JP2006170538A - Heat exchange system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cool a subordinate cooling target by using a refrigerant, to simplify a structure and reduce costs in comparison with cooling the subordinate cooling target by a refrigerant flowing through a principal piping, and to miniaturize a heat exchange system. <P>SOLUTION: The heat exchange system is comprised by connecting a compressor 1, a condenser 2, an expansion valve 3, and an evaporator 4 in this order by the principal piping 5, and it is provided with an inverter 100 and a pipe 7. The inverter 100 generates heat following its movement. The pipe 7 has a one end 71, and a closed another end 72. The one end 71 of the pipe 7 is connected to a position in an opposite side to the compressor 1 with respect to both a supply port 11 and a one end 21 in a compressor side of the condenser 2. Another end 72 side of the pipe 7 is extended to an inverter 100 neighborhood. Heat exchange with the inverter 100 is carried out by leading a liquefied refrigerant to the one end 71 of the pipe 7, and further leading it to the other end 72 side. In other words, it absorbs heat from the inverter 100. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchange system, and more particularly to a technique for cooling a secondary cooling target.

  A heat exchange system such as an air conditioner, a refrigerator, and a water heater is formed by connecting a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator in this order through main piping. In air conditioners and refrigerators for cooling, main objects are cooled by an evaporator. On the other hand, in a heating air conditioner or water heater, a main object is heated by a condenser.

  In a heat exchange system that further includes a four-way switching valve, the cooling and heating of the main object can be switched. For example, in an air conditioner capable of cooling and heating, switching of a four-way switching valve realizes an evaporator during cooling and a condenser during heating as functions of an indoor heat exchanger.

  Many heat exchange systems generate the desired voltage at the inverter and provide it to the compressor in order to cool or heat the main object to a desired temperature, for example.

  The inverter generates heat during its operation, and its own temperature rises. If the inverter temperature becomes high, the inverter may malfunction or be damaged.

  Conventionally, by providing a heat sink or the like in the inverter, heat is transferred from the inverter to the heat sink to cool the inverter. At this time, for example, by blowing air to the heat sink by a fan, heat is released from the heat sink.

  Techniques related to the present invention are shown below.

JP-A-62-69066 JP-A-3-75424 JP-A-6-159738 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-19535

  However, when the amount of heat generated from the inverter is large, the size of the heat sink becomes large, and the heat exchange system becomes large.

  Therefore, a technique for cooling an inverter using a refrigerant has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for cooling an inverter using piping such as a capillary tube that bypasses an expansion valve. In the said patent document 2, the technique which cools an inverter using the piping which connects the heat exchanger and outdoor expansion valve which were provided outdoors is disclosed. In the said patent document 4, the technique which cools an inverter using piping which connects a four-way selector valve and a compressor is disclosed.

  According to these technologies, although the inverter can be cooled, the inverter is excessively cooled, and the efficiency of cooling the main object may be reduced or the inverter may be condensed. For example, such a fear may be avoided by controlling the flow of the refrigerant or devising the structure of the pipe, but the control method and the structure of the pipe become complicated, which in turn increases the cost.

  Moreover, when the radius of piping is large, there exists a possibility that a heat exchange system may enlarge rather than the conventional heat exchange system which cools an inverter using the heat sink mentioned above.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and compared with a case where a secondary cooling target is cooled by using a refrigerant and a secondary cooling target is cooled by a refrigerant flowing through a main pipe. The objective is to simplify the structure and reduce costs, and to further reduce the size of the heat exchange system.

  The heat exchange system according to claim 1 of the present invention has a supply port (11) to which a vaporized refrigerant is supplied, a compressor (1) for compressing the refrigerant, and the refrigerant compressed by the compressor A condenser (2) for liquefying the refrigerant, an expansion valve (3) for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant liquefied by the condenser, and the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve are vaporized and passed to the compressor. In the heat exchange system in which the evaporator (4) to be supplied is connected in this order by the main pipe (5), the pipe (7) having one end (71) and the other end (72) closed is provided, The one end of the pipe is connected to a position opposite to the compressor with respect to both the one end (21) on the compressor side of the condenser and the supply port, and the liquefied refrigerant is supplied to the pipe. From the one end to the other end.

