JP2002115924A - Heat pump type hot water heater apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat pump type hot water heater apparatus wherein a refrigerant circulating in a refrigerant system circuit is maintained at a proper amount without being influenced by fresh air temperature, etc., and hence continuous operation is ensured over a long period of time, and further degradation of capability is suppressed. SOLUTION: A refrigerant system circuit includes a compressor 20, a water heat exchanger 9, liquid reception apparatus 36, a pressure reducing mechanism 37, and an air heat exchanger 21 serving as a vaporizer, and a water system circuit with a heat exchanger 6 heated by the foregoing water heat exchanger 9. A temperature adjusting means 40 is provided for adjusting quantity of a refrigerant in the foregoing liquid receiving apparatus 36 in response to at least one of fresh air temperature and inlet water temperature.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat pump water heater.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a heat pump type hot water supply apparatus has a refrigerant system having a compressor, a water heat exchanger (functioning as a condenser), a pressure reducing mechanism, and an air heat exchanger (functioning as an evaporator). And a water system circuit having a heat exchange path that constitutes a part of the water heat exchanger. Specifically, it has a hot water storage tank, and a circulation path connecting an intake port provided on the bottom side of the hot water storage tank and a hot water supply port provided on the top side of the hot water storage tank. And the above heat exchange path is heated by a heat pump heating source,
A hot water supply operation is performed in which the unheated water from the water intake port is boiled to a predetermined temperature in the heat exchange path and hot water at a predetermined temperature is returned to the hot water supply port (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-1).
No. 4141).

[0003]

However, in the above-described heat pump type hot water supply apparatus, an appropriate amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit changes due to a change in an operating state or a season.
Therefore, conventionally, a liquid receiver has been provided to maintain an appropriate amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit. However,
Since the changes in the incoming water temperature and the outside air temperature of the water system circuit are very large, it was not possible to sufficiently adjust the amount of the refrigerant using only the receiver.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the outside air temperature, the incoming water temperature, and the excess or deficiency of the refrigerant amount in the heat pump hot water supply apparatus. As shown in the figure, when the incoming air temperature is relatively low in the summertime when the outside air temperature is high, the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator increases and the amount of refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit becomes insufficient, and conversely. Meanwhile, when the incoming water temperature is relatively high in winter when the outside air temperature is low, the amount of refrigerant accumulated in the condenser (water heat exchanger) decreases, so that the amount of refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit is excessive. . For this reason, the capability of the hot water supply device may be reduced, or a malfunction may occur in which the protection function is activated and continuous operation becomes impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object thereof is to maintain an appropriate amount of refrigerant circulating in a refrigerant system circuit without being affected by the outside air temperature or the like. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat pump hot water supply apparatus capable of continuously operating for a long period of time and suppressing a decrease in capacity.

[0006]

Therefore, the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1 comprises a compressor 20, a water heat exchanger 9 functioning as a condenser, a liquid receiver 36, a pressure reducing mechanism 37,
In a heat pump type hot water supply apparatus including a refrigerant system circuit having an air heat exchanger 21 functioning as an evaporator, and a water system circuit having a heat exchange path heated by the water heat exchanger 9, A temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the refrigerant in the receiver in accordance with at least one of the outside air temperature and the incoming water temperature in the water system circuit to increase or decrease the amount of the refrigerant in the receiver. And

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the first aspect, the temperature of the refrigerant in the receiver 36 is adjusted according to at least one of the outside air temperature and the incoming water temperature to increase or decrease the amount of the refrigerant in the receiver 36. Therefore, in summer when the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit becomes slightly short, the refrigerant in the receiver 36 can be reduced by heating the refrigerant in the summer. , And can be adjusted so that the refrigerant does not run short. Here, the term “many” means that by not performing such adjustment, the amount of refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit is increased as compared with a case where the amount of refrigerant is insufficient, and is not an excessive state. Also,
In winter, when the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit is excessive, the refrigerant in the receiver 36 can be cooled and increased, thereby reducing the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit. It can be adjusted so that the refrigerant does not become excessive. Here, “decrease” means that the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit is reduced by not performing such adjustment as compared with a case where the amount of the refrigerant is excessive, and is not an insufficient state. .

