JP2006207857A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve maintenance performance and to prevent scattering of dew condensation water. <P>SOLUTION: In this air conditioner having an introducing portion for introducing a medium supplied from a cold heat source, a heat exchange panel in which the medium introduced from the introducing portion can be circulated, a delivering portion for delivering the medium toward the cold heat source, and a drain pan mounted at a lower portion of the panel to receive the dew condensation water dropping from a panel surface, and the drain pan is opened at its upper face, and has a bottom plate portion and a side plate portion erected around the bottom plate portion in such a state that the side plate portion can be opened and closed. The bottom plate portion comprises at least one inclined face having downslope in the direction intersecting with the panel arranging direction, and has a valley floor portion extending in the direction approximately agreed with the panel arranging direction, a drain hole for discharging the water in the drain pan is formed on the valley floor portion, and the introducing portion and the delivering portion are formed on a hillside portion of the inclined face at an upper portion with respect to the valley floor portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that performs cooling and heating by circulating cold / hot water inside a panel, and more particularly to a drain pan structure for draining condensed water generated on a panel surface during cooling.

  There is provided a radiation-type air conditioning apparatus that does not generate forced airflow due to mechanical ventilation and can provide a comfortable indoor environment to occupants. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, this type of air conditioner is a heat exchanger by supplying a liquid medium such as hot water or cold water to heat exchangers (heat exchange panels / radiators) 21a and 21b installed in a building room. Heat exchange with room air is performed through the surface, and air conditioning is performed by radiation.

  The heat exchange panels 21a and 21b are made of flat (long plate-like) steel pipes whose upper and lower ends are closed, and in this example, an upper conduit 41 disposed horizontally at the upper portion of the apparatus and a lower portion disposed also horizontally at the lower portion of the apparatus. They are arranged in pairs on both sides of the conduit 51. Moreover, each panel 21a, 21b, the upper conduit | pipe 41, and the lower conduit | pipe 51 are mutually connected so that cold / hot water can be circulated.

  Specifically, a plurality of communication holes 48 and 58 communicating with the inside of the pipes are provided on both sides of the upper and lower conduits 41 and 51, while the inner edges of the positions near the upper and lower ends are notched on the panels 21a and 21b side. A formed notch hole (not shown) is provided, and cold / warm water can freely flow between the conduits 41, 51 and the inside of the panels 21a, 21b through the communication holes 48, 58 and the notch hole, and cold / warm water is provided outside. The panels 21a, 21b and the conduits 41, 51 are welded and connected in a watertight state so that no leakage occurs.

  The upper conduit 41 has an introduction part 42 for introducing cold water and hot water from a cold heat source into the apparatus through a water supply pipe (not shown), and a return pipe (not shown) for the cold water and hot water passing through the panels 21a and 21b. ) Is provided to return to the cold heat source. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in the upper conduit 41, in addition to end walls 45 and 46 for closing both ends of the conduit, a partition wall 47 for partitioning the length of, for example, four panels on the delivery side is provided. Cold / warm water that is provided in the middle part and is blocked by the partition wall 47 and flows into the apparatus from the introduction part 42 flows into the lower conduit 51 through the inside of the four panels without short-circuiting to the delivery part 43 side. Flow downwards.

  On the other hand, the lower conduit 51 is similarly closed at both ends by the end walls 55 and 56, but the intermediate portion of the conduit is not provided with a partition wall. Accordingly, the cold / warm water that descends in the panel on the introduction side and flows into the lower conduit 51 from the communication port 58 proceeds to the delivery portion 43 side (to the right in FIG. 8) in the lower conduit 51, It again enters the inside of the panels 21a and 21b on the delivery section side through the communication holes 58 provided on the left and right side surfaces. Then, these panels 21a and 21b rise toward the upper conduit 41, enter the upper conduit 41 again through the communication holes 48 on both sides of the upper conduit 41, and return pipes connected to the delivery section 43 (see FIG. (Not shown) and returned to a cold source (not shown).

  In the cooling operation, dew condensation can be performed simultaneously by generating condensed water on the surfaces of the heat exchange panels 21a and 21b and collecting and draining them. The drain pan 15 that collects the dew condensation water is installed at the lower part of the heat exchange panels 21a and 21b, receives the dew condensation water that flows down from the surfaces of the panels 21a and 21b, and discharges the water in the drain pan 15 from the drain port 16 provided on the bottom surface.

