JP2000035255A - Thermal storage type air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further increase a reduction width of consumed power at the peak time as compared with that at the other time zone by connecting an outdoor heat exchanger and a thermal storage heat exchanger in series or in parallel, feeding a part of discharged refrigerant from a compressor to the outdoor exchanger, and feeding the other to the storage exchanger. SOLUTION: In the case that an outdoor heat exchanger 7 and a thermal storage heat exchanger 13 are connected in series and both the exchangers are used as condensers, high temperature and high pressure refrigerant discharged from a compressor 5 is condensed in the exchanger 7 via a four-way switching valve 6, and fed to the exchanger 13 via an outdoor flow control valve 8 opened to a maximum valve travel and an opened third opening/closing valve. In the case that the exchanger 7 and the exchanger 13 are aligned in parallel and used as the condensers, the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is condensed at one side by the exchanger 7 via the valve 6 and condensed at the other side in the case of feeding the exchanger 13 via a first opened opening/closing valve 1 while maintained in the high temperature and high pressure gas.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a regenerative air conditioner which realizes a reduction in power consumption by daytime air conditioning by performing a heat storage operation and a heat storage air conditioning operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A refrigeration cycle is constructed by connecting a compressor, a four-way switching valve, a condenser, a flow control valve, and an evaporator in order through a refrigerant pipe, and a heat storage heat exchanger is arranged in the refrigerant pipe. An example of such a heat storage type air conditioner is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-147678.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional heat storage type air conditioner, a plurality of heat storage heat exchangers are connected, and both the outdoor heat exchanger and the heat storage heat exchanger are used as condensers. Although the condensing pressure during the cooling operation using the heat storage is lowered to reduce the power consumption by improving the pressure ratio of the compressor, no consideration has been given to means for further reducing the condensing pressure and the power consumption. Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the power consumption at the peak time more than that at other time zones and to reduce the power consumption more than this kind of conventional technology. .

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a regenerative air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided.
An outdoor unit including a compressor, a four-way switching valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor flow control valve, a heat storage unit including a heat storage heat exchanger, and an indoor unit including an indoor flow control valve and an indoor heat exchanger. In the regenerative air conditioner having means for serializing the outdoor heat exchanger and the heat storage heat exchanger, means for parallelizing the outdoor heat exchanger and the heat storage heat exchanger, and Means for allowing a part of the discharged refrigerant to flow to the outdoor heat exchanger and the other to flow to the heat storage heat exchanger.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a heat storage heat exchanger is used, an outdoor heat exchanger and a heat storage heat exchanger are arranged in series, and these heat exchangers are connected to a condenser. It is used as an operating method that lowers the condensation pressure and turns the refrigerant into a supercooled refrigerant, and arranges an outdoor heat exchanger and a heat storage heat exchanger in parallel, using these heat exchangers as condensers and directly making ice. By flowing the refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor into the heat storage heat exchanger, the condensing pressure is lowered, the refrigerant is supercooled, and the amount of refrigerant flowing to the outdoor heat exchanger is adjusted by the outdoor flow rate adjustment valve. An operation method of controlling the condensing pressure by merging with the refrigerant, and a part of the discharge gas refrigerant of the compressor is condensed by flowing this to the outdoor heat exchanger, and another part of the discharge gas refrigerant of the compressor is This is combined with the refrigerant after the outdoor flow control valve to make ice. A driving method of a refrigerant to lower the condensing pressure by pouring the heat storage heat exchanger for supercooling the refrigerant that, the 3
One of the two driving methods can be selected.

A regenerative air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises an outdoor unit having a compressor, a four-way switching valve, an outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor flow rate regulating valve, a heat storage tank and a heat storage heat exchanger. A heat storage unit having a heat storage unit and an indoor unit having an indoor flow rate regulating valve and an indoor heat exchanger, the heat storage unit having a plurality of the heat storage units having the heat storage tank and the heat storage heat exchanger, It is characterized in that the number of units used can be selected.