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the second aspect, the refrigerant condensed in the water heat exchanger 9 functioning as a condenser flows into the liquid receiver 36 through a part of the air heat exchanger 21. It is characterized in that a part of the air heat exchanger 21 is used as the temperature adjusting means 40.

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to the second aspect, part of the air heat exchanger 21 functions as a refrigerant heater in summer when the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit tends to be short. The amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit can be adjusted to an appropriate amount by heating the refrigerant in the vessel 36 and reducing it. In winter, when the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit becomes excessive, a part of the air heat exchanger 21 functions as a supercooling heat exchanger, and the amount of the refrigerant in the receiver 36 may be increased. Thus, the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit can be adjusted to an appropriate amount.

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to a third aspect, the air heat exchanger is located downstream of the water heat exchanger 9 and upstream of the liquid receiver 36 and downstream of the pressure reducing mechanism 37. An auxiliary heat exchanger 41 for exchanging heat with the preceding stage of 21 is provided,
The auxiliary heat exchanger 41 is used as the temperature adjusting means 40.

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to the third aspect, since the evaporation pressure (evaporation temperature) is high in high outside air in summer and low in low outside air in winter, the condensing refrigerant supplied to the receiver 36 is provided. Also, the temperature is controlled to be high or low according to the outside air. As a result, it is possible to control the amount of the circulating refrigerant to be an appropriate amount. Further, in this case, since the heat released by the supercooling can be collected on the evaporator side, it is possible to improve a decrease in efficiency due to cooling of the refrigerant.

A heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 4 is characterized in that the temperature adjusting means 40 is a heating / cooling device 46 for heating or cooling the liquid receiver 36.

[0013] In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of claim 4,
The refrigerant in the receiver 36 can be heated or cooled directly and easily and reliably, and the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit can be stably maintained at an appropriate amount.

A heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a compressor 20, a water heat exchanger 9 functioning as a condenser, a liquid receiver 36, a pressure reducing mechanism 37, and an air heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator. , A sub heat exchanger 49 and a refrigerant flowing into the sub heat exchanger 49 between the heat exchange path 9 heated by the water heat exchanger 9 and the receiver 36. It is characterized in that the sub heat exchanger 49 is selectively made to function as an evaporator or a condenser by interposing a flow control valve 50 for adjusting the flow rate of the sub heat exchanger.

[0015] In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of claim 5,
When the flow control valve 50 is fully opened, it flows into the sub heat exchanger 49 without being depressurized from the water heat exchanger 6, and the sub heat exchanger 49 functions as a condenser. If the flow rate is controlled and throttled, the auxiliary heat exchanger 49 will function as an evaporator.

A heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention comprises a compressor 20, a water heat exchanger 9 functioning as a condenser, a liquid receiver 36, a pressure reducing mechanism 37, and an air heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator. In a heat pump type hot water supply apparatus including a refrigerant system circuit having a heat exchanger 21 and a water system circuit having a heat exchange path 6 heated by the water heat exchanger 9, a sub heat exchanger and a refrigerant flow rate are controlled. A flow control valve 52; a flow path switching valve 51 capable of switching between a first state in which the refrigerant from the water heat exchanger flows into the sub heat exchanger 49 and a second state in which the refrigerant flows into the flow control valve 52; In the first state, the sub heat exchanger 49 functions as a condenser, and the refrigerant flows from the sub heat exchanger into the liquid receiver 36. In the second state, the refrigerant flows from the flow control valve 52 Refrigerant in the liquid receiver 36
And flows into the sub heat exchanger 49 via the sub heat exchanger 49, and the sub heat exchanger 49 functions as an evaporator.

