Air conditioning system

Claim 1

IN A BUILDING, AN AIR CONDITIONSING SYSTEM FOR HEATING AND COOLING A PLURALITY OF PERIPHERAL ZONES AND A CENTRAL ZONE WITHIN SAID BUILDING, COMPRISING A CONDUIT FOR CIRCULATING A HEAT TRANSFER FLUID TO SAID PERIPHERAL ZONES, REVERSE CYCLE REFRIGERATION UNITS IN SAID PERIPHERAL ZONES HAVING A FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENT ARRANGED IN HEAT TRANSFER RELATION WITH THE CIRCULATING FLUID IN SAID CONDUIT AND A SECOND HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENT ARRANGED IN HEAT TRANSFER RELATION WITH THE AIR IN ITS ASSOCIATED ZONE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENTS BEING SUPPLIED WITH A COMMON REFRIGERANT AND BEING OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTED SUCH THAT SAID ELEMENTS MAY OPERATE RESPECTIVELY AS A REFRIGERANT EVAPORATOR AND AS A REFRIGERANT CONDENSER OR RESPECTIVELY AS A REFRIGERANT CONDENSER AND REFRIGERANT EVAPORATOR, SAID UNITS BEING OPERABLE ON ONE CYCLE TO TRANSFER HEAT FROM SAID HEAT TRANSFER FLUID TO THE AIR IN ITS ASSOCIATED ZONE AND ON THE OTHER CYCLE OF OPERATION TO TRANSFER HEAT FROM THE AIR TO SAID HEAT TRANSFER FLUID, HEAT SOURCE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONDUIT TO ADD HEAT TO THE HEAT TRANSFER FLUID WHEN REQUIRED, A COOLING UNIT TO COOL THE HEAT TRANSFER FLUID WHEN REQUIRED, AND A SECOND COOLING UNIT PROVIDING A HEAT TRANSFER RELATION BETWEEN SAID CONDUIT AND SAID CENTRAL ZONE OF SAID BUILDING, SAID CENTRAL ZONE BEING WITHIN A PORTION OF THE BUILDING WHEN THERE IS SUBSTANTIALLY NO HEAT TRANSMISSION THROUGH THE WALLS TO LOSE OR GAIN HEAT SUCH THAT SUCH CENTRAL ZONE ONLY REQUIRES COOLING DUE TO INTERNAL HEAT GAINS WITHIN SAID CENTRAL ZONE, SAID SECOND COOLING UNIT COMPRISING REFRIGERATION APPARATUS DESIGNED TO OPERATE EXCLUSIVELY AS A COOLING UNIT TO TRANSFER HEAT FROM SAID CENTRAL ZONE TO SAID HEAT TRANSFER FLUID.