A heat exchange system according to claim 2 of the present invention is the heat exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator (4) and the condenser (2) are connected via the compressor (1). And a switching unit (8) that is configured so that one of the condenser and the evaporator is realized as a function of the first heat exchanger (91), and the first heat exchanger serves as the condenser. When functioning, the evaporator is realized as a function of the second heat exchanger (92), respectively, and when the first heat exchanger functions as the evaporator, the switching is realized. The first inlet / outlet (82) connected to the first heat exchanger, the second inlet / outlet (84) connected to the second heat exchanger, and the compressor with respect to the compressor An outlet (81) connected to the supply port (11) side, and the outlet to the compressor Has an inflow port (83) connected from the opposite side, and switching the first inflow port and the second inflow port to the inflow port or the outflow port, respectively, One of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is switched to the supply port, and the one end (71) of the pipe (7) is connected to the first heat exchanger. The position opposite to the compressor or the outlet (81) and the one end (911) on the compressor side and one end (921) on the compressor side of the second heat exchanger It is connected to a position between the supply port (11).

  A heat exchange system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the heat exchange system according to the first aspect, wherein the one end (71) of the pipe (7) is provided in the condenser (2).

  A heat exchange system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the heat exchange system according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a capillary tube (31) that bypasses the expansion valve (3). The one end (71) of the tube (7) is connected to the capillary tube.

  A heat exchange system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the heat exchange system according to the first or second aspect, wherein the refrigerant liquid is collected and the vaporized refrigerant is supplied to the supply port (11). An accumulator (6) is provided, and the one end (71) of the tube (7) is connected to the accumulator.

  A heat exchange system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the heat exchange system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the pipe (7) has a wick inside thereof.

  A heat exchange system according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the heat exchange system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the pipe (7) has the other end (72) at the other end. It is located lower than the one end (71) in the vertical direction.

  A heat exchange system according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the heat exchange system according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein a cross-sectional area of the pipe (7) is the main pipe (5 ) Is smaller than the cross-sectional area.

  A heat exchanging system according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the heat exchanging system according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein a power supply voltage is converted into a desired alternating voltage, and the compressed voltage is converted into the compressed voltage. An inverter (100) for supplying to the machine is further provided, and the other end (72) of the pipe (7) exchanges heat with the inverter.

  According to the heat exchange system of the first aspect of the present invention, the other end of the pipe is cooled using the refrigerant, so that the secondary cooling target can be cooled. In addition, since the pipe is provided separately from the main pipe, the heat exchange system can be reduced in size as compared with the case where the secondary cooling target is cooled by the refrigerant flowing through the main pipe. And since it is only necessary to connect one end of the pipe to the main pipe or heat exchanger, the structure is simplified, and the cost is reduced. Furthermore, since the heat generated in the secondary cooling object is recovered by the pipe, the heating efficiency is improved when the main object is heated by the heat exchange system.

  According to the heat exchange system according to claim 2 of the present invention, when cooling / heating is performed only by either one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, either cooling / heating is performed. The secondary cooling object can be cooled using the refrigerant.

  According to the heat exchange system of the third aspect of the present invention, since the refrigerant having a temperature substantially equal to the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the condenser is led to the pipe, dew condensation on the secondary cooling target can be prevented.

  According to the heat exchange system of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant having a temperature approximately halfway between the condenser side temperature and the evaporator side temperature with respect to the expansion valve is led to the pipe. Condensation can be prevented on a typical cooling target.

  According to the heat exchange system of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the liquefied refrigerant collected by the accumulator is led to the pipe and used for cooling the secondary cooling target.

  According to the heat exchange system of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant is guided to the other end side of the tube by capillary action.

  According to the heat exchange system of claim 7 of the present invention, the refrigerant is guided to the other end side of the pipe by gravity.

  According to the heat exchange system according to claim 8 of the present invention, when the main object is cooled by the heat exchange system, a decrease in the efficiency of cooling the main object is prevented as compared with the related art. In addition, since the pipe is thin, the heat exchange system is further miniaturized and the cost is reduced.

  According to the heat exchanging system of the ninth aspect of the present invention, by adopting the inverter as a secondary cooling target, the inverter is cooled, and thus the inverter is prevented from being destroyed by heat.

First embodiment.
1 and 2 conceptually show the heat exchange system according to the present embodiment. The heat exchange system includes a compressor 1, a condenser 2, an expansion valve 3, and an evaporator 4 connected in this order through a main pipe 5, and further includes an accumulator 6, an inverter 100, and a pipe 7. The refrigerant flows in the direction of a solid arrow 111 shown in FIGS.

