JP2012063076A - Heat storage apparatus and air conditioning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive heat storage apparatus that improves a convention heat transfer rate from a heat transfer surface to a heat storage member by suppressing heat dissipation from something other than the heat transfer surface, in the apparatus in which a heat storage member mainly composed of water having large heat capacity is used and a heat storage tank is brought into contact with a heat source.SOLUTION: The heat storage apparatus includes: a heat transfer means 4 having the thinnest part in a wall surface of the heat storage tank, arranged to contact with the heat source and conveying heat between the heat source and the heat storage member; and a rectification means 6 provided in a side of the heat storage member of the heat transfer means 4 and rectifying convection flow of the heat storage member generated on the heat transfer surface from at least one rectifying surface intersecting a perpendicular direction. Accordingly, the heat storage apparatus with heat transfer performance and durability can be provided.

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat storage device used in contact with a heat source and an air conditioner using the same.

  Conventionally, in heating operation using a heat pump air conditioner, in order to defrost an outdoor heat exchanger, the refrigerant flow is switched from a heating cycle to a cooling cycle by a four-way valve, and high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is allowed to flow to the outdoor heat exchanger. It is common. This defrosting method has a disadvantage that the heating effect is impaired because the amount of heat that has been diverted indoors is diverted to the defrost of the outdoor heat exchanger. Also, in heating operation, in order to ensure a blown air flow from a sufficiently heated indoor unit, the indoor unit's piping temperature is raised to a certain temperature, and then indoor ventilation starts. There is time, and this is also a drawback of heat pump air conditioners.

  In order to compensate for these drawbacks, a technology that uses the waste heat of the compressor stored in the heat storage device for defrosting and improving the start-up characteristics during heating operation by incorporating the heat storage device in the refrigeration cycle is often used. .

  Patent document 1 is an example of such a conventional heat storage device. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional heat storage device. In FIG. 6, the heat storage device 100 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the partition wall 104 of the compressor 102. In addition, the heat storage device 100 includes a metal member 106 such as an aluminum foil plate or a copper plate, and the metal member 106 is wound so as to contact the outer peripheral surface of the partition wall 104.

  Inside the heat storage device 100, a heat storage material 108 that stores heat generated by the compressor 102 via the partition wall 104 is accommodated, and the heat storage material 108 includes a housing member 110 having a U-shaped longitudinal section. The space formed by the metal member 106 described above is filled. In this space part, the heat storage material 108 and the heating pipe 112 for heating the inflowing refrigerant are disposed.

Japanese Patent No. 2705734

  As described above, in the conventional heat storage device shown in FIG. 6, the metal member 106 is wound so as to contact the partition wall 104 of the compressor 102, but the heat storage tank 110 for holding the heat storage material 108. The wall thickness is thinner than that of the metal member 106, and there is a problem that the amount of heat stored in the heat storage tank is lost due to heat dissipation.

  Further, when a liquid is used for the heat storage material 108, the metal member 106 is a vertical flat plate and is sandwiched between the motor unit 2 and the compression unit 3 in the compressor 102, so the height dimension of the metal member 106 is limited. For this reason, the natural convection generated in the boundary layer between the metal member 106 and the heat storage material 108 has a higher proportion of laminar flow on the surface of the metal member 106, which is a cause of lowering the convective heat transfer coefficient.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, suppresses heat radiation from the heat storage device, and uses heat generated by the compressor as a heat storage material even on a limited heat transfer surface. It aims at providing the heat storage apparatus which can accumulate | store efficiently, and the air conditioner using this heat storage apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a heat storage device according to the present invention includes a heat storage material containing water, a heat storage tank that holds the heat storage material inside and is used in contact with a heat source, and a thinnest wall surface of the heat storage tank. And a heat transfer means that is disposed so as to contact the heat source and bears heat transfer between the heat source and the heat storage material.

  According to the present invention, in the heat storage device in which the heat storage tank is in contact with the heat source, heat radiation from other than the heat transfer surface can be suppressed by providing the heat transfer surface with the thinnest portion.

  As described above, it is possible to provide a heat storage device having both heat transfer performance and durability.