According to the configuration of the invention described in claim 2, each of the heat storage heat exchangers in each of the plurality of heat storage units has the same three operation methods as the heat storage heat exchanger of the invention described in claim 1. Either can be selected.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4. FIG. Here, Table 1 below shows the state of each flow control valve for each mode.

[0009]

[Table 1]

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a regenerative air conditioner according to a first embodiment.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the regenerative air conditioner comprises, as a basic configuration, an outdoor unit comprising a compressor 5, a four-way switching valve 6, an outdoor heat exchanger 7 and an outdoor flow control valve 8, One heat storage unit composed of a flow control valve 11 and a heat storage heat exchanger 13 included in a heat storage tank 12, an indoor flow control valve 9a, 9b and an indoor heat exchanger 10
a and 10b, and a refrigerant pipe connecting these units to each other.

A characteristic configuration of this embodiment is that a first on-off valve 1, a second on-off valve 2, a third on-off valve 3, and a fourth on-off valve 4 are arranged in a refrigerant pipe. The connection configuration of the refrigerant pipes including these on-off valves has the following configuration.

That is, one refrigerant pipe branched from the discharge side of the compressor 5 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 7 through the four-way switching valve 6.
Alternatively, it is connected to one of the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b, and the other refrigerant pipe is connected to one of the first on-off valves 1. In addition, one refrigerant pipe branched from the suction side of the compressor 5 is connected via the four-way switching valve 6 to the indoor heat exchanger 10a,
10 b or one of the outdoor heat exchangers 7, and the other refrigerant pipe is connected to one of the second on-off valves 2.

Next, the other of the first on-off valve 1 and the other of the second on-off valve 2 are merged and then branched, and one of the refrigerant pipes is connected to one of the heat storage heat exchangers 13. The other refrigerant pipe is connected to one of the third on-off valves 3, and the other one of the heat storage heat exchangers 13 is connected to one of the fourth on-off valves 4 via the heat storage flow control valve 11.

Further, after the other of the third on-off valve 3 and the other of the fourth on-off valve 4 have joined, they are connected to the other of the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the outdoor flow control valve 8, and the heat storage flow control valve Refrigerant piping branched from between 11 and one of the fourth on-off valves 4 is connected to the other one of the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b via the indoor flow control valves 9a and 9b, respectively.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, water is generally used as a heat storage medium in the heat storage tank 12, and the description of the present invention will be made on the assumption that water is used. Of course, the contents of the present invention can be applied to heat storage media other than water.

The flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle operated with the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, the cooling heat storage operation shown in FIG. 6 will be described. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is condensed and liquefied in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the four-way switching valve 6. The liquefied refrigerant passes through the outdoor flow control valve 8 that has been opened to the maximum opening degree, and has its opening degree reduced through the fourth opening / closing valve 4 that has been opened to reduce the flow rate and act as a heat storage flow adjustment valve that acts as a pressure reducing mechanism. The pressure is reduced at 11. The refrigerant evaporating in the heat storage heat exchanger 13 included in the heat storage tank 12 cools surrounding water and makes ice. The evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor 5 via the opened second on-off valve 2. At this time, the second on-off valve 1, the third on-off valve 3, and the indoor flow rate adjusting valves 9a, 9b are closed, and no refrigerant flows through the indoor heat exchangers 10a, 10b.
Here, when there is a cooling load in the room, the indoor flow rate adjusting valves 9a and 9b are operated as a pressure reducing mechanism, and the indoor heat exchanger 1 is operated.
It is possible to flow a refrigerant also to 0a and 10b.

If it is determined during the heat storage operation that the heat storage unit 13 has reached the specified amount of heat storage based on a signal from a sensor or the like, the heat storage flow control valve 11 is fully closed to transfer the refrigerant to the heat storage heat exchanger 13. Block the flow.

Next, the cooling operation using heat storage will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, in the cooling operation using heat storage, the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the heat storage heat exchanger 13 are arranged in series and used as a condenser, and as shown in FIG.
And the heat storage heat exchanger 13 may be arranged in parallel and used as a condenser. First, when the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the heat storage heat exchanger 13 are arranged in series and used as a condenser, and then, when the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the heat storage heat exchanger 13 are arranged in parallel and used as a condenser. Will be described.