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the sixth aspect, when the flow path switching valve 51 is switched to the first state, the refrigerant from the water heat exchanger 9 flows into the sub heat exchanger 49, The exchanger 49 functions as a condenser, and connects the flow path switching valve 51 to the second
When the state is switched, the refrigerant from the water heat exchanger 9 flows into the control valve, where it is throttled, and the sub heat exchanger 49 functions as an evaporator.

A heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to a seventh aspect is characterized in that the sub heat exchanger 49 is constituted by a part of the air heat exchanger 21.

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the seventh aspect, it is not necessary to separately provide another heat exchanger 49 as the sub heat exchanger 49, and the entire apparatus can be simplified.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A specific embodiment of the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a water system and a refrigerant system of the heat pump hot water supply apparatus. That is, the water system has a hot water storage tank 1 and a circulation path 4 that connects a water intake port 2 provided on the bottom side of the hot water storage tank 1 and a hot water supply port 3 provided on the top side of the hot water storage tank 1. The circulation path 4 is provided with a pump 5 and a heat exchange path 6.
The pump 5 and the pump 5 are connected by a water intake pipe 8, and the pump 5 and the heat exchange path 6 are connected by a pipe 11 having a valve 10. Here, the heat exchange path 6 constitutes a part of the water heat exchanger 9 functioning as a condenser of a refrigerant circuit described below, and is provided so as to be able to exchange heat with the condensed refrigerant. Further, a pipe 12 connected to a faucet (not shown) of a kitchen or the like is connected to the hot water supply port 3.
Is connected via a pipe 13. Therefore, the circulation path 4 is formed by the intake pipe 8, the pump 5, the heat exchange path 6, the pipe 13, and the like. Further, a water supply pipe 15 for supplying city water to the hot water storage tank 1 while applying a water supply pressure is connected to the bottom side of the hot water storage tank 1.

Next, the refrigerant system will be described. These are mainly provided on the outdoor side, and have a compressor 20, an outdoor air heat exchanger 21 and a four-way switching valve 22. . One primary port of the four-way switching valve 22 and the compressor 20 are connected by a discharge pipe 24 provided with an on-off valve 23, and the other primary port of the four-way switching valve 22 connects the suction pipe 25. The compressor 20 is connected to the compressor 20. An accumulator 34 is interposed in the suction pipe 25.
Further, one secondary port of the four-way switching valve 22 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 26 via a first gas pipe 27, and the other secondary port of the four-way switching valve 22 is connected to the air heat exchanger ( The second gas pipe 28 is connected to an outdoor heat exchanger 21. The air heat exchanger 21 includes a main body 21a and a sub-portion 21b, and has a fan 19 attached thereto. The main body 21a of the air heat exchanger 21 and the indoor heat exchanger 26 are connected via a first liquid pipe 29. Electric expansion valves 30 and 31 are provided in the first liquid pipe 29 in the vicinity of the main body 21 a of the air heat exchanger 21 and the indoor heat exchanger 26.

A third gas pipe 32 connected to the discharge pipe 24 is connected to one end of the water heat exchanger 9, and the air heat exchanger 9 is connected to the other end of the water heat exchanger 9. The second liquid pipe 33 connected to the sub part 21b of the exchanger 21 is connected. A liquid receiver 36 is connected to the sub part 21b via a flow path (third liquid pipe) 35. The liquid receiver 36 is connected to the first liquid pipe 29 via a pressure reducing mechanism (electric expansion valve) 37. Each of the electric expansion valves 30, 31, and 37 controls the amount of refrigerant by appropriately controlling opening and closing. This control is performed using, for example, a microcomputer. The compressor 20 is provided with a temperature detection thermistor 38.

