CZ27646U1 - Air-conditioning unit - Google Patents

Description

Air conditioning unit

Technical field

The technical solution concerns an air-conditioning unit for space cooling, for example in data centers, communication technology switching stations, laboratories and other heat-loaded technological spaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Known air conditioners for cooling communication substations, laboratories, manufacturing facilities, data centers, warehouses and other heat-laden technology objects may be enclosed and equipped with piping system, heat exchanger (condenser, discharge), fans and cooling circuit, with at least part of the system is located outside the building.

For air-conditioning units for technological purposes, the essential controlled variable is the temperature and sometimes the proportion of moisture contained in the air. The outdoor air must therefore be treated according to the air quality requirements of the cooled rooms, which is very energy intensive with increasing enthalpy of outdoor conditions (atmospheric air).

Conventional air conditioners utilize the well-known physical principles of machine cooling, where the liquid consumes the equivalent amount of heat it removes from its environment when converted into steam. Common refrigerants include freons, isobutane, etc. The disadvantage of this solution is the high energy demand for cooling and dehumidification, especially at high temperatures and high humidity of the surrounding environment (atmospheric air).

Other air conditioners use free cooling with mixing, also often referred to as "free-cooling". These air conditioners are advantageous in cold outdoor environments (atmospheric air), mainly because of energy savings. There is a variant of indirect free cooling and direct free cooling for heat transfer. In the case of direct free cooling, the cool air from the outside is then mixed in a suitable proportion with the air extracted from the inside of the building. For indirect free cooling, liquid or coolant is used to transfer cold inside the building. Taking into account the applicability of these two variants, indirect cooling can usually be used for cooling at outside temperatures of less than + 3 ° C due to multiple thermal transfers; whereas the direct cooling variant can be used usually at outdoor temperatures below + 19 ° C. The service temperatures may vary depending on the individual requirements of the refrigerated compartments. The advantage of air conditioning units using mixing is energy saving, when they do not have to use additional heating in cold outdoor temperatures.

Other known air conditioners use, in cases where the outdoor environment (atmospheric air) exhibits a very high temperature, recirculation of already used air drawn in by the air conditioner. Air recirculation brings energy savings in that energy does not have to be consumed to significantly cool and dehumidify the outside air. Air-conditioning units dissipate excess heat via refrigerant circuits outside the building where the refrigerant is cooled in condensers or cooling towers and the cooled liquid returning to the unit cools the circulating air.

None of the devices described above allows the cooling process to be controlled by means of an integrated damper system, which can be used to combine cooling methods depending on the surrounding enthalpy, thereby reducing the energy consumption of space cooling.

All of said devices are used in a structural layout where part of the cooling device is inside the building and part is outside. The external part of the air-conditioning system is represented mainly by a cooling circuit with a condenser, fans, or other components, which are usually led to the roof or the façade of a cooled building. The disadvantage of these systems is primarily the need to install the refrigerant circuit outside the building. Such an installation is time consuming

And consumes a considerable amount of material. Another disadvantage of such devices is the possibility of damage to them from the outside environment - for example, vandalism, theft or damage by natural elements. In addition, the installation of such equipment must be carried out by specialized personnel.

The essence of the technical solution

The above-mentioned problem of reducing the energy consumption of the air-conditioning unit for cooling of heat-loaded technological spaces is solved by an integrated damper system, which allows to regulate the air flow depending on the enthalpy of the surrounding environment. The air conditioning unit further comprises at least one outdoor air inlet (outside the building) and at least one exhaust air inlet from the interior of the building, and at least one exhaust air outlet to the outside (outside the building) and at least one supply air outlet to the interior of the building. The air conditioner further comprises a fan for supplying air to the building, preferably located upstream of the supply air to the building, and a fan for extracting air from the building to the outside, preferably located upstream of the exhaust air outlet.

The air-conditioning unit includes a cooling circuit comprising a compressor, an exchanger located upstream of the building and a condenser upstream of the outside. The cooling circuit is fully integrated into the air-conditioning cabinet inside the building.

The technical solution also includes a flap system, wherein the flap system is adapted to direct air from the inlet from the outside through the evaporator to the inlet of the building, to the air from the inlet from the inside through the outlet to the inlet of the building and into the flush space where it is admixed to the air leading from the inlet from the outside, wherein a portion of the air leading from the inlet from the inside of the building is further directed to the outlet to the outside.

The proposed technical solution allows automatic selection of the most energy-efficient cooling depending on the temperature and humidity of the outside (atmospheric) air, when it proportionally opens or closes the individual flaps of the air-conditioning unit.

The proposed technical solution is able to operate in the mode of machine cooling (with a controlled proportion of fresh air), direct free cooling and at the same time circulation air cooling with a fully integrated refrigerant circuit without the use of additional external cooling circuits. The air conditioner allows the three modes to be combined into one device without having to install anything outside the building, eliminating the effects of the outdoor environment and the risks associated with vandalism.