In FIG. 7, when the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the heat storage heat exchanger 13 are arranged in series and these two heat exchangers are used as a condenser, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is: The heat storage heat exchanger 13 is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the four-way switching valve 6, passes through the outdoor flow control valve 8 opened to the maximum opening degree, passes through the third opening / closing valve, and opens. Inflow. Here, the first on-off valve 1, the second on-off valve 2, and the fourth on-off valve
The on-off valve 4 remains closed, and the refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 is supplied directly to the compressor 5 and the indoor flow control valve 9a,
It does not flow to 9b. The refrigerant that has been condensed and supercooled in the heat storage heat exchanger 13 in the heat storage tank 12 in which ice is already being made passes through the heat storage flow control valve 11 that has been opened to the maximum opening degree.
The pressure is reduced by the indoor flow rate control valves 9a and 9b functioning as a pressure reducing mechanism, and is evaporated by the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b to cool the indoor air. The evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor 5 via the four-way switching valve 6.

In the cooling operation using heat storage shown in FIG.
The high-temperature and high-pressure gas is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 7. In this case, since heat exchange is performed with outdoor air (for example, an air temperature of 35 ° C.), the condensing pressure is affected by the air temperature, and is, for example, 1.7 MPa (17 kg /
cm ² G). Such condensed refrigerant further exchanges heat with ice in the heat storage heat exchanger 13 connected in series and is supercooled. Since the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the heat storage heat exchanger 13 are used in series, the capacity of the condenser is larger than that in the normal cooling operation shown in FIG. 10 in which only the outdoor heat exchanger 7 is used. As the liquid refrigerant region moves to the heat storage heat exchanger 13, the capacity of the condenser is large, and the condensing pressure during the normal cooling operation in FIG. 10, for example, 1.9 MPa (19 kg / cm ²⁾
G) is reduced by about 0.2 MPa (2 kg / cm ² G). The power consumption of the compressor depends largely on the height of the condensing pressure, and the power consumption decreases as the condensing pressure decreases.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The case where the heat storage heat exchanger 13 and the heat storage heat exchanger 13 are arranged in parallel and used as a condenser will be described.

In FIG. 8, one of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the four-way switching valve 6, and the outdoor flow control valve 8 acts as a condensing pressure control. Through the fourth open / close valve 4 that has been opened, and the other is condensed when passing directly through the heat storage heat exchanger 13 via the open / closed first open / close valve 1 while remaining at high temperature and pressure.
Next, it merges with one of the fourth on-off valves 4 via the heat storage flow control valve 11 that has been opened to the maximum opening. A part of the refrigerant passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the outdoor flow control valve 8 acting as a condensing pressure control, and joins with the liquid refrigerant after the heat storage flow control valve 11, so that the heat storage use amount of the heat storage heat exchanger 13 And the condensing pressure after the heat storage flow control valve 11 can be controlled.
Here, the second on-off valve 2 and the third on-off valve 3 are closed, and the refrigerant that has passed through the compressor 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 7 does not flow into the heat storage heat exchanger 13. . At this time, the temperature in the heat storage tank 12 is lower than the outside air temperature, and the heat exchange performance is good as a condenser. Reduces the condensation pressure and further supercools the refrigerant.

The condensed and supercooled liquid refrigerant is depressurized by the indoor flow rate regulating valves 9a and 9b which function as a pressure reducing mechanism.
The indoor air is cooled by evaporating in the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b. The evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor 5 via the four-way switching valve 6.

In the cooling operation using heat storage shown in FIG.
Basically, in the heat storage heat exchanger 13, the ice and the high-temperature high-pressure gas exchange heat. Ice is usually at 0 ° C.
Cold water up to 2 ° C. can be used as a heat source, and the condensing pressure is, for example, 0.7 to 0.8 MPa (7 to 8 kg / cm ² G).
Therefore, the power consumption of the compressor 5 can be further reduced as compared with the cooling operation in FIG. The fourth
The refrigerant gas is bypassed through the outdoor heat exchanger 7 while the on-off valve 4 is opened and adjusted by the outdoor flow control valve 8, so that the condensing pressure can be increased. Performance can be improved.

