase change material, wherein said cold storage phase change material gives heat to said chilled fluid and freezes or takes heat from said chilled fluid and melts, to provide a selective temperature cooling source; and

■ receiving said fixed temperature cooling source in an air
conditioning unit to provide cooling.
11.A method for providing heating using solar energy, said method comprising the following steps:
■ obtaining a heated fluid from a solar field;
■ receiving said heated fluid in a first thermal storage chamber comprising heat storage phase change material, wherein said heat storage phase change material absorbs a portion of heat from said heated fluid and melts or gives a portion of heat to said heated fluid and solidifies, to provide a fixed temperature heat source;
■ extracting heat from said fixed temperature heat source in a heat exchanger to obtain hot water; and
■ passing said hot water through an air conditioning unit to obtain heating.