  The compressor 1 has a supply port 11 to which vaporized refrigerant is supplied, and compresses the refrigerant supplied from the supply port 11. The compressed refrigerant is a hot gas.

  The condenser 2 liquefies the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 1. Specifically, the refrigerant is liquefied by removing latent heat from the refrigerant. The temperature of the liquefied refrigerant is, for example, about 50 ° C.

  The expansion valve 3 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 2. As a result, a pressure difference occurs between the condenser 2 side and the evaporator 4 side with respect to the expansion valve 3. The refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve 3 also decreases in temperature as the pressure decreases, and becomes a low temperature.

  The evaporator 4 vaporizes the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve 3 and supplies it to the compressor 1 from the supply port 11. Specifically, most of the refrigerant is vaporized by giving latent heat to the refrigerant.

  The refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 4 includes refrigerant that has been liquefied. When the liquefied refrigerant flows into the compressor 1, the refrigerant is hardly compressed by the compressor 1, and the compressor 1 may break down. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an accumulator 6 between the evaporator 4 and the compressor 1. 1 and 2 illustrate this aspect. At this time, the supply port 11 is grasped as being at the position of the one end 61 of the accumulator 6 on the compressor 1 side.

  The refrigerant flows from the evaporator 4 to the compressor 1 through the accumulator 6. The liquefied refrigerant is collected by the accumulator 6 and only the vaporized refrigerant is given to the supply port 11 of the compressor 1.

  For example, when the liquid may flow into the compressor 1, the accumulator 6 may not be provided. In this case, the supply port 11 is grasped as being at the position of the one end 12 on the evaporator 4 side of the compressor 1.

  The inverter 100 converts the power supply voltage into a desired AC voltage and supplies it to the compressor 1. Thereby, the rotation speed of the motor which the compressor 1 has is adjusted, for example. In FIGS. 1 and 2, supplying a desired AC voltage from the inverter to the compressor 1 is indicated by a broken-line arrow 113, which is the same in the heat exchange system shown in FIGS. 3 to 8 described later. The inverter 100 generates heat with its operation.

  The tube 7 has one end 71 and a closed other end 72. One end 71 of the pipe 7 is connected to a position opposite to the compressor 1 with respect to both the one end 21 on the compressor side of the condenser 2 and the supply port 11. The position of the supply port 11 differs depending on the presence or absence of the accumulator 6 as described above. In FIG. 1, a mode in which one end 71 of the pipe 7 is connected to the condenser 2 is shown. Further, FIG. 2 shows a mode in which one end 71 of the tube 7 is connected to the evaporator 4.

  The other end 72 side of the pipe 7 is guided to the vicinity of the inverter 100, for example, and performs heat exchange with the inverter 100 as described later. The heat exchange is performed, for example, through the jacket 200, and this mode is shown in FIGS. Alternatively, for example, the tube 7 may be brought into contact with the inverter 100.

  The refrigerant contains the liquefied refrigerant at the position opposite to the compressor 1 with respect to both the one end 21 of the condenser 2 and the supply port 11. Therefore, by connecting the one end 71 of the pipe 7 to this position as described above, the liquefied refrigerant can be guided to the one end 71 of the pipe 7. Further, by introducing the refrigerant from the one end 71 to the other end 72 side, heat exchange with the inverter 100, that is, heat absorption from the inverter 100 can be performed. This heat exchange vaporizes the refrigerant. The vaporized refrigerant is discharged from one end 71 of the tube 7.

  For example, a capillary tube can be used as the tube 7. According to this, since the capillary phenomenon occurs in the tube 7, the liquefied refrigerant is guided from one end 71 of the tube 7 to the other end 72.

  The tube 7 may have a wick inside. For the wick, a mesh-like wire mesh, a fine wire, a sintered metal having a porous structure, or the like can be adopted. The wick can be provided from one end 71 of the tube 7 to the other end 72 along the inner wall of the tube 7, for example. The wick may be a groove formed on the inner wall of the tube 7.

  In any aspect, since capillary action occurs in the tube 7, the liquefied refrigerant is guided from one end 71 of the tube 7 to the other end 72.

  By locating the other end 72 of the tube 7 below the one end 71 with respect to the vertical direction, the liquefied refrigerant is guided from the one end 71 of the tube 7 to the other end 72.

