Patent ID: 11940188
Assignee: COPELAND LP
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 0:
1. A heat-pump system comprising:
a compressor;
an outdoor heat exchanger in fluid communication with the compressor;
an indoor heat exchanger in fluid communication with the compressor;
an expansion device in fluid communication with the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers; and
a supplemental heater including a burner and a working-fluid conduit, wherein the burner is configured to burn a fuel and heat the working-fluid conduit,
wherein the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the indoor heat exchanger, the expansion device, and the working-fluid conduit of the supplemental heater form a vapor-compression circuit through which the compressor circulates the working fluid, and
wherein when the heat-pump system is operating in a heating mode, the indoor heat exchanger receives working fluid from the working-fluid conduit such that the working fluid flows from an outlet of the working-fluid conduit to an inlet of the indoor heat exchanger without flowing through the compressor, without flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger, and without flowing through the expansion device.