(A) Outline drawing of the heat storage tank in the heat storage device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention (b) A diagram showing a cross section taken along line A-A ′. A sketch of heat transfer means according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block diagram of the air conditioner using the thermal storage apparatus which concerns on this invention The schematic diagram which shows the operation | movement at the time of normal heating of the air conditioner of FIG. 3, and the flow of a refrigerant | coolant. The schematic diagram which shows the operation | movement at the time of defrosting and heating of the air conditioner of FIG. 3, and the flow of a refrigerant | coolant Cross-sectional view of a conventional heat storage device

  1st invention hold | maintains a heat storage material containing water, a heat storage material inside, has a heat storage tank used by contact | abutting to a heat source, and the thinnest part in the wall surface of a heat storage tank, and it is contact | abutted to a heat source And a heat transfer means that bears heat transfer between the heat source and the heat storage material, and can improve the convective heat transfer rate from the heat transfer surface to the heat storage material.

  The second invention is provided with a rectifying means provided on the heat storage material side of the heat transfer means, and rectifies the convection of the heat storage material generated on the heat transfer surface by at least one rectification surface intersecting the vertical direction. By using a relatively thick heat transfer surface as the rectifying means, turbulence of natural convection occurring at the thinnest point can be promoted, and heat transfer efficiency can be increased.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not intended to be limited to these.

(Embodiment 1)
The heat storage device (not shown) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is used in contact with the outer shell of the compressor of the air conditioner, and is used to store and use the waste heat of the compressor. A heat exchanger is enclosed with the material. The heat storage material is filled with an ethylene glycol solution containing water, and the heat exchanger is connected to a refrigerant pipe of an air conditioner by a connection pipe, and heat of the refrigerant is obtained using heat obtained from the heat storage material. Used for. Fig.1 (a) is a sketch of the heat storage tank 2 in which a heat exchanger is enclosed with a heat storage material in the heat storage device according to the first embodiment. For convenience, a portion indicated by a broken line indicates the heat transfer means 4 in the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the heat transfer means 4 along AA ′. The heat storage device according to Embodiment 1 is brought into contact with the outer shell of the compressor, which is a heat source, in the heat transfer means 4 and is used for transferring heat to and from the heat source. The heat storage tank 2 uses polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin for the outer shell, and the heat transfer means 4 is formed integrally with the heat storage tank 2 by optical modeling. The surface of the heat transfer means 4 that contacts the outer shell of the compressor is thinner than any wall thickness of the other outer shell of the heat storage tank, as shown in FIG. It is molded and is the thinnest part of the wall thickness in the heat storage tank 2. As described above, the surface of the heat transfer means 4 that contacts the outer shell of the compressor is made the thinnest among the wall thicknesses of the outer shell of the heat storage tank, so that the wall surfaces other than the heat transfer means 4 have relatively high heat insulation. It functions as thermal resistance.

  FIG. 2 is a sketch when the heat transfer means 4 is cut out from the heat storage tank 2. In order to improve the adhesiveness with the compressor, the surface in contact with the outer shell of the compressor forms a cylindrical vertical plane. Rectification means 6 is provided on the surface of the vertical plane on the heat storage material side. The rectifying means 6 is formed integrally with the heat transfer means 4, and individual flat plates are arranged as the rectifying means 6 so as to stand on the heat transfer means 4. The shape of each flat plate as the rectifying means 6 is a triangular wing shape spreading upward. Further, when the heat storage tank is wound around the compressor, the flat plate of the rectifying means 6 has a certain inclination with respect to the vertical direction, and at the same time, the adjacent flat plates have a “C” shape (or reverse “ C).

  In general, fluid flow is classified into laminar flow and turbulent flow with a critical Reynolds number as the boundary, and heat transfer efficiency can be improved by controlling the flow of the same material. In the present embodiment, the heat transfer means 4 forms a vertical plane and bears heat transfer from the compressor as a heat source to the heat storage material. At this time, natural convection of the heat storage material occurs along the vertical plane of the heat transfer means 4. Since the rectifying means 6 is installed so as to cross in the vertical direction, the natural convection of the heat storage material is affected by the rectifying means 6 which is a flat plate. That is, it becomes a turbulent flow after the heat storage material gets over the front edge of the rectifying means 6, and heat transfer efficiency can be improved. In the present embodiment, in particular, the rectifying means 6 is formed into a triangular wing shape spreading toward the downstream side of natural convection, so that turbulent flow can be achieved up to the heat transfer surface. Further, since the adjacent straightening means 6 are shaped like “C”, the heat storage material flowing along the straightening means 6 is also squeezed when the interval between the flat plates is narrowed, and the internal pressure is increased, so that the heat transfer surface The convection of the heat storage material is encouraged to move over the rectifying means 6 even at a distant position, and the agitated region can be enlarged. Further, the heat storage material that passes through the rectifying means 6 without passing over the rectifying means 6 is also restricted to the rectifying means 6, thereby increasing the flow velocity and improving the heat transfer rate. Further, the flow path narrowed by the rectifying means 6 is installed so that another rectifying means 6 exists at least on either the upstream side or the downstream side of the flow path so that the flow path is not continuous in the vertical flow direction. Therefore, laminarization of natural convection is hindered.