  According to the heat exchange system described above, the other end 72 of the pipe 7 is cooled using the refrigerant, so that the inverter 100 that is a secondary cooling target can be cooled. Therefore, it is avoided that the inverter 100 is destroyed by heat.

  Moreover, since the pipe 7 is provided separately from the main pipe 5, the heat exchange system can be downsized as compared with the case where the inverter 100 that is a secondary cooling target is cooled by the refrigerant flowing through the main pipe 5. And since it is only necessary to connect one end 71 of the pipe to the main pipe 5, the condenser 2 or the heat exchanger 4 which is a heat exchanger, the structure is simplified, and the cost is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 1, connecting one end 71 of the pipe 7 to the condenser 2 means that a refrigerant having a temperature substantially equal to the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the condenser 2 is guided to the pipe 7, and is secondary. This is particularly desirable in that condensation can be prevented in the inverter 100 that is a cooling target.

  In the present embodiment, the main object may be cooled using the evaporator 4, or the main object may be heated using the condenser 2. The aspect which cools the main object is applicable to a refrigerator, for example. On the other hand, the aspect which heats the main object is applicable to a water heater, for example.

  In FIG. 3, the case where the said aspect is applied to a water heater is shown. In this case, water is adopted as the main object. The water heater further includes a hot water supply unit 30. The condenser 2 has a tube 23 and a tube 302. Both ends of the pipe 23 are connected to the main pipe 5. The pipe 302 is shared by the condenser 2 and the hot water supply unit 30. Among the constituent elements shown in FIG. 3, the same constituent elements as those shown in FIG.

  The hot water supply unit 30 is formed by connecting a pump 301, a pipe 302, and a hot water supply tank 303 in this order by a pipe 304. The pump 301 circulates water in the direction of a solid arrow 114, for example.

  The tube 302 exchanges heat with the tube 23. Specifically, the liquefied refrigerant flowing through the pipe 23 is liquefied by removing latent heat by the water flowing through the pipe 302. The water is heated by the latent heat taken from the refrigerant to become hot water. Hot water is supplied to a hot water supply tank 303.

  The hot water supply tank 30 stores hot water supplied from the pipe 302. For example, a bathtub may be adopted as the hot water supply tank 30, and the hot water may be stored in the bathtub as it is. The hot water stored in the hot water supply tank 30 may be discharged from a faucet and used for a shower, for example.

  When the hot water stored in the hot water supply tank 30 is cooled, for example, it may be circulated through the pipe 302 and heated again.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment having the hot water supply tank 303, and for example, the supplied water may be heated by the pipe 302 and discharged without being stored in the hot water supply tank 303 or the like.

  According to such an aspect in which the main object is heated, the heat generated in the inverter 100, which is a secondary cooling object, is recovered by the pipe 7, so that the efficiency of heating the main object is improved.

Second embodiment.
FIG. 4 conceptually shows the heat exchange system according to the present embodiment. The heat exchange system includes a compressor 1, heat exchangers 91 and 92, a switching unit 8, and an expansion valve 3 connected by a main pipe 5 as will be described later, and further includes an accumulator 6, an inverter 100, and a pipe 7. .

  The compressor 1 has a supply port 11 and a discharge port 13 and compresses the refrigerant supplied from the supply port 11. The vaporized refrigerant is supplied from the supply port 11. The compressed refrigerant becomes a high-temperature gas and is discharged from the discharge port 13 of the compressor.

  One of the heat exchangers 91 and 92 realizes the function as the condenser 2, and the other realizes the function as the evaporator 4. Since the functions of the condenser 2 and the evaporator 4 are the same as those described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  The expansion valve 3 functions as the condenser 2 among the heat exchangers 91 and 92 while reducing the pressure of the liquefied refrigerant. Thereby, a pressure difference is generated between the heat exchanger 91 and the heat exchanger 92 with respect to the expansion valve 3. The refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve 3 also decreases in temperature as the pressure decreases, and becomes a low temperature.

  The switching valve 8 is a four-way switching valve, for example, and has four end portions 81, 82, 83, 84. The end 81 is connected to the supply port 11 side with respect to the compressor 1 and functions as an outlet from which the refrigerant flows out. The end portion 82 is connected to the heat exchanger 91 and functions as a first inlet / outlet through which the refrigerant flows in and out. The end 83 is connected to the outlet 13 on the opposite side of the outlet 11 with respect to the compressor 1, and functions as an inlet into which the refrigerant flows. The end portion 84 is connected to the heat exchanger 92 and functions as a second inlet / outlet through which the refrigerant flows in and out.