As the refrigerant system is fully integrated into the air conditioning system, the circuit can be tested in the production process and no additional professional installation of the refrigerant circuit is required at the customer, significantly reducing refrigerant charge and eliminating the risk of refrigerant leakage due to long refrigerant piping through the building. and outside the building.

The air-conditioning unit according to the proposed solution allows to choose the most energy-efficient cooling solution depending on the surrounding enthalpy. It is also possible to interconnect the unit via commercially available wired or wireless communication networks to allow remote management and / or monitoring the status and / or coordination of the cooling mode as required by the superior building management system.

The air conditioner may further include environmental and / or indoor pollutant concentration sensors and select an appropriate mode based on the evaluation of these data. For example, when on tropical days, the unit would consistently opt for recirculating cooling from an energy point of view, which could cause an increase in the amount of CO ₂ in the plant. Similarly, in case of detected leakage of, for example, explosive gases in the external environment, regardless of energy efficiency, the unit completely closes the outside air access to the building.

-2EN 27646 Ul

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a functional diagram of an air conditioning unit.

Figure 2 shows a functional diagram of the air conditioning unit in machine cooling mode.

Figure 3 shows a functional diagram of the air conditioning unit in the circulation mode.

Figure 4 shows a functional diagram of the air conditioning unit in free-cooling mode with mixing.

Examples of technical solution

Figure 1 shows a functional diagram of an air conditioning unit. The air conditioning unit as a whole can be located inside the building. All components can be placed in one cabinet of the air conditioner. It can be adapted to be suspended, placed on the ground or on a raised floor used for air distribution or for tight installation in refrigerated technology. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a connection to the outside environment outside the building, for example by means of a pipeline. The inlet connection of the air conditioner to the outdoor environment is connected to the outside air inlet I of the air conditioner. Downstream of the outside air inlet 1 of the air conditioning unit, the air is filtered by means of the inlet filter 2 so as to be free of impurities which are undesirable for further passage through the air conditioning unit to the cooled object. The outlet connection of the air conditioning unit to the outdoor environment is connected to the exhaust air outlet 15 of the air conditioning unit. An exhaust fan 14 and a condenser 13 are located upstream of the exhaust air outlet 15 of the air conditioning unit.

Furthermore, the air conditioner is connected to the environment inside the cooled object, either with or without ducts (eg, an air outlet unit directly into the object or a unit located on a raised floor, etc.), for example, the air conditioner is located directly in the cooled room. object. Prior to the supply air 7 from the air conditioning unit to the building, there is an inlet fan 6 and an outlet 5. The advantage of this arrangement is described below. A further connection of the air conditioning unit to the cooled object provides an exhaust air inlet 10 from the object to the air conditioning unit. An exhaust air filter 9 may be located downstream of the exhaust air inlet 10 from the object to the air conditioning unit.

The air between the outdoor air inlet 1 of the air conditioner and the exhaust air inlet 10 of the object to the air conditioner, and between the air inlet air outlet 7 of the air conditioner to the object and the exhaust air outlet 15 of the air conditioner passes through the air conditioner chambers. . The flap assembly allows the air conditioning unit's air chambers to be divided into four independent spaces within the air conditioning unit.

It can be seen from Figure 1 that in the air conditioning unit chambers between the outside air inlet 1 of the air conditioning unit and the air outlet 7 of the air conditioning unit to the building, there is an inlet flap 4. Furthermore, between the air outlet 7 of the air conditioning unit to the building and A mixing flap 8 is provided between the inlet 10 of the exhaust air from the building to the air conditioning unit and the exhaust air outlet 15 of the air conditioning unit. Between the exhaust air outlet 15 from the air conditioner and the outdoor air inlet 1 into the air conditioner there is a bypass flap 12.

The outlet 5, the condenser 13 and the compressor 3 are further connected via a line 16 and form a cooling circuit. All parts of the refrigerant circuit are fully integrated into the air conditioner and do not require any additional installation on site as they are in one cabinet with the other components. In a preferred embodiment, a digital scroll compressor 3, also referred to as a power-controlled digital scroll compressor, is used.

The entire air-conditioning unit is controlled by a microprocessor unit 17, which ensures the operation of the air-conditioning unit and automatically sets the best cooling mode

-3GB 27646 Ul depending on enthalpy of outdoor space. The enthalpy information can be obtained either from the temperature and humidity sensors associated with the air conditioner or from data available through the data network. The air conditioner allows operation in at least the following modes: free cooling, free cooling, recirculation.

The free cooling mode is used especially when the outdoor temperature is equal to or lower than the desired room temperature. In particular, the machine cooling mode is started, but not exclusively, when the outdoor temperature is higher than the desired room temperature. In particular, but not exclusively, the recirculation mode is triggered when the outdoor temperature is more than 2 ° C above the desired room temperature. The setting of the limit values is chosen according to the requirements for working temperature / enthalpy in the technology area, which can vary considerably.