  As described above, the heat transfer device 4 according to the present invention and the rectifying device 6 provided on the heat transfer device 4 generally provide a heat storage material stirring effect and improve the heat transfer efficiency to the heat storage material. Can be provided.

  In FIG. 3, the structure of the air conditioner provided with the heat storage apparatus 1 which concerns on this invention is shown. The air conditioner according to the present invention includes an outdoor unit 56, an indoor unit 14, and a refrigerant pipe that connects them.

  The outdoor unit 56 includes a compressor 58, a four-way valve 25, an expansion valve 24, and an outdoor heat exchanger 20, and further includes a first pipe 26 that connects the refrigerant discharge port of the compressor 58 and the four-way valve 25, and the compressor 58. A second pipe 28 connecting the refrigerant suction port and the four-way valve 25, a third pipe 66 connecting the four-way valve 25 and the outdoor heat exchanger 20, and connecting the outdoor heat exchanger 20 and the four-way valve 25. 4th piping 64 is provided.

  The indoor unit 14 includes an indoor heat exchanger 22, a blower fan (not shown), and a louver (not shown) that controls the blowing direction.

The fifth pipe 62 is installed between the expansion valve 24 and the indoor heat exchanger 22 and connects the outdoor unit 56 and the indoor unit 14. The sixth pipe 60 is installed between the indoor heat exchanger 22 and the four-way valve 25 and connects the outdoor unit 56 and the indoor unit 14.

  Further, in the outdoor unit, a seventh pipe 40 that connects the first pipe 26 and the fourth pipe 64, a first electromagnetic valve 42 installed in the pipe 40, a second pipe 28, and a fifth pipe 62 are connected. And the second solenoid valve 44 installed in the eighth pipe 68.

  The heat storage device 1 according to the present invention is on the eighth pipe 68, and the eighth pipe 68 becomes a serpentine tube inside the heat storage device 1, and bears heat exchange with the heat storage material inside the heat storage device 1. The heat storage device 1 is in close contact with the compressor 58 and is disposed between the second pipe 28 and the second electromagnetic valve 44.

  The compressor 58, the blower fan, the louver, the four-way valve 25, the expansion valve 24, the first electromagnetic valve 42, and the second electromagnetic valve 44 are electrically connected to a control device (not shown, for example, a microcomputer). Controlled by

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation and a refrigerant flow during normal heating of the air conditioner according to the present invention. The refrigerant discharged from the discharge port of the compressor 58 reaches the indoor heat exchanger 22 via the first pipe 26 and the four-way valve 25. The refrigerant condensed by exchanging heat with indoor air having a temperature lower than that of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 22 reaches the expansion valve 24 via the pipe 62. The refrigerant depressurized in the expansion valve 24 reaches the outdoor heat exchanger 20 through the pipe 64. In the outdoor heat exchanger 20, the refrigerant evaporated by exchanging heat with outdoor air having a temperature higher than that of the refrigerant returns to the suction port of the compressor 58 through the pipe 66, the four-way valve 25, and the pipe 28.

  The heat storage device 1 according to the present invention is installed in close contact with the compressor 58 and accumulates heat generated by the compressor 58 in the heat storage material. During the heat storage, the first electromagnetic valve 42 and the second electromagnetic valve 44 are controlled to be closed.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation and refrigerant flow during defrost heating in the configuration of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 3. Hereinafter, the operation at the time of defrost heating will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the solid arrow indicates the flow of the refrigerant used for heating, and the broken arrow indicates the flow of the refrigerant used for defrosting.