In contrast to the melting speed of ice in the heat storage tank 12 during the cooling operation in FIG. 7, the melting speed of the ice during the cooling operation in FIG. . Therefore, in order to make the heat storage amount as small and effective as possible, that is, to make the size of the heat storage tank 12 small, it is important to switch the operation method between FIG. 7 and FIG. In other words, when relying solely on the operating method of FIG. 8, a large heat storage tank is required, and when relying solely on the operating method of FIG. 7, the decrease in power consumption is small. Further, if the heat storage unit is divided into a plurality of units as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the degree of freedom in selecting the installation location increases accordingly.

In the above example, the fourth on-off valve 4 is opened and the third on-off valve 3 is closed. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the third on-off valve 3 is opened. Then, by closing the fourth opening / closing valve 4 and adjusting the flow rate of the outdoor flow rate adjusting valve 8, it is possible to control the heat storage utilization time and the condensing pressure after the heat storage heat exchanger to an appropriate state.

Further, while the first opening / closing valve 1 is opened to reduce the condensing pressure and the operation is performed, the fan disposed to allow the air to pass through the outdoor heat exchanger 7 is stopped. It is also possible to operate the outdoor unit to reduce the power consumption.

Next, the normal cooling operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 10, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is condensed and liquefied in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the four-way switching valve 6. The liquefied refrigerant passes through the outdoor flow control valve 8 that has been opened to the maximum opening degree, passes through the fourth opening / closing valve 4 that has been opened, reduces the opening degree, reduces the flow rate, and acts as an indoor flow adjustment valve that acts as a pressure reducing mechanism. The pressure is reduced at 9a and 9b, evaporated at the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b to absorb the indoor heat, and cool the indoor air. The evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor 5 via the four-way switching valve 6. At this time, the first opening / closing valve 1, the second opening / closing valve 2, the third opening / closing valve 3, and the heat storage flow control valve 11 are closed, and the refrigerant does not flow through the heat storage heat exchanger 13.

Next, the heating and heat storage operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 11, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 passes through the opened first opening / closing valve 1 and is condensed in the heat storage heat exchanger 13 to heat the surrounding water to produce hot water. . The condensed refrigerant passes through the heat storage flow control valve 11 that has been opened to the maximum opening, the fourth opening / closing valve 4 that has been opened, and the outdoor flow control valve 8 that has a reduced opening to reduce the flow rate and act as a pressure reducing mechanism. It evaporates in the heat exchanger 7 and returns to the compressor 5 through the four-way switching valve 6 whose flow direction has been switched. Also,
Part of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 passes through the four-way switching valve 6 whose flow direction is switched, is condensed in the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b, and passes through the indoor flow control valves 9a and 9b. Then, between the fourth on-off valve 4 and the heat storage flow control valve 11, the refrigerant after the heat storage flow control valve 11 merges. Here, the second on-off valve 2 and the third on-off valve 3 are closed, and the combined refrigerant does not flow directly to the compressor 5.

If it is determined during the heat storage operation that the heat storage heat exchanger 13 has reached the specified heat storage amount by a signal from a sensor or the like, the heat storage flow control valve 11 is fully closed to shut off the flow of the refrigerant.

Next, the heating operation using heat storage will be described with reference to FIGS. In the heating operation using heat storage, the case where only the heat storage heat exchanger 13 is used as the evaporator as shown in FIG. 12 and the case where the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the heat storage heat exchanger 13 are connected in parallel as shown in FIG. There are cases where both are used as evaporators. First, the case where only the heat storage heat exchanger 13 is used as an evaporator, and the case where the outdoor heat exchanger and the heat storage heat exchanger are arranged in parallel and used together as an evaporator will be described.