  The drain pan 15 is fixed to the device frames 12 and 13 by screws 17 and can be moved downward by loosening the screws 17. This is because the condensed water falling from the lower ends of the panels 21a and 21b during cooling operation is received at a height closer to the lower end of the panel to prevent water splashing to the surroundings. This is because, for example, a hand can be put in between 15 and 15.

  By the way, in the conventional air conditioner, the number of panels 21a and 21b to be installed is determined by the required cooling and heating capacity, and the width of the device (and hence the drain pan) varies in size, but usually from several tens of centimeters to several It has a width of more than meters. For this reason, it is difficult to raise and lower the drain pan 15 alone (at least operators are required on both sides of the drain pan), and there is a problem that the workability cannot be said to be good. Therefore, in the actual use state, the drain pan is often kept lowered during operation due to the troublesome work, and there is a problem that the condensed water falling from the panel jumps and wets the surroundings.

  The cold / hot water introduction section 42 is usually provided with a valve (not shown) for shutting off the water supply to the apparatus. At the end of the cooling or heating season, this valve is closed to perform maintenance or prepare for the next season, etc. The valve is opened and closed.

  However, in the conventional device structure, the valve is arranged at a high position near the ceiling (in the case of a device installed in a high-ceiling space with a high ceiling, the valve is located at a higher position). In addition, there are difficulties in terms of workability in opening and closing the valve, and water condensed on the valve part may fall and cause water splashing.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the maintainability of the air conditioner and to more reliably prevent the dew condensation from splashing.

  In order to achieve the object and solve the problem, an air conditioner according to the present invention introduces a cooling medium supplied from a cooling medium supply source, and distributes the cooling medium introduced from the introducing part inside. A heat exchange panel that can be made to flow, a delivery section that sends out the cooling medium toward the cooling medium supply source, and the dew condensation water that occurs on the surface of the heat exchange panel and falls from the heat exchange panel. An air conditioner having a drain pan disposed at a lower portion of the heat exchange panel, the drain pan having an open top surface, a bottom plate portion, and a side plate portion standing around the bottom plate portion, the side plate portion At least a part of can be opened and closed.

  In the air conditioner of the present invention, the drain pan installed at the lower part of the heat exchange panel is provided with a bottom plate portion and a side plate portion, the upper surface is opened, and at least a part of the side plate portion is formed to be openable and closable. Therefore, the inside of the drain pan can be easily cleaned only by opening the side plate portion without moving the drain pan itself as in the prior art.

  Further, in this type of conventional air conditioner, the drain pan has a shallow overall shape with a substantially V-shaped cross section as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, but the periphery of the bottom plate portion as in the present invention described above. If the structure is provided with a side plate portion standing upright, it is possible to more reliably prevent the condensed water falling from the heat exchange panel from splashing and splashing around.

  In addition, it is desirable that the drain pan is arranged so that the upper edge of the side plate portion is positioned at a height higher than the lower end of the heat exchange panel and the lower end of the heat exchange panel is housed inside. This is to more reliably store the condensed water drops falling from the lower end of the heat exchange panel in the drain pan.

  Further, in the above air conditioner, the introduction unit that introduces the cooling medium supplied from the cooling medium supply source into the heat exchange panel, and the sending unit that sends the cooling medium toward the cooling medium supply source are provided at the lower part of the heat exchange panel. It is desirable to place it inside the drain pan.

  Conventionally, condensation has occurred on the introduction part (valve part or the like) or the delivery part, and this condensed water has been dripped. This is because such condensed water can be captured by the drain pan.

  The air conditioner of the present invention is capable of cooling by circulating a cooling medium in the heat exchange panel and includes a dedicated cooling device. Typically, in addition to the cooling function, It is an apparatus having an air-conditioning function that can also perform heating by circulating a medium (for example, hot water) in the heat exchange panel.

