Patent ID: 11874035
Assignee: THERMA-STOR LLC
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 10:
11. A method for operating a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
receiving, at a fixed expansion device, a refrigerant from a condenser;
receiving, at a variable expansion device, the refrigerant from the condenser;
outputting, by the fixed expansion device, a first portion of the refrigerant to a first downstream HVAC component at a fixed flow rate;
sensing, by a sensing bulb, a temperature of a primary evaporator;
applying a first force to a pin of the variable expansion device based on the sensed temperature, wherein:
applying the first force to the pin repositions the pin within the variable expansion device; and
the size of the pin is proportional to a ratio between a maximum variable flow rate of the variable expansion device and a total flow rate that is equal to the fixed flow rate plus the maximum variable flow rate of the variable expansion device;

applying a second force to a valve of the variable expansion device based on the first force; and
outputting, by the valve of the variable expansion device, a second portion of the refrigerant to a second downstream HVAC component at a variable flow rate based on the second force.