In the case where only the heat storage heat exchanger 13 is used as an evaporator, in FIG. 12, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 passes through the four-way switching valve 6 whose flow direction is switched.
And condenses in the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b to heat the room. The condensed refrigerant passes through the indoor flow rate regulating valves 9a and 9b opened to the maximum opening degree or an arbitrary predetermined opening degree, is depressurized by the heat storage flow rate regulating valve 11 acting as a pressure reducing mechanism, and is evaporated by the heat storage heat exchanger 13. At this time, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the warm water in the heated heat storage tank 12. The evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor 5 via the second on-off valve 2 that has been opened.
Here, the third on-off valve 3 and the fourth on-off valve 4 are closed, and no refrigerant flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 7. Further, the first on-off valve 1 is also closed, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 does not flow directly to the compressor 5.

In the heating operation utilizing heat storage shown in FIG. 12, the heat storage heat exchanger 13 is used alone without using the outdoor heat exchanger 7, and in this case, the heat storage tank 12 in which hot water is stored is used as a heat source. Therefore, heat can be pumped without being affected by the outside air temperature where the outdoor heat exchanger 7 is placed, and a heating operation with good heat pump performance can be performed.
In addition, since the refrigerant does not flow to the outdoor heat exchanger 7, power consumption can be reduced by stopping the outdoor unit fan.

Next, a case where the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the heat storage heat exchanger 13 are arranged in parallel and used as an evaporator will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 13, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is condensed in the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b via the four-way switching valve 6 whose flow direction is switched, and heats the room. The condensed refrigerant passes through the indoor flow rate control valves 9a and 9b which are opened to the maximum opening degree or an arbitrary predetermined opening degree, and one of them is a heat storage flow rate adjustment valve 11 acting as a pressure reducing mechanism.
Meanwhile, the other is branched to the opened fourth opening / closing valve 4, and the refrigerant decompressed by the heat storage flow control valve 11 evaporates in the heat storage heat exchanger 13 and removes heat from the heated water in the heated heat storage tank 12. It returns to the compressor 5 via the second opening / closing valve 2 that has been absorbed and opened. The refrigerant flowing to the other fourth on-off valve 4 evaporates in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the outdoor flow rate control valve 8 acting as a pressure reducing mechanism, absorbs heat from the outside air, and passes through the four-way switching valve 6 to the compressor. Return to 5. Here, the first on-off valve 1 and the third on-off valve 3 are closed, and the refrigerant on the discharge side of the compressor 5 does not return directly to the compressor 5 and does not bypass the heat storage heat exchanger 13. .

In the heating operation using heat storage shown in FIG. 13, for example, when the outdoor air temperature is high and the water temperature of the heat storage tank 12 is low, the outdoor heat exchanger 7 is used in combination as an evaporator. By pumping heat from the heat exchanger 7, it is possible to replenish insufficient heat from a low water temperature and to suppress a decrease in comfort.

If the heat storage heat exchanger 13 is continued to be used as an evaporator in the heat storage use heating operation shown in FIG. 12, ice may be produced depending on the temperature of the water temperature drop, and the power consumption during the nighttime heat storage operation And the efficiency decreases. Therefore, one of the operation methods shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 may be selected according to the water temperature of the heat storage tank 12 and the temperature level of the outside air.

Next, the normal heating operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 14, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is condensed in the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b via the four-way switching valve 6, and heats the room. The condensed refrigerant passes through the indoor opening / closing valves 9a and 9b opened to the maximum opening degree or an arbitrary predetermined opening degree, and the opened fourth opening / closing valve 4 is opened.
, The flow rate is reduced and the flow rate is reduced through the outdoor flow rate control valve 8 acting as a pressure reducing mechanism, evaporating in the outdoor heat exchanger 7, absorbing heat from the outdoor, and passing through the four-way switching valve 6 to the compressor 5.
Return to Here, only the fourth on-off valve 4 is opened, and the first on-off valve 1, the second on-off valve 2, the third on-off valve 3, and the heat storage flow control valve 11 are closed. No refrigerant flows through the heat exchanger 13.