  In the air conditioner of the present invention, the heat exchange panel includes a plurality of heat exchange panels arranged at intervals, the drain pan extends in the arrangement direction of the heat exchange panels, and the bottom plate portion is A drain pan having a valley bottom extending in a direction substantially coinciding with the arrangement direction of the heat exchange panel by providing at least one inclined surface having a downward slope in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the heat exchange panel It is preferable that a drain outlet for discharging the water is provided at the bottom of the valley and the introduction part and the delivery part are provided at a middle part of the inclined surface above the bottom of the valley.

  In addition, the bottom plate of the drain pan has a first inclined portion having a downward slope from one edge portion to the other edge portion in a direction substantially orthogonal to the length direction of the drain pan, and the one from the other edge portion. A second inclined portion having a downward slope toward the edge of the first portion, and a valley bottom formed by intersecting the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion, and having a substantially V-shaped cross section. Presenting and providing a drain outlet for discharging the water in the drain pan at the bottom of the valley, and providing the introduction section and the delivery section to be positioned at the first inclined section or the second inclined section. Also good.

  Condensed water that has fallen into the drain pan flows down the upper surface of the bottom plate portion along the inclined surface, collects at the bottom of the valley, and is discharged from a drain outlet arranged at the bottom of the valley. If the introduction part and the delivery part arranged in are shifted to the middle part of the inclined surface instead of the valley bottom part, the flow path of condensed water flowing through the valley bottom part is prevented from being disturbed by the introduction part and the delivery part, Condensed water in the drain pan can be well guided to the drain and drained.

  According to the air conditioner according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the maintainability and more reliably prevent the dew condensation from splashing.

  Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a side plate of a drain pan is opened in the air conditioner, and FIG. 3 shows a drain pan portion of the air conditioner. 4 is a front view of the air conditioner, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. In the following description, when the device is viewed in the positive direction of the y-axis shown in FIG. 1 (FIG. 4), this is the front of the device, and the side on the positive side of the x-axis is the right side, The side surface on the negative direction side of the x-axis is the left side surface. Moreover, in each figure, the same code | symbol shows the same or an equivalent part.

  As shown in these drawings, this air conditioner 101 has basically the same structure as the conventional air conditioner shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 with respect to the heat exchange panels 21a and 21b, the upper conduit 141, and the lower conduit 151. However, the structure of the drain pan 115 arranged at the lower part of the panel, the introduction part 131 for introducing cold / hot water into the apparatus, and the arrangement position of the sending part 135 for sending the cold / hot water circulated through the panel to the cold heat source are different. .

  Specifically, the air conditioner 101 of the present embodiment includes a heat exchange panel 21a extending in the vertical direction (z-axis direction) between the support plates 12 and 13 that can be fixed to the floor surface 1 and the ceiling surface 2. A plurality of 21b (hereinafter simply referred to as panels) are arranged in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) at regular intervals, and cold water (during cooling operation) or hot water (heating operation) is placed inside these panels 21a and 21b. It is an air conditioner that exchanges heat with the surrounding air by circulating the air), and further enables cooling and heating by radiation.

  Each panel 21a, 21b is made of a flat (long plate-like) steel pipe whose upper and lower ends are closed, and includes an upper conduit 141 arranged horizontally at the upper part of the apparatus and a lower conduit 151 arranged horizontally at the lower part of the apparatus. They are arranged in pairs on both sides (front and rear).

  Each panel 21a, 21b and the upper conduit | pipe 141 and the lower conduit | pipe 151 are mutually connected so that cold / hot water can be circulated. Since this communication structure is the same as that of the conventional apparatus shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, unlike the conventional apparatus, the apparatus of this embodiment introduces cold / hot water into the lower conduit 151. A section 131 and a sending section 135 are provided.

  Therefore, the cold / hot water supplied from the cold heat source to the introduction part 131 through the water supply pipe (not shown) enters the lower conduit 151 through the valve provided in the introduction part 131 and is introduced from the communication holes on both sides of the lower conduit. After entering the panel 21a, 21b on the part 131 side, the liquid flows upward in the panel 21a, 21b and is sent to the upper conduit 141. In addition, a partition wall (not shown) is provided at the intermediate portion of the lower conduit 151 to prevent cold / hot water from flowing from the introduction portion 131 to the delivery portion 135 in the same manner as the upper conduit 41 of the conventional apparatus. The cool / warm water sent to the upper conduit 141 flows in the upper conduit 141 toward the delivery section 135 (to the right in FIG. 4), enters the panels 21a and 21b on the delivery section 135 side, and enters the panels 21a and 21b. Flow down. Then, it enters the lower conduit 151 again and is returned from the delivery section 135 to the cold heat source through a return pipe (not shown).