Next, a steady hot water supply operation state of the apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, the on-off valve 23 is closed, and the four-way switching valve 22 is switched so that the water heat exchanger 9 functions as a condenser and the main body 21a of the air heat exchanger 21 functions as an evaporator. , The compressor 20 is driven. Thereby, the refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 2
0 to water heat exchanger 9, sub-portion 21b of air heat exchanger 21,
Liquid receiver 36, electric expansion valves 37, 30, air heat exchanger 21
21a, four-way switching valve 22, accumulator 2
It circulates to 7. At this time, when the water intake port 2 of the hot water storage tank 1 is opened and the pump 5 is operated, the stored water flows out of the water intake port 2 at the bottom of the hot water storage tank 1, and this flows through the heat exchange path 6 through the water intake pipe 8. Distribute. At this time, the water is heated in the water heat exchanger 9 functioning as a condenser, and is returned to the upper portion of the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipe 13 again. By continuously performing such an operation, hot water is gradually stored from the upper end side to the lower end side of hot water storage tank 1, and the hot water supply operation state continues.

In this device, the room can be cooled and heated. First, the heating operation will be described. The third gas pipe 32, the second liquid pipe 33, and the third liquid pipe 35
Are shut off, the on-off valve 23 is opened, the indoor heat exchanger 26 functions as a condenser, and the main body 21a of the air heat exchanger 21 functions as an evaporator. That is, when the compressor 20 is driven, the refrigerant flows from the compressor 20 to the four-way switching valve 22, the indoor heat exchanger 26, the main body 21a of the air heat exchanger 21, the four-way switching valve 22, and the accumulator 34. And the main body 21a of the air heat exchanger 21 functions as an evaporator,
The indoor heat exchanger 26 functions as a condenser, whereby a heating operation can be performed. Also, a four-way switching valve 2
2, the cooling operation can be performed if the main body 21a of the air heat exchanger 21 functions as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger 26 functions as an evaporator.

In the conventional apparatus, when the temperature of incoming water (condensation temperature) is low in summer when the outside air temperature is high, which is generally in the range of the shortage of the refrigerant shown in FIG. 5, if this apparatus is used, the refrigerant becomes insufficient. Can be suppressed. That is, in this device, the refrigerant condensed in the water heat exchanger 9 functioning as a condenser passes through the sub-portion 21b which is a part of the air heat exchanger 21, and then enters the liquid receiver 36, Liquid container 3
6 flows into the main body portion 21a of the air heat exchanger 21 functioning as an evaporator through the electric expansion valves 37 and 30. However, since the outside air temperature is high, the air heat exchanger 21
Is heated in the sub part 21b.
In other words, the sub-portion 21b, which is a part of the air heat exchanger 21, functions as a refrigerant heater and heats the refrigerant in the liquid receiver 36, thereby (compared to the conventional heat pump water heater of this type). Then, the inside of the liquid receiver 36 is made to have a low density to reduce the amount of the stored hot-water refrigerant, so that an appropriate amount of the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant circuit.

Also, in the conventional apparatus, when the incoming water temperature (condensation temperature) is high in winter when the outside air temperature is low, which is generally in the range of the excess refrigerant shown in FIG. 5, if this apparatus is used, the refrigerant becomes excessive. Can be suppressed. That is, in this device, the refrigerant is cooled in the sub-portion 21b of the air heat exchanger 21 in winter due to the low outside air temperature. In other words, the sub-portion 21b, which is a part of the air heat exchanger 21, functions as a subcooling heat exchanger and cools the refrigerant in the liquid receiver 36. In this case, it is possible to increase the amount of the hot-water storage refrigerant by increasing the density of the inside of the liquid receiver 36, and to set an appropriate amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit.

As described above, a part (sub part 21b) of the air heat exchanger 21 functions as a subcooling heat exchanger or a refrigerant heater according to the outside air temperature. The temperature adjusting means 40 for adjusting the temperature of the refrigerant in the liquid receiver 36 according to the outside air temperature to increase or decrease the amount of the refrigerant in the liquid receiver 36 is constituted. Therefore, according to this device, the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant system circuit in an appropriate amount at all times by skillfully utilizing the outside air temperature. As a result, in both summer and winter, the performance of the heat pump hot water supply device does not decrease, There is no possibility that continuous operation becomes impossible due to the protection function or the like.