  Specifically, the end 82 of the switching unit 8 is connected to one end 911 of the heat exchanger 91. An end 84 of the switching unit 8 is connected to one end 921 of the heat exchanger 92. Therefore, the one end 911 can be grasped as one end of the heat exchanger 91 on the compressor 1 side, and the one end 921 can be grasped as one end of the heat exchanger 92 on the compressor 1 side.

  The other end 912 of the heat exchanger 91 and the other end 922 of the heat exchanger 92 are connected via the expansion valve 3.

  The switching portion 8 communicates the end portion 81 and the end portion 84 and communicates the end portion 82 and the end portion 83, communicates the end portion 81 and the end portion 82, and communicates the end portion 83 and the end portion 82. The mode of communicating with the portion 84 is switched from either one to the other. In other words, it is switched whether the end portion 82 and the end portion 84 are connected to the end portion 81 or the end portion 83, respectively. Thereby, switching of which one of the heat exchanger 91 and the heat exchanger 92 is connected to the supply port 11 is performed.

  When the heat exchanger 92 is connected to the supply port 11, the condenser 2 is realized as a function of the heat exchanger 91, and the evaporator 4 is realized as a function of the heat exchanger 92. At this time, the refrigerant flows in the direction of a solid arrow 111 shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the heat exchanger 91 is connected to the supply port 11, the evaporator 4 is realized as a function of the heat exchanger 91, and the condenser 2 is realized as a function of the heat exchanger 92. At this time, the refrigerant flows in the direction of a dashed arrow 112.

  The refrigerant that has passed through one of the heat exchangers 91 and 92 that functions as the evaporator 4 includes refrigerant that has been liquefied. When the liquefied refrigerant flows into the compressor 1, the refrigerant is hardly compressed by the compressor 1, and the compressor 1 may break down. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an accumulator 6 between the evaporator 4 and the compressor 1. FIG. 4 illustrates this aspect. At this time, the supply port 11 is grasped as being at the position of the one end 61 of the accumulator 6 on the compressor 1 side. Since the accumulator 6 is the same as that described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  The tube 7 has one end 71 and a closed other end 72. One end 71 of the tube 7 is located at a position opposite to the compressor 1 with respect to both the one end 911 of the heat exchanger 91 and the one end 921 of the heat exchanger 92, or the end portion 81 of the switching unit 8 and the supply port 11. Connected to a position between. The position of the supply port 11 differs depending on the presence or absence of the accumulator 6 as described above. FIG. 4 shows a mode in which one end 71 of the tube 7 is connected to the heat exchanger 91 in particular.

  5 and 6 show a case where the position where the one end 71 of the pipe 7 is connected is different from that of the heat exchange system shown in FIG. Other configurations of the heat exchange system shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are the same as those of the heat exchange system shown in FIG.

  In the heat exchange system shown in FIG. 5, one end 71 of the pipe 7 is provided in the pipe 5 between the other end 912 of the heat exchanger 91 and the expansion valve 3. In the heat exchange system shown in FIG. 6, one end 71 of the pipe 7 is provided in the pipe 5 between the other end 922 of the heat exchanger 92 and the expansion valve 3.

  The other end 71 side of the pipe 7 is guided to the vicinity of the inverter 100, for example, and performs heat exchange with the inverter 100 as described later. The heat exchange is performed, for example, through the jacket 200, and this mode is shown in FIGS. Alternatively, for example, the tube 7 may be brought into contact with the inverter 100.

  The refrigerant flowing through the pipe 5 between the one end 921 of the heat exchanger 92 and the end 84 of the switching unit 8 is at least partially liquefied when the heat exchanger 91 functions as the condenser 2. However, when the heat exchanger 91 functions as the evaporator 4, since the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows into the pipe 5, the refrigerant flowing through the pipe 5 is not liquefied. Further, the refrigerant flowing through the pipe 5 between the one end 911 of the heat exchanger 91 and the end portion 82 of the switching unit 8 is not liquefied when the heat exchanger 91 functions as the condenser 2. However, when the heat exchanger 91 functions as the evaporator 4, since the refrigerant flows from the heat exchanger 91 into the pipe 5, at least a part of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe 5 is liquefied.

