Patent attributes
An air conditioning system can be toggled between a heating mode, in which heat is withdrawn from a source (e.g., a geothermal source) and deposited into a conditioned space (e.g., a building), and a cooling mode, in which heat is withdrawn from the conditioned space and deposited into the source. The air conditioning system uses a combination of efficiency-enhancing technologies, including injection of superheated vapor into the system's compressor from an economizer circuit, adjustable compressor speed, the use of one or coaxial heat exchangers and the use of electronic expansion valves that are continuously adjustable from a fully closed to various open positions. A controller may be used to control the system for optimal performance in both the heating and cooling modes, such as by disabling the economizer circuit and vapor injection when the system is in the cooling mode.