Incidentally, in the above apparatus, the air heat exchanger 21 functioning as a subcooling heat exchanger or a refrigerant heater is provided.
Is provided on the front row side (windward side) of the main body portion 21a of the air heat exchanger 21 for the purpose of enhancing the refrigerant heating effect at the time of high outside air. Is collected by the evaporator (the main body 21a of the air heat exchanger 21) on the rear row side (leeward side) to improve the effect of cooling the refrigerant. Although not shown, the sub-portion 21b of the air heat exchanger 21 can be arranged on the rear row side (downwind side) of the main body portion 21a of the air heat exchanger 21. In this case, the evaporator (air The cooling effect of the refrigerant can be enhanced by the low-temperature air cooled by the main body 21a) of the heat exchanger 21.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus. In this case, the air heat exchanger 21 is not separated into the main body 21a and the sub-portion 21b,
An auxiliary heat exchanger 41 is provided as the temperature adjusting means 40. That is, the auxiliary heat exchanger 41 is connected to the water heat exchanger 9.
And the front of the liquid receiver 36 and the rear of the electric expansion valve (pressure reducing mechanism) 37 and the air heat exchanger 2
Assuming that heat is exchanged with the first place, in other words,
As shown in the figure, the second liquid pipe 33 extending from the outlet of the water heat exchanger 9 to the liquid receiver 36 and the front side of the low pressure side (the air heat exchanger 21) behind the electric expansion valve 37. The auxiliary heat exchanger 41 is interposed between the two to exchange heat. In this case, since the evaporating pressure (evaporating temperature) is high in high outside air in summer and low in low outside air in winter, the condensing refrigerant in the second liquid pipe 33, that is, the condensing refrigerant supplied to the receiver 36 Also, the temperature is controlled to be high or low according to the outside air. As a result, it is possible to control the amount of the circulating refrigerant to be an appropriate amount for the same reason as described above. Further, in this case, since the heat released by the supercooling can be collected on the evaporator (air heat exchanger 21) side, it is possible to improve a decrease in efficiency due to cooling of the refrigerant. In FIG. 2, the same components as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 3 shows still another embodiment of the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus. This has both features of the embodiment using the sub-portion 21b of the air heat exchanger 21 and the embodiment using the auxiliary heat exchanger 41. Now, for convenience, the lower part is referred to as an auxiliary heat exchanger 41, and the upper part is referred to as an air heat exchanger 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary heat exchanger 41 includes a first portion 42 into which the refrigerant condensed in the water heat exchanger 9 functioning as a condenser flows, and a refrigerant in the liquid receiver (receiver) 36 (electrically driven). An expansion valve) and a second portion 44 that flows in through a pressure reducing mechanism 37. The refrigerant flowing out of the first part 42 flows into the liquid receiver 36, and the refrigerant flowing out of the second part 44 flows into the air heat exchanger 21. In this case, the first part 42 and the second part 4
4 is arranged so as to be able to exchange heat, and the first part 42 is the second part.
It is arranged on the windward side of the part 44.

The air heat exchanger 21 has a branching section 45.
Is provided, and the refrigerant flowing out of the auxiliary heat exchanger 41 is branched at the branching portion 45, flows through the air heat exchanger 21 through each branch pipe, and when flowing out, flows to a junction (not shown). To merge and flow out.

Therefore, in this heat pump type hot water supply apparatus, the refrigerant flows from the compressor 20 to the water heat exchanger 9, the first part 42 of the auxiliary heat exchanger 41, the liquid receiver 36, the electric expansion valve 37, the auxiliary heat exchanger. 41, the air heat exchanger 21, the four-way switching valve 22, and the accumulator 27. That is, while the water heat exchanger 9 functions as a condenser, the air heat exchanger 21 functions as an evaporator, and the pump 5 operates, water circulates in the circulation path 4. The hot water supply operation state in which the hot water is heated and hot water is returned to the hot water storage tank 1 continues.