Next, the heat storage utilizing defrosting operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 15, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is condensed and liquefied in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the four-way switching valve 6. At this time, defrosting is performed in the outdoor heat exchanger 7. The liquefied refrigerant passes through the outdoor flow control valve 8 that has been opened to the maximum opening or an arbitrary predetermined opening, and the fourth open / close valve 4 that has been opened, and reduces the opening to reduce the flow and act as a pressure reducing mechanism. The pressure is reduced by the heat storage flow control valve 11. In the heat storage heat exchanger 13 included in the heat storage tank 12, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the surrounding hot water, evaporates, and returns to the compressor 5 via the opened second on-off valve 2. At this time, the first
On-off valve 1, third on-off valve 3, and indoor flow rate regulating valve 9a,
9b is closed, and the refrigerant does not flow through the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b. In this case, since the heat source is not a room but a heat storage tank, the indoor heat is not deprived by defrosting.

Next, the normal defrosting operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 16, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is condensed and liquefied in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the four-way switching valve 6. At this time, defrosting is performed in the outdoor heat exchanger 7. The liquefied refrigerant is supplied to the outdoor flow control valve 8 which is opened to the maximum opening or an arbitrary predetermined opening,
, The opening degree is reduced, the flow rate is reduced, and the pressure is reduced by the indoor flow rate adjusting valves 9a and 9b which function as a pressure reducing mechanism. In the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b, the refrigerant absorbs indoor heat and evaporates, and returns to the compressor 5 via the four-way switching valve 6. At this time, the first on-off valve 1, the second on-off valve 2, the third on-off valve
The on-off valve 3 and the heat storage flow control valve 11 are closed, and the refrigerant does not flow through the heat storage heat exchanger 13.

FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of a heat storage type air conditioner having one heat storage unit having a fifth on-off valve 14 and a sixth on-off valve 15 according to the second embodiment. is there.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the regenerative air conditioner has one basic configuration including a compressor 5, a four-way switching valve 6, an outdoor heat exchanger 7, and an outdoor flow control valve 8. An outdoor unit, one heat storage unit including a heat storage flow rate control valve 11 and a heat storage heat exchanger 13, and indoor flow rate control valves 9a and 9b, and indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b corresponding thereto, respectively. Indoor units,
And a refrigerant pipe for connecting these units to each other.

The embodiment in which the heat storage unit is connected to other outdoor units and indoor units via refrigerant pipes through first to fourth on-off valves 1, 2, 3 and 4 is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. This is exactly the same as the connection mode of one heat storage unit, and a heat storage unit of the present embodiment in which a fifth on-off valve 14 and a sixth on-off valve 15 are added will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 2, one refrigerant pipe branched from the discharge side of the compressor 5 is connected to one of the indoor heat exchanger 7 or one of the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b via the four-way switching valve 6. At the same time, the other refrigerant pipe is connected to the first on-off valve 1
Connected to one of the One refrigerant pipe branched from the suction side of the compressor 5 is connected to one of the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b or the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the four-way switching valve 6, and the other refrigerant pipe is connected to the second heat pipe. It is connected to one of the on-off valves 2.

Next, the other of the first on-off valve 1 and the other of the second on-off valve 2 are merged and then branched, and one of the refrigerant pipes is connected to one of the fifth on-off valves. Is connected to one of the sixth on-off valves whose diameter is smaller than that of the fifth on-off valve, and the other of the fifth on-off valve and the other of the sixth on-off valve are merged and then branched. One of the refrigerant pipes is connected to one of the heat storage heat exchangers 13, and the other refrigerant pipe is connected to one of the third opening / closing valves 3, and the other of the heat storage heat exchangers 13 is a heat storage flow control valve. 11 is connected to one of the fourth on-off valves 4.

Further, after the other of the third on-off valve 3 and the other of the fourth on-off valve 4 have joined, they are connected to the other of the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the outdoor flow control valve 8, and the heat storage flow control valve Refrigerant piping branched from between 11 and one of the fourth on-off valves 4 is connected to the other one of the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b via the indoor flow control valves 9a and 9b, respectively. And the connection mode of the first embodiment.

