Patent ID: 7363772

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 refrigerant management vessel connected to receive said second refrigerant from said isolating heat exchanger in a first time period, and to receive said second refrigerant from said primary heat exchanger in a second time period; a load heat exchanger connected to said refrigerant management vessel that transfers cooling capacity of said second refrigerant to a heat load during said second time period; and, a liquid refrigerant pump for distributing said second refrigerant from said refrigerant management vessel to said primary heat exchanger in said first time period and from said refrigerant management vessel to said load heat exchanger in said second time period.