  That is, switching is performed between the pipe 5 connecting the one end 921 of the heat exchanger 92 and the end 84 of the switching unit 8 and the pipe 5 connecting the one end 911 of the heat exchanger 91 and the end 82 of the switching unit 8. Depending on the switching of the part 8, the refrigerant flowing there may or may not contain liquefied refrigerant.

  On the other hand, the position opposite to the compressor 1 with respect to both the one end 911 of the heat exchanger 91 and the one end 921 of the heat exchanger 92, and the position between the end 81 of the switching unit 8 and the supply port 11. In, at least a part of the refrigerant is liquefied.

  Therefore, by connecting the one end 71 of the tube 7 to these positions as described above, the liquefied refrigerant can be guided to the one end 71 of the tube 7 regardless of the switching mode of the switching unit 8. Further, by introducing the refrigerant from the one end 71 to the other end 72 side, the inverter 100 can be cooled in the same manner as described in the first embodiment.

  It is possible to adopt a tube 7 having a wick on the inside, a capillary tube, or the like, or to position the other end 71 of the tube 7 below the one end 71 with respect to the vertical direction. It is desirable in that it is led from 71 to the other end 72.

  According to the heat exchanging system according to the present embodiment, when cooling / heating is performed by only one of the heat exchangers 91 and 92, it is possible to use a refrigerant to perform secondary operations regardless of whether cooling / heating is performed. It is possible to cool the inverter 100 that is a target to be cooled.

  The heat exchange system according to the present embodiment can be applied to an air conditioner, for example. At this time, for example, the heat exchanger 92 is provided indoors and the heat exchanger 91 is provided outdoors. Such an embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. In this case, both indoor cooling and heating are performed by the heat exchanger 92. Switching between indoor cooling and heating is performed by switching of the switching unit 8.

Third embodiment.
7 and 8 show an aspect different from the heat exchange system described above. Among the components shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the same components as those shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals and have the same functions.

  The heat exchange system shown in FIG. 7 further includes a capillary tube 31 that bypasses the expansion valve 3, and one end 71 of the tube 7 is connected to the capillary tube 31. According to this, since the refrigerant having a temperature approximately halfway between the temperature on the heat exchanger 91 side and the temperature on the heat exchanger 92 side with respect to the expansion valve 3 is led to the pipe 7, it is a secondary cooling target. Condensation in the inverter 100 can be prevented.

  In the heat exchange system shown in FIG. 8, one end 71 of the tube 7 is connected to the accumulator 6. According to this, the liquefied refrigerant collected by the accumulator 6 is used for cooling the inverter 100 that is a secondary cooling target.

  These techniques described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 can also be applied to the heat exchange system described in the first embodiment, and similar effects can be obtained.

  In any of the heat exchange systems described above, it is particularly desirable to make the cross-sectional area of the pipe 7 smaller than the cross-sectional area of the main pipe 5 for the following reason. That is, in the case where the main object is cooled by such a heat exchange system, a decrease in the efficiency of cooling the main object is prevented compared to the conventional case. In addition, since the tube 7 becomes thinner, the heat exchange system is further miniaturized and the cost is reduced.

  In any of the above-described embodiments, the inverter 100 that is a secondary cooling target is cooled by using the heat pipe that is grasped as the pipe 7 whose one end 71 is closed and the inside is filled with the refrigerant. May be. Specifically, the inverter 100 is cooled in the following manner.

  The pipe 7 is attached by, for example, winding the one end 71 of the pipe 7 around the main pipe 5 or the heat exchangers 2, 4, 91, 92. On the one end 71 side of the pipe 7, the refrigerant in the pipe 7 exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the main pipe 5. Specifically, the vaporized refrigerant in the pipe 7 is liquefied by removing latent heat on the one end 71 side of the pipe 7 by the refrigerant flowing through the pipe 5. The liquefied refrigerant is guided to the other end 72 of the tube 7 to cool the inverter 100 on the other end 72 side of the tube 7. Specifically, the vaporized refrigerant in the pipe 7 takes the heat from the inverter 100 on the other end 72 side of the pipe 7 and vaporizes. The vaporized refrigerant is guided to one end 71 of the tube 7.

  In such a tube 7, the other end 72 is positioned lower than the one end 71 in the vertical direction, so that the refrigerant liquefied at the one end 71 of the tube 7 can be easily guided to the other end 72. This is particularly desirable in that the refrigerant evaporated at the end 72 is easily guided to the one end 71.

