Patent ID: 7793515

Claim:
A refrigerant-based thermal energy storage and cooling system comprising: a first refrigerant loop containing a first refrigerant comprising: a condensing unit, said condensing unit comprising a compressor and a first condenser; an expansion device connected downstream of said condensing unit; and, a first evaporator on a primary side of an isolating heat exchanger located downstream of said expansion device; a second refrigerant loop containing a second refrigerant comprising: a second condenser on a secondary side of said isolating heat exchanger; a tank filled with a fluid capable of a phase change between liquid and solid and containing a primary heat exchanger therein, said primary heat exchanger in fluid communication with said second condenser and that uses said second refrigerant from said second condenser to cool said fluid and to freeze at least a portion of said fluid within said tank; a load heat exchanger connected to said isolating heat exchanger and said primary heat exchanger that transfers cooling capacity of said second refrigerant to a heat load; and, a liquid refrigerant pump that distributes said second refrigerant from said isolating heat exchanger to said primary heat exchanger or from said primary heat exchanger to said load heat exchanger.