In this embodiment, when the refrigerant is short in the range shown in FIG.
The condensed refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant can be heated by the high-temperature outside air and the high-temperature low-pressure side refrigerant. Thereby, the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit can be made an appropriate amount. In addition, generally in the winter season when the amount of refrigerant is excessive, the receiver 3
The condensed refrigerant flowing into 6 can be cooled by the low-temperature outside air and the low-temperature low-pressure side refrigerant, whereby the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit can be made appropriate. in this way,
The auxiliary heat exchanger 41 functions as a subcooling heat exchanger or a refrigerant heater according to the outside air temperature. That is, this auxiliary heat exchanger 41 constitutes a temperature adjusting means 40 for increasing or decreasing the amount of the refrigerant in the liquid receiver 36. Further, in this device, since the heat released by the supercooling in the first section 42 is collected in the second section 44, it is possible to suppress a decrease in efficiency due to the cooling of the refrigerant.

Further, in the air heat exchanger 21, the refrigerant flowing out of the second part 44 of the divided auxiliary heat exchanger 41 is diverted to flow to the air heat exchanger 21. Dividing the refrigerant immediately after flowing out of the first part 42,
Compared with the case where the air is supplied to the second part 44 and the air heat exchanger 21, it is possible to prevent the drift due to the difference in the amount of heat exchange,
Efficient heat exchange can be performed. Moreover, if the auxiliary heat exchanger 41 is disposed continuously below the air heat exchanger 21 as shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary heat exchanger 41 is , And the freezing of the drain water can be prevented.

Next, FIG. 4 shows another heat pump type hot water supply apparatus.
A heating / cooling device 46 that directly heats or cools the above to constitute the temperature adjusting means 40 is provided. That is, the heating / cooling device 46 includes a heating member for performing heating and a cooling member for performing cooling, and the heating and cooling by the heating member is performed based on the outside air temperature by control means (not shown) such as a microcomputer. Switching by cooling with a member is performed. More specifically, in the summertime when the refrigerant is short in the range shown in FIG. 5, the above-described control means determines that the range is within the range, and the heating member of the heating / cooling device 46 uses the liquid receiver 36. Is heated, whereby the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit is adjusted to an appropriate amount. In a winter season in which the amount of the refrigerant is excessive as shown in FIG. The liquid receiver 36 is cooled by the cooling member of the cooler 46, so that an appropriate amount of the refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant system circuit. Therefore, when performing the hot water supply operation with this hot water supply device, the circulation amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit can be stably and reliably adjusted, and the stable hot water supply operation can be performed. By the way, for example, an electric heater is used as a heating member, and a fan is used as a cooling member. The same components as those in the embodiment of FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus shown in FIG. 6, in the refrigerant system circuit of the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus shown in FIG. 1, an adjustment valve 50 for adjusting a flow rate comprising an electric expansion valve is attached to the second liquid pipe 33. Things. That is, the air heat exchanger 21 is divided into a main body 21a and a sub-portion 21b, and the sub-portion 21b serves as a sub-heat exchanger 49 that functions as a condenser or an evaporator.

For this reason, when the on-off valve 23 is closed and the regulating valve 50 is fully closed to drive the compressor 20, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 20 passes through the water heat exchanger 9, Valve 50, sub heat exchanger 49, liquid receiver 36, pressure reducing mechanism 37, electric expansion valve 30, main body 21 of heat exchanger 21
a, the flow passes through the four-way switching valve 22 and the accumulator 34.
Thereby, the sub heat exchanger 49 functions as a condenser, and the main body 21a functions as an evaporator. Also,
When the compressor 20 is driven with the electric expansion valve that is the pressure reducing mechanism 37 fully opened and the adjustment valve 50 functioning as an expansion valve, the sub heat exchanger 49 functions as an evaporator.

In the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the second liquid pipe 33 is divided into an upstream section 33a and a downstream section 33b, and these are connected via a flow path switching valve (four-way switching valve) 51. are doing. Further, the liquid receiver 36 and the flow path switching valve 5
1 are connected by a flow path 53 having a flow control valve 52 composed of a dynamic expansion valve. The flow path 53 and the flow path 29 are connected via a flow path switching valve 51.