  However, the above-described heat pipe is used in the embodiment described above, that is, the embodiment in which one end 71 of the pipe 7 is branched separately from the main pipe 5 and the refrigerant flowing through the main pipe 5 is led to the one end 71 of the pipe 7. Compared to the embodiment, it is desirable in the following points.

  That is, a refrigerant for filling the heat pipe becomes unnecessary, and the cost is reduced. A complicated process for manufacturing the heat pipe, that is, a process for sealing the refrigerant is not required, thereby reducing the cost and improving the reliability and performance when cooling the secondary cooling target. A complicated process for efficiently attaching the heat pipe to the main pipe 5 is not necessary, for example, a process of winding the one end 71 of the heat pipe, so that the heat exchange system is downsized and the cost is reduced.

It is a figure which shows notionally the heat exchange system demonstrated by 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows notionally the heat exchange system demonstrated by 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a water heater conceptually. It is a figure which shows notionally the heat exchange system demonstrated by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows notionally the heat exchange system demonstrated by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows notionally the heat exchange system demonstrated by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows notionally the aspect by which the end of a pipe | tube is connected to a capillary tube. It is a figure which shows notionally the aspect by which the end of a pipe | tube is connected to an accumulator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor 2 Condenser 3 Expansion valve 4 Evaporator 5 Main piping 6 Accumulator 7 Pipe 8 Switching part 11 Supply port 21 One end of condenser 31 Capillary tube 71 One end of pipe 72 Other end of pipe 81-84 End part of switching part 91,92 Heat exchanger 100 Inverter 911,921 One end of heat exchanger

Claims (9)

A compressor (1) having a supply port (11) to which the evaporated refrigerant is supplied and compressing the refrigerant;
A condenser (2) for liquefying the refrigerant compressed by the compressor;
An expansion valve (3) for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant liquefied by the condenser;
In the heat exchange system formed by connecting the evaporator (4) that vaporizes the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve and supplies the refrigerant to the compressor in this order by the main pipe (5),
Tube (7) having one end (71) and the other closed end (72)
With
The one end of the pipe is connected to a position opposite to the compressor with respect to both the one end (21) on the compressor side of the condenser and the supply port,
A heat exchange system for guiding the liquefied refrigerant from the one end of the pipe to the other end. A switching unit (8) for connecting the evaporator (4) and the condenser (2) via the compressor (1);
Either one of the condenser and the evaporator is realized as a function of the first heat exchanger (91),
When the first heat exchanger functions as the condenser, the evaporator is used. When the first heat exchanger functions as the evaporator, the condenser has a second heat. Realized as a function of the exchanger (92),
The switching unit is
A first inlet / outlet (82) connected to the first heat exchanger;
A second inlet / outlet (84) connected to the second heat exchanger;
An outlet (81) connected to the supply port (11) side with respect to the compressor;
An inlet (83) connected to the compressor from the side opposite to the outlet,
By switching which of the inflow port and the outflow port is connected to the first inflow port and the second inflow port, respectively, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are Switch whether to connect to the supply port,
The one end (71) of the pipe (7) is one of the one end (911) on the compressor side of the first heat exchanger and the one end (921) on the compressor side of the second heat exchanger. The heat exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange system is connected to a position opposite to the compressor or a position between the outlet (81) and the supply port (11).   The heat exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the one end (71) of the tube (7) is provided in the condenser (2). In the heat exchange system further comprising a capillary tube (31) that bypasses the expansion valve (3),
The heat exchange system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one end (71) of the tube (7) is connected to the capillary tube. An accumulator (6) for collecting the refrigerant liquid and supplying the vaporized refrigerant to the supply port (11);
The heat exchange system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one end (71) of the tube (7) is connected to the accumulator.   The heat exchange system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pipe (7) has a wick on its inside.   The said pipe | tube (7) is a heat exchange system as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5 with which the said other end (72) is located below with respect to the perpendicular direction rather than the said one end (71).   The heat exchange system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a cross-sectional area of the pipe (7) is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the main pipe (5). Inverter (100) for converting a power supply voltage into a desired AC voltage and supplying the same to the compressor
Further comprising
The heat exchange system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the other end (72) of the pipe (7) exchanges heat with the inverter.

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