Patent ID: 7503185

Claim:
A refrigerant-based thermal energy storage and cooling system comprising: a primary cooling loop comprising: a condensing unit, said condensing unit comprising a compressor and a condenser; a thermal energy storage unit comprising a tank filled with a fluid capable of a phase change between liquid and solid and containing a primary heat exchanger therein; and, a refrigerant management unit connected to said condensing unit and to said primary heat exchanger that regulates, accumulates and transfers refrigerant between said condensing unit and said primary heat exchanger to cool said fluid and to freeze at least a portion of said fluid within said tank in a first time period; a load cooling loop comprising: said primary heat exchanger; and, said refrigerant management unit that in a second time period transfers refrigerant that has been cooled within said primary heat exchanger by said frozen fluid in said tank, to a load heat exchanger, said load heat exchanger that provides cooling to a cooling load by increasing the enthalpy of said refrigerant and returns said higher enthalpy refrigerant to said primary heat exchanger; a secondary cooling loop comprising: a secondary heat exchanger that facilitates thermal contact between said cooled fluid and said higher enthalpy refrigerant to decrease the enthalpy of said refrigerant downstream of said load heat exchanger and transfer cooling from said fluid in said tank to said higher enthalpy refrigerant.