That is, when the flow path switching valve 51 is switched to a state shown by a solid line (this state is referred to as a first state), the refrigerant from the compressor 20 receives the water heat exchanger 9, the flow path switching valve 51, Sub heat exchanger 49, liquid receiver 36, regulating valve 52, flow path switching valve 5
1. Flow through the electric expansion valve 30 and the main body 21b, and the sub heat exchanger 49 functions as a condenser. When the flow path switching valve 51 is switched to a state shown by a broken line (this state is referred to as a second state), the refrigerant from the compressor 20 receives the water heat exchanger 9, the flow path switching valve 51, and the regulating valve 52. , Liquid receiver 36, sub heat exchanger 49,
The flow passes through the flow path switching valve 51, the electric expansion valve 30, and the main body 21b, and the sub heat exchanger 49 functions as an evaporator.

As described above, according to the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the auxiliary heat exchanger 49 functions as a condenser or an evaporator, so that By heating or cooling the refrigerant, the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit can be reliably maintained at an appropriate amount.

Although the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the present invention. That is, in the present embodiment, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, the heating member of the heating / cooling device 46 is not limited to a heater, and various other heating means can be used. Instead, various other cooling means can be used.

[0043]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the temperature of the refrigerant in the receiver is adjusted according to at least one of the outside air temperature and the incoming water temperature to increase or decrease the amount of the refrigerant in the receiver. Since the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit can be reduced in summer when the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit is low in summer, the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit can be reduced. it can. Further, in winter, when the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit becomes excessive, the amount of the refrigerant in the liquid receiver is increased, so that an appropriate amount of the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant circuit. Therefore, in both summer and winter, the refrigerant can be circulated in an appropriate amount,
It is possible to suppress a decrease in the capacity of the hot water supply device, and furthermore, the protection function is activated to make continuous operation impossible, so that continuous operation can be performed for a long time.

According to the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the second aspect, in summer when the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit becomes short, part of the air heat exchanger functions as a refrigerant heater, and The amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit can be reduced to an appropriate amount. Further, in winter, when the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit becomes excessive, a part of the air heat exchanger functions as a supercooling heat exchanger, and the refrigerant in the liquid receiver can be increased, Thereby, the amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system circuit can be adjusted to an appropriate amount. Therefore, in this case as well,
In both summer and winter, the refrigerant can be circulated in an appropriate amount. In addition, since a part of the air heat exchanger functions as a refrigerant heater or a supercooling heat exchanger, the entire apparatus can be made compact without being complicated.

According to the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the third aspect, the evaporation pressure (evaporation temperature) is high in high outdoor air in summer and low in low outdoor air in winter, so that the condensed refrigerant supplied to the receiver is also low. The temperature is controlled to be high or low according to the outside air. As a result, it is possible to control the amount of the circulating refrigerant to be an appropriate amount. Further, in this case, since the heat released by the supercooling can be collected on the evaporator side, it is possible to improve a decrease in efficiency due to cooling of the refrigerant. In addition, since an auxiliary heat exchanger having a simple configuration may be provided, the entire apparatus can be simplified.

According to the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the fourth aspect, the refrigerant in the liquid receiver can be easily or reliably heated or cooled by the heating / cooling device, and the circulation amount of the refrigerant circuit is maintained at an appropriate level. be able to. Therefore, also in this case, the refrigerant can be circulated stably in an appropriate amount in both summer and winter, and a stable hot water supply operation can be performed.

According to the heat pump type hot water supply device of the fifth or sixth aspect, the sub heat exchanger can function as an evaporator or a condenser, and the circulation amount of the refrigerant system circuit can be adjusted appropriately. Can be reliably maintained.
Thereby, the heat pump efficiency can be improved, and a more stable hot water supply operation can be performed.