  A drain pan 115 for collecting and draining the condensed water generated on the surfaces of the panels 21a and 21b is provided below the panels 21a and 21b and the lower conduit 151. The drain pan 115 includes a bottom plate 120 and side plates 116 to 119 that rise upward substantially perpendicularly from the peripheral edge of the bottom plate 120, and has a bottomed and uncovered box-like overall shape with an open top surface. 12 and 13 are fixed. The bottom plate 120 and the side plates 116 to 119 can be formed of, for example, a metal plate (steel plate or the like).

  The side plates 116 to 119 constituting the drain pan 115 include a front plate 116 that forms the front surface of the drain pan 115, a rear plate 117 that forms the back surface, and end plates 118 and 119 that form both left and right side surfaces. The front plate 116 and the rear plate 117 are rotatably installed at their lower ends on the bottom plate 120 via a hinge 125, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 3 (the front plate 116 is forward, The rear plate 117 can be opened by tilting backwards. 3 and 5, the upper edges 115a of the side plates (front plate 116, rear plate 117 and end plates 118, 119) have a height equal to or higher than the lower end 21c of the panels 21a, 21b. Therefore, the lower ends 21c of the panels 21a and 21b are accommodated in the drain pan 115.

  On the other hand, the bottom plate 120 that constitutes the drain pan 115 has a first inclined portion 121 that slopes downward from the lower end portion of the front plate 116 toward the rear (the positive y-axis direction in FIG. 1), and a front portion from the lower end portion of the rear plate 117 ( And a second inclined portion 122 having a downward slope toward the negative y-axis direction in FIG. 1 and a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional shape. However, in this embodiment, the first inclined portion 121 has a shorter slope distance than the second inclined portion 122, and thus has an asymmetric cross-sectional shape.

  That is, when viewed from the side of the apparatus (FIG. 3), the drain pan valley bottom portion 124 formed by the intersection of both inclined portions 121 and 122 is the center of the drain pan 115 in the front-rear direction (y-axis direction) and the lower conduit. A bottom plate 120 (valley bottom portion 124) is formed so as to be shifted forward (eccentric) from the center of the apparatus provided with 151. And the drain outlet 123 which discharges the water in the drain pan 115 is a substantially center part about the left-right direction (x-axis direction) of the drain pan 115, and the said trough bottom ahead of the center about the front-back direction (y-axis direction) of the drain pan 115 It is provided at the position of the portion 124.

  On the other hand, the introduction part 131 and the delivery part 135 for supplying cold / hot water to the apparatus and returning the cold / hot water from the apparatus to the cold heat source are arranged so as to extend substantially vertically downward in the drain pan 115 from the lower conduit 151, A pipe connection part 132 that connects the introduction part 131 and the water supply pipe and a pipe connection part 136 that connects the delivery part 135 and the return pipe both penetrate the bottom plate 120 of the drain pan.

  Here, since the bottom plate 120 of the drain pan has the valley bottom portion 124 eccentric as described above, the pipe connecting portions 132 and 136 both penetrate the slope portion (second inclined portion 122) of the bottom plate 120, and drainage. Condensed water flowing through the valley bottom portion 124 toward the mouth 123 is not blocked by the pipe connection portions 132 and 136. Therefore, the condensed water that has fallen into the drain pan from the lower end of the panel flows down the inclined portions 121 and 122 of the bottom plate 120 and collects in the valley bottom portion 124, and flows in the right and left direction (x-axis direction) to the drain port 123. Is discharged smoothly. In addition, the pipe connection parts 132 and 136 and the bottom plate 120 are welded so as not to cause water leakage, or appropriate sealing means for preventing water leakage is provided.

  According to the air conditioner of this invention thru | or this embodiment, since it has a box-shaped deep drain pan and the side plate of this drain pan can be opened and closed, the inside of the drain pan can be easily cleaned and maintained simply by opening the side plate. I can do it. Moreover, since the introduction part (valve) and the delivery part are provided at the lower part of the panel, the valve can be operated easily.

