Air conditioning system for buildings

Claim 1

An air conditioning system for a building, said system comprising: a cold thermal source at which a relatively cold temperature is developed, said cold thermal source disposed at a relatively high location on the building; a hot thermal source at which a relatively high temperature is developed as compared to the temperature developed at said cold thermal source, said hot thermal source disposed at a relatively low location on the building as compared to the location at which said first thermal source is disposed; a plurality of air conditioners each of which air conditioners is disposed at a respective location between siad cold and said hot thermal sources in the building for air conditioning respective areas in the building, each of said air conditioners having a condenser in the form of a heat exchanger for facilitating a heat exchange with air in which the air is warmed, a vaporizer in the form of a heat exchanger for facilitating a heat exchange with air in which the air is cooled, and a fan for blowing air over said condenser and said vaporizer and into a respective one of said areas; cooling gravity type piping extending between and operatively connecting said cold thermal source and each said vaporizer of the air conditioners for allowing thermal medium to circulate therein between said cold thermal source and each said vaporizer; heating gravity type piping extending between and operatively connecting said hot thermal source and each said condenser of the air conditioners for allowing thermal medium to circulate therein between said hot thermal source and each said condenser; temperature sensors disposed at said areas for detecting the temperatures at said areas and for issuing signals corresponding to the detected temperatures; flow control valves connected in said gravity type piping and respectively disposed at an inlet of each said vaporizer and an outlet of each said condenser for regulating the flow of thermal medium into each said vaporizer and out of each said condenser; liquid level detection means operatively connected to each said vaporizer for detecting when thermal medium in a liquid phase has reached a predetermined level in each said vaporizer and for issuing a signal thereupon; and control means operatively connected to each of said temperature sensors, said liquid level detection means and said flow control valves for receiving the signals issued by said temperature sensors and said liquid level detection means and for controlling said flow control valves based on said signals to regulate the flow of thermal medium into each said condensere and out of each said vaporizer in a manner in which air in each of said areas is maintained at a predetermined temperature by said system as each said fAn blows air over each said condenser and vaporizer, respectively.