According to the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of claim 7, it is not necessary to provide another heat exchanger as a sub heat exchanger, so that the entire apparatus can be simplified, which contributes to cost reduction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing an embodiment of a heat pump type hot water supply apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram of another embodiment of the heat pump hot water supply apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a simplified perspective view of an auxiliary heat exchanger of the heat pump water heater according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram showing another embodiment of the heat pump water heater according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between an outside air temperature, an incoming water temperature, and an excess / deficiency state of a refrigerant amount.

FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram showing a modification of the heat pump hot water supply device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a simplified diagram showing still another embodiment of the heat pump water heater according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 6 heat exchange path 9 water heat exchanger 20 compressor 21 air heat exchanger 36 liquid receiver 37 pressure reducing mechanism 40 temperature adjusting means 41 auxiliary heat exchanger 46 heating / cooling machine 49 sub heat exchanger 50 flow control valve 51 flow path Switching valve 52 Flow control valve

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An air heat exchanger functioning as a compressor (20), a water heat exchanger (9) functioning as a condenser, a liquid receiver (36), a pressure reducing mechanism (37), and an evaporator. (2
1) and the water heat exchanger (9).
And a water system circuit having a heat exchange path (6) heated by the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus, wherein the temperature of the refrigerant in the liquid receiver (36) is determined by measuring the outside air temperature and the incoming water temperature in the water system circuit. A heat pump type hot water supply device comprising a temperature adjusting means (40) for adjusting the amount of the refrigerant in the liquid receiver (36) according to at least one of the temperature adjusting means. 2. The refrigerant condensed in the water heat exchanger (9) functioning as a condenser flows into the liquid receiver (36) through a part of the air heat exchanger (21). A part of the air heat exchanger (21) is used as the temperature adjusting means (4).
The heat pump hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 0) is set. 3. The air heat exchanger (21) located downstream of the water heat exchanger (9) and upstream of the liquid receiver (36) and downstream of the pressure reducing mechanism (37). 2. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary heat exchanger (41) for performing heat exchange with the preceding heat exchanger is provided, and the auxiliary heat exchanger (41) is used as the temperature adjusting means (40). Water heater. 4. A heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said temperature adjusting means (40) is a heating / cooling device (46) for heating or cooling the liquid receiver (36). 5. An air heat exchanger functioning as a compressor (20), a water heat exchanger (9) functioning as a condenser, a receiver (36), a pressure reducing mechanism (37), and an evaporator. (2
1) and the water heat exchanger (9).
In a heat pump type hot water supply apparatus provided with a water system circuit having a heat exchange path (6) heated by a sub heat exchanger (9) and a liquid receiver (36), 49)
And a flow control valve (50) for adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the sub heat exchanger (49), and the sub heat exchanger (49) can be selectively used as an evaporator or a condenser. A heat pump type hot water supply device characterized by functioning. 6. An air heat exchanger functioning as a compressor (20), a water heat exchanger (9) functioning as a condenser, a liquid receiver (36), a pressure reducing mechanism (37), and an evaporator. (2
1) and the water heat exchanger (9).
In a heat pump type hot water supply apparatus provided with a water system circuit having a heat exchange path (6) heated by a sub heat exchanger (49) and a flow control valve (52) for controlling a refrigerant flow rate
And the refrigerant from the water heat exchanger (9) and the sub heat exchanger (4).
9) and a flow path switching valve (5) capable of switching between a first state flowing into the flow control valve (52) and a second state flowing into the flow control valve (52).
1), and in the first state, the sub heat exchanger (4)
9) functions as a condenser and the refrigerant flows from the sub heat exchanger (49) into the liquid receiver (36). In the second state, the refrigerant from the flow rate control valve (52) receives the liquid from the liquid receiver (52). A heat pump type hot water supply apparatus, wherein the heat flows into the sub heat exchanger (49) via a vessel (36), and the sub heat exchanger (49) functions as an evaporator. 7. The heat pump type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sub heat exchanger (49) is constituted by a part of the air heat exchanger (21).