  In addition, since the introduction part (valve) and the delivery part are arranged inside the drain pan, the condensed water in the valve part can be captured by the drain pan, eliminating the situation where the condensed water in the valve part drops and wets the floor. I can do it. Furthermore, since the center (valley bottom) of the bottom plate of the drain pan having a V-shaped cross section is decentered, it is possible to ensure a good drainage flow path for the condensed water and to drain the drain pan from the drain port without leaving any water. It becomes possible.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. .

  For example, the shape, structure, size, number of arrangements, etc. of the heat exchange panel, or the structure for supplying cold / warm water to the panel (for example, the arrangement position and number of conduits) are variously modified in addition to the examples shown in the figure. It is possible. As for the fixing structure of the device, for example, a so-called self-supporting device that is fixed only to the floor surface, fixed to the wall surface, or simply placed on the floor can be used. Moreover, it is not restricted to the apparatus provided with both the cooling function and the heating function, The apparatus which has only a cooling function is also within the scope of the present invention.

  Further, the depth of the drain pan (side wall height) can be made smaller (shallow) than the illustrated example, or can be made deeper. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, both the front and rear plates of the drain pan can be opened and closed, but only one of them may be opened and closed. In the above embodiment, the entire front plate and rear plate of the drain pan can be opened and closed. However, a part (for example, only a part of the front plate or the rear plate) can be opened and closed.

It is a perspective view which shows the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the lower part (The state which opened the side plate of the drain pan) of the air conditioner which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a side view which shows the drain pan part of the air conditioner which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a front view of the air conditioner concerning the embodiment. It is AA sectional drawing of the air conditioner (FIG. 4) which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the conventional air conditioner. It is a side view of the conventional air conditioner. It is a front view of the conventional air conditioner.

Explanation of symbols

101 Air conditioner (air conditioner)
12, 13 Support plate (device frame)
21a, 21b Heat exchange panel 115 Drain pan 116 Front plate (side plate)
117 Rear plate (side plate)
118,119 End plate (side plate)
120 Bottom plate 121 First inclined part 122 Second inclined part 123 Drain outlet 124 Valley bottom part 125 Hinge 131 Introduction part 132,136 Pipe connection part 135 Delivery part 141 Upper conduit 151 Lower conduit

Claims (5)

An introduction unit for introducing a cooling medium supplied from a cooling medium supply source;
A heat exchange panel capable of circulating the cooling medium introduced from the introduction part, and
A delivery section for delivering the cooling medium to the cooling medium supply source;
A drain pan disposed on the lower portion of the heat exchange panel so as to be able to receive dew condensation water that occurs on the surface of the heat exchange panel and falls from the heat exchange panel;
An air conditioner having
The drain pan is
The top surface is open,
A bottom plate portion, and a side plate portion standing around the bottom plate portion,
An air conditioner characterized in that at least a part of the side plate part can be opened and closed. The drain pan is disposed so that an upper edge of the side plate portion is positioned at a height higher than a lower end of the heat exchange panel and a lower end of the heat exchange panel is housed inside. Air conditioner. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the introduction part and the delivery part are arranged inside the drain pan below the heat exchange panel. As the heat exchange panel, comprising a plurality of heat exchange panels arranged at intervals,
The drain pan extends in the arrangement direction of the heat exchange panel,
The bottom plate portion includes at least one inclined surface having a downward slope in a direction crossing the arrangement direction of the heat exchange panels, thereby forming a valley bottom portion extending in a direction substantially coinciding with the arrangement direction of the heat exchange panels. Have
While providing a drain outlet for draining the water in the drain pan to be located at the bottom of the valley,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the introduction part and the delivery part are provided so as to be positioned in a middle part of the inclined surface above the valley bottom part. The bottom plate of the drain pan has a first inclined portion having a downward slope from one edge portion to the other edge portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the drain pan, and the one edge from the other edge portion. Having a second inclined part having a downward slope toward the part and a valley bottom formed by the intersection of the first inclined part and the second inclined part, and having a substantially V-shaped cross section,
While providing a drain outlet for draining the water in the drain pan to be located at the bottom of the valley,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the introduction part and the delivery part are provided so as to be positioned on the first inclined part or the second inclined part.

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