The microprocessor unit 17 further enables communication within a wired or wireless communication network to the extent that it is able to provide information about its state; furthermore, within this network, access to the air conditioner is made possible to allow remote management of the software, change of parameters or operating mode from the master system.

Functionality of the air-conditioning unit system in the machine, free and recirculating cooling mode and a smooth transition between these modes is enabled by the flap system and convenient positioning of the fan 6 and the outlet 5 before the supply air outlet 2 from the air-conditioning unit into the building.

Figure 2 shows a machine cooling scheme. In the machine cooling mode, where the air flows through the inlet flap 4, it is cooled on the evaporator 5 and is blown through the inlet fan 6 through the air outlet 7 from the air conditioning unit into the object. Conversely, the exhaust air flows through the exhaust air damper H to the condenser 13 where it cools the cooling medium, and is vented through the exhaust air outlet 15 from the air conditioning unit via the exhaust fan 14.

Furthermore, this flap arrangement allows air cooling during recirculation as shown in Figure 3. The air flows through the mixing flap 8 and is subsequently cooled at the outlet 5 and blown through the air blower 7 from the air conditioning unit into the building. Conversely, the warm outdoor air flows through the bypass flap 12 to the condenser 13, where it cools the cooling medium, and is vented through the exhaust air outlet 15 from the air conditioning unit via the exhaust fan 14.

The damper assembly also allows air to pass in the free cooling mode as shown in Figure 4. In this mode, air flows from the exhaust air inlet 10 from the building to the air conditioner through the exhaust air damper H while simultaneously venting the outdoor air from the outdoor inlet 1. In this mode, a part of the exhaust air through the mixing flap 8 can be mixed with the supply air, thereby achieving accurate control of the room air temperature even at very low outdoor air temperatures. The mixed air is then blown through the supply fan 6 through the air outlet 7 from the air conditioning unit to the object. The remaining exhaust air, which is not mixed, flows through the exhaust air flap 11 and is discharged through the exhaust air outlet 15 from the air conditioning unit. All dampers can be opened fully or partially to achieve the required throughput of the system.

The air conditioner may further include environmental and / or indoor pollutant concentration sensors and select an appropriate mode based on the evaluation of these data. For example, on tropical days, the unit would consistently opt for recirculating cooling from an energy point of view, which could cause an increase in the amount of CO2 in the engineering space. Based on human health limit values, the air conditioner disables the recirculation mode until the object's CO2 level is reduced to the preset limit. The CO2 sensor and optionally other desirable sensors may be located, for example, downstream of the exhaust air inlet 10 of the building into the air conditioning unit. Similarly, the unit may include environmental pollutant sensors that may be located, for example, before the outside air enters the air conditioner. An example would be a sensor for detecting explosive gas leakage in an outdoor environment, when the unit - after measuring the limit values - regardless of energy efficiency, completely closes the outside air access to the building.

-4EN 27646 Ul

The air-conditioning unit may include a humidification device to meet the requirements of the technical space for relative humidity. The air conditioner can also be equipped with an electric air heater.

Claims (10)

PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS An air conditioning unit with air intake and outlet connected to indoor and outdoor areas, comprising an inlet (1) from the outside, an outlet (10) of the exhaust air from the building, an outlet (15) of the exhaust air to the outside, an outlet (7) supply air to the object, supply fan (6), exhaust fan (14), compressor (3), evaporator (5) located upstream of the supply air outlet (7), condenser (13) located upstream of the exhaust air outlet (15) and an air damper system, wherein the air damper system is adapted to direct air from an inlet (1) from the exterior through an outlet (5) to an inlet air outlet (7) of the object, characterized in that the air damper system is further adapted to guide air from the exhaust air inlet (10) from the object, through the evaporator (5) to the supply air outlet (7) into the object. Air conditioning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the inlet (1) from the outside, the inlet (10) of the exhaust air from the object, the outlet (15) of the exhaust air into the outside, the outlet (7) the fan (6), the exhaust fan (14), the compressor (3), the effluent (5), the condenser (13) and the damper system are housed in a single housing housed inside the building. Air conditioning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the inlet (1) from the outside, the inlet (10) of the exhaust air from the object, the outlet (15) of the outside air into the outside, the outlet (7) the fan (6), the exhaust fan (14), the compressor (3), the effluent (5), the condenser (13) and the flap system are located in at least two cabinets displaceable inside the building. An air conditioning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a microprocessor unit (17) adapted to automatically select the most energy-efficient cooling program depending on the enthalpy of the outdoor environment. Air conditioning unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the compressor (3) is designed as a digital spiral compressor with continuous power control. An air conditioning unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an air humidifier. An air conditioning unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an electric heater. An air conditioning unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one sensor of the concentration of pollutants in the external environment and / or the internal environment. An air conditioning unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a CO2 sensor. An air conditioning unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said microprocessor unit (17) is adapted for remote management and / or condition monitoring.