  When the outdoor heat exchanger 20 is frosted during the normal heating operation described above and the frost formed grows, the ventilation resistance of the outdoor heat exchanger 20 increases and the air flow decreases, and the evaporation temperature in the outdoor heat exchanger 20 is reduced. descend. As shown in FIG. 5, a temperature sensor 70 that detects the piping temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 20 is provided, and when the temperature sensor 70 detects that the evaporation temperature has decreased as compared to the non-frosting state, Thus, the control signal is switched from the normal heating operation to the defrosting heating operation. When switching to the defrost heating operation, the first electromagnetic valve 42 and the second electromagnetic valve 44 are controlled to open, and in addition to the refrigerant flow during the normal heating operation described above, the gas phase refrigerant discharged from the discharge port of the compressor 58 is changed. A part of the refrigerant passes through the pipe 40 and the first electromagnetic valve 42 and merges with the refrigerant passing through the pipe 64 to heat and condense the outdoor heat exchanger 20, and then compressed through the pipe 66, the four-way valve 25, the pipe 28, and the accumulator 72. To the suction port of the machine 58.

  A part of the liquid-phase refrigerant branched from the pipe 62 passes through the pipe 68 and the second electromagnetic valve 44, absorbs heat from the heat storage material in the heat storage heat exchanger 7, evaporates, and merges from the pipe 68 to the pipe 28 to be compressed. Return to the inlet of the machine 58.

  The refrigerant returning to the accumulator 72 includes the liquid phase refrigerant returning from the outdoor heat exchanger 20. By mixing the high-temperature gas phase refrigerant returning from the heat storage heat exchanger 7 with this, the liquid phase refrigerant is returned. The evaporation of the refrigerant is promoted, and the liquid-phase refrigerant does not return to the compressor 58 through the accumulator 72, so that the reliability of the compressor 58 can be improved.

The temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 20 that has become below freezing due to the attachment of frost at the start of defrost heating is the compressor 5
When heated by the gas-phase refrigerant discharged from the outlet 8 and frost is melted near zero, defrosting is completed, the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 20 begins to rise again. When the temperature sensor 70 detects the temperature rise of the outdoor heat exchanger 20, it is determined that the defrosting is completed, and an instruction from the defrost heating operation to the normal heating operation is output from the control device.

  As described above, the heat storage device in the present embodiment is in close contact with the compressor 58 in the air conditioner, accumulates heat generated in the compressor 58 during the heating operation in the heat storage material, and shifts from the normal heating operation to the defrosting heating operation. When this is done, a part of the liquid phase refrigerant diverted from the pipe 62 through the indoor heat exchanger 22 absorbs heat from the heat storage material in the heat storage heat exchanger 7 and evaporates and vaporizes it, thereby achieving both heating operation and defrosting operation. And comfort can be improved.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide a heat storage device that efficiently recovers heat stored in a heat storage material containing water using a heat exchanger, and can be used for an air conditioner and various refrigeration devices using the heat storage device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal storage apparatus 2 Thermal storage tank 4 Heat transfer means 6 Rectification means 7 Thermal storage heat exchanger 14 Indoor unit 22 Indoor heat exchanger 24 Expansion valve 25 Four-way valve 26 28 40 60 60 62 64 66 Pipe 42 First electromagnetic valve 44 Second electromagnetic valve 56 Outdoor unit 58 Compressor 70 Temperature sensor 72 Accumulator

Claims (5)

A heat storage material containing water;
Holding the heat storage material inside, a heat storage tank used in contact with a heat source; and
A heat storage device comprising: a heat transfer means that has the thinnest portion on the wall surface of the heat storage tank, and is disposed so as to contact the heat source, and is responsible for heat transfer between the heat source and the heat storage material. apparatus. The rectifying means is provided on the heat storage material side of the heat transfer means, and rectifies the convection of the heat storage material generated on the heat transfer surface by at least one rectification surface intersecting the vertical direction. The heat storage device according to 1. The heat storage device according to claim 2, wherein the rectifying surface is not orthogonal to the vertical direction. The heat storage device according to claim 2, wherein a height of the rectifying surface with respect to the heat transfer means increases in a direction from upstream to downstream of the convection. An air conditioner comprising the heat storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.