The refrigerant flow of the refrigeration cycle operated with the configuration shown in FIG. 2 has two operation modes, a cooling heat storage operation and a heat storage utilizing heating operation. The liquid refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 or the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b evaporates in the heat storage heat exchanger 13 and temporarily returns to the compressor 5 during the operation of returning to the compressor 5, particularly at the time of starting. Flows in a large amount, and the compressor 5 may be broken by liquid compression. Therefore, first, the sixth opening / closing valve 16 having a small diameter is opened, a small amount of refrigerant is allowed to flow, and after the stabilization, the fifth opening / closing valve is opened. By opening the valve 14, return of the liquid refrigerant to the compressor 5 can be prevented.

FIG. 3 shows the overall configuration of a heat storage type air conditioner provided with two heat storage units according to the third embodiment.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the regenerative air conditioner has one basic configuration including a compressor 5, a four-way switching valve 6, an outdoor heat exchanger 7, and an outdoor flow control valve 8. Outdoor unit and heat storage flow control valves 11a, 11b
And two heat storage units constituted by corresponding heat storage heat exchangers 13a and 13b, and an indoor flow rate regulating valve 9
a, 9b and the corresponding indoor heat exchangers 10a,
There are provided two indoor units constituted by 10b, and refrigerant pipes connecting these units to each other.

Each of the two heat storage units is connected to first to fourth on-off valves 1, 2, 3a, 3b and 4 by refrigerant piping.
The mode of connection to other outdoor units and indoor units via a and 4b is exactly the same as the mode of connection of one heat storage unit in the embodiment shown in FIG. Only the connection mode of the heat storage unit constituted by the exchanger 13a will be described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, one refrigerant pipe branched from the discharge side of the compressor 5 is connected to one of the outdoor heat exchanger 7 or one of the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b via the four-way switching valve 6. At the same time, the other refrigerant pipe is connected to the first on-off valve 1
Connected to one of the Further, one refrigerant pipe branched from the suction side of the compressor 5 is connected to one of the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b or the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the four-way switching valve 6, and the other refrigerant pipe is connected to the second heat pipe. Is connected to one of the on-off valves 2.

Next, the other of the first on-off valve 1 and the other of the second on-off valve 2 are merged and branched, and one of the refrigerant pipes after the branch is re-branched. Is connected to one of the heat storage heat exchangers 13a, and the other refrigerant pipe is connected to one of the third on-off valves 3a.
The other of 3a is connected to one of the fourth on-off valves 4a via the heat storage flow control valve 11a.

Further, the other of the third on-off valve 3a and the other of the fourth on-off valve 4a are merged and connected to the other of the outdoor heat exchanger 7 via the outdoor flow control valve 8, and the heat storage flow control valve 1
A refrigerant pipe branched from between 1a and one of the fourth on-off valves 4a is connected to the other one of the indoor heat exchangers 10a and 10b via indoor flow control valves 9a and 9b, respectively. Note that the heat storage flow control valve 11b and the heat storage heat exchanger 1
The manner of connecting the refrigerant pipes to the heat storage unit constituted by 3b is also the same as in the case of the heat storage heat exchanger 13a described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, water is generally used as the heat storage medium in the heat storage tanks 12a and 12b, and the description of the present invention will be made assuming that water is used.
Of course, the contents of the present invention can be applied to heat storage media other than water.

The flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle operated in the configuration shown in FIG. 3 is determined by the third on-off valve 3, fourth on-off valve 4, heat storage flow regulating valve 11, heat storage tank 1 described in FIG.
2. A heat storage unit in which the heat storage heat exchangers 13 are grouped is connected in parallel, and is basically the same as the refrigerant flow of the refrigeration cycle described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, a point where the first opening / closing valve 1 and the second opening / closing valve 2 join and branch to each heat storage heat exchanger, the third opening / closing valves 3a and 3b, and the heat storage heat exchanger 13a. , 13b, the seventh on-off valve 16a, 16b, respectively, allows the use of each heat storage tank 12a, 12b to be selected.

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, when there is a difference in the water temperature level or the amount of residual ice in each of the heat storage tanks 12a and 12b, each of the on-off valves is individually switched so that, for example, the heat storage with a high water temperature is performed. The supply of the refrigerant to the heat exchanger or to the heat storage heat exchanger having a low water temperature can be stopped, and the heat source can be effectively used. In addition, when the indoor load is small and the amount of heat storage used may be small, the number of heat storage units to be used may be limited accordingly, and by using a plurality of heat storage units, the installation location can be effectively used. .

FIG. 4 shows a regenerative air conditioner equipped with two heat storage units according to the third embodiment, corresponding to the heat storage heat exchangers 13a and 13b, respectively. Fifth on-off valve 1 having similar operation and effect
4a, 14b and a sixth on-off valve 15a, 15b. In this case, the compressor 5 is used similarly to the second embodiment.
The liquid refrigerant can be prevented from returning to the chamber.

[0060]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide two operation methods in which an outdoor heat exchanger and a heat storage heat exchanger are arranged in series or in parallel and used as a condenser. By directly flowing the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor into the heat storage heat exchanger, the condensing pressure can be reduced as compared with the case where the outdoor heat exchanger is used for condensation, thereby reducing the power consumption of the compressor. Can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a larger amount of condensation and reduce the power consumption of the compressor. Also, the number of heat storage units can be changed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a first embodiment of a heat storage tank of a refrigeration cycle for implementing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second embodiment in which fifth and sixth on-off valves are provided in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a third embodiment of a plurality of heat storage tanks of a refrigeration cycle for implementing the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a fourth embodiment in which fifth and sixth on-off valves are provided in the third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a fifth embodiment in which a seventh on-off valve is provided in the third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a cooling heat storage operation.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a cooling operation using heat storage in series.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a cooling operation using heat storage in parallel.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a cooling operation using heat storage.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a normal cooling operation.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a heating heat storage operation.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a heat storage utilizing heating operation using only a heat storage heat exchanger.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a heat storage utilizing heating operation in which a heat storage heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger are used in combination.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a normal heating operation.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a heat storage utilizing defrosting operation.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a normal defrosting operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st on-off valve 2 ... 2nd on-off valve 3, 3a, 3b ... 3rd on-off valve 4, 4a, 4b ... 4th on-off valve 5 ... Compressor 6 ... 4-way switching valve 7 ... Outdoor heat exchange Unit 8: outdoor flow control valves 9, 9a, 9b: indoor flow control valves 10, 10a, 10b: indoor heat exchangers 11, 11a, 11b: heat storage flow control valves 12, 12a, 12b: heat storage tanks 13, 13a, 13b ... heat storage heat exchangers 14, 14a, 14b ... fifth on-off valve 15, 15a, 15b ... sixth on-off valve 16a, 16b ... seventh on-off valve

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Togusa 390 Muramatsu, Shimizu-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture Air Conditioning Systems Division, Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An outdoor unit having a compressor, a four-way switching valve, an outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor flow control valve, a heat storage unit having a heat storage heat exchanger, an indoor flow control valve and an indoor heat exchanger. A heat storage type air conditioner having an indoor unit, a means for connecting the outdoor heat exchanger and the heat storage heat exchanger in series, and a means for setting the outdoor heat exchanger and the heat storage heat exchanger in parallel. Means for flowing a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger and flowing another part to the heat storage heat exchanger. 2. An outdoor unit having a compressor, a four-way switching valve, an outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor flow control valve, a heat storage unit having a heat storage tank and a heat storage heat exchanger, an indoor flow control valve and indoor heat exchange. A heat storage air conditioner having an indoor unit provided with a heat storage unit, wherein a plurality of the heat storage units having the heat storage tank and the heat storage heat exchanger are provided, and the number of the heat storage units to be used can be selected. Heat storage type air conditioner.