JP2012247142A - Air-conditioner drain reusing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device capable of inexpensively and easily improving the efficiency of the heat exchange of an outdoor unit by reusing drain water simply discharged, in consideration that the drain water to be utilized is discharged without reused, despite that the improvement of efficiency is requested from the aspect of energy saving, cost reduction or the like because each of many air conditioners which are generally spreading, has a heat exchanger in which a cooling medium is air-cooled.SOLUTION: The device is installed in front of a suction port of a heat exchanger fan of the air conditioner outdoor unit and a drain hose is inserted into a drain hose insertion port 2 or 7 to take in the drain water discharged from the indoor unit. The drain water is introduced into a filter 3 covering the suction port of the heat exchanger by using a capillary phenomenon, and air taken into the heat exchanger is cooled by the vaporization heat of the drain water to improve the heat exchange efficiency.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inexpensive apparatus that recycles drain water that is simply discarded in a general air conditioner to increase cooling efficiency during cooling operation and to reduce environmental deterioration.

During cooling operation with an air conditioner (air conditioner), the refrigerant is compressed to high temperature and high pressure with a compressor built in the outdoor unit, cooled with a heat exchanger, converted into low-pressure and low-temperature gas with the indoor unit, and the indoor air with the heat exchanger. Cooling.
In general air conditioners currently on sale and in operation, the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit is air-cooled, and improvement in cooling efficiency is required.

During cooling operation of a general air conditioner, dew condensation occurs in the heat exchanger of the indoor unit, and it is discharged to the outside as drain water.
A method of increasing the efficiency of the heat exchanger by reusing this drain water, a method of reducing environmental degradation, and the like have been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-197987 JP 2010-216709 A JP 2010-060225 A JP 2010-271028 A

  The above-mentioned proposals may cause malfunction due to dust and dirt mixed in the equipment moving part during use, manufacturing cost is expensive due to complicated mechanism, outdoor unit is moved by installation work It is difficult to install, requires tools and specialized skills for installation work, and is difficult to introduce and operate stably at low cost.

  The present invention uses a combination of gravity and capillarity for the movement of drain water, thereby eliminating the movable part and enabling a reliable and stable operation.

  The upper and lower water reservoirs that collect drain water can prevent dust from entering the device by attaching a cover with a drain hose insertion port, enabling stable operation. In addition, the water receiving body and the cover are both made of plastic and other simple shapes suitable for manufacturing to facilitate manufacturing and assembly.

  By providing drain hose insertion ports at the top and bottom of the device, it enables easy installation without further processing of the air conditioning piping. Although not shown in the figure, a cap is used to prevent intrusion of dust on the unused side of the two drain hose inlets.

  Capillary vaporization heat filter imitates vinyl and nylon filters used for screen doors, etc. If the water stored in the lower water receiving part can be sucked up by capillary action, the material and shape It does not matter, but a material in which two nylon fibers are knitted into a net is suitable.

  The main feature is to enable low-priced manufacturing by making the shape and material of the device into consideration for manufacturing.

  According to the first aspect, since there are no movable parts, there is no malfunction of the movable part due to dust or the like, and the effect can be stably maintained.

  According to the first aspect, since there is no moving parts and the structure is simple, it is possible to manufacture with a small number of parts and to manufacture and sell the apparatus at low cost.

  According to claim 2, when the drain hose insertion port is located in two places, the upper part and the lower part of the device, and the drain hose is separated from the pipe at a position where the drain hose equipment construction status is high, it is more effective. Although it is possible to insert a drain hose into the two drain hose insertion ports that operate, in most cases the drain hose is separated near the piping port of the outdoor unit in the construction of air conditioning equipment, so that ordinary people without special technology can install the equipment. Difficult to modify. However, in the case of the lower drain hose insertion port of 7, it is possible to install the apparatus easily even by a general person having no skill in most cases.

FIG. 1 is an overall view of the apparatus. FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of the upper water receiving portion of the apparatus. FIG. 3 is a cutaway view of the lower water receiving portion of the apparatus. FIG. 4 shows the installation status of the apparatus. Example 1

  When considering operation at the time of cooling operation for a general air conditioner, it is equipped with an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, and a pipe for sending high-pressure refrigerant from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, A pipe that sends low-pressure refrigerant from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, wiring that supplies power from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, and a signal line that exchanges information between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are connected. A drain hose is connected to drain water generated by condensation.

  The outdoor unit compresses the low-pressure refrigerant returned from the indoor unit by a compressor, cools the refrigerant having heat generated by the compression using a heat exchanger, and sends the refrigerant to the indoor unit. In the indoor unit, the pressure of the compressed and cooled refrigerant is reduced by using an expansion valve, and the indoor air is cooled through the heat exchanger with the refrigerant further cooled as the pressure is reduced. In the outdoor unit, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is cooled by a heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger is an air-cooling type in which air is applied to a high-temperature refrigerant pipe to which a heat radiating plate is attached by outside air.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a device is installed in the suction port of the heat exchanger fan. It is desirable to fix it with a magnet or string, but since the outdoor unit is usually installed near the wall, fixing is not essential if easy installation is important. Insert the drain hose into the drain hose slot 2 or 7, and operate the air conditioner. The drain hose can be inserted into either 2 or 7, but the insertion port of 2 can further increase the cooling efficiency.

  Hereinafter, the case where the drain hose is inserted into the drain hose insertion port 2 will be described. When drain water is drained from the indoor unit, it is stored in the upper water receiver of 9 as indicated by 10, and the drain water moves to the lower water receiver of 16 while moistening it through the 12 capillary filters, The efficiency of the heat exchanger is increased by using the outdoor air cooled with the heat of vaporization by passing through the capillary filter.

Immediately after the start of the air conditioner operation, drain water does not immediately drain, but the filter is constantly moistened by capillarity from both 9 and 16 water receptacles, so heat exchange efficiency without waiting for drain water to drain. To increase.

  In the present invention, the number of parts is as small as eight, and the capillary vaporization heat filter can use a ready-made net product. Because it can be manufactured by assembly with a typical adhesive, it can be easily put on a production line and can be delivered to ordinary households at low cost, contributing to various modern problems such as reducing power consumption and environmental degradation. is there.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper water receiving part 2 Upper drain hose insertion port 3 Capillary vaporization heat filter 4 Strut 5 Strut 6 Lower water receiving part 7 Lower drain hose insertion port 8 Upper water receiving cover 9 Upper water receiving part 10 Upper water surface 11 Upper capillary vaporization heat filter adhesion Part 12 Capillary vaporization heat filter 13 Capillary vaporization heat filter 14 Lower capillary vaporization heat filter adhesion part 15 Lower water receiver cover 16 Lower water receiver 17 Lower water surface 18 Drain hose 19 Outdoor unit 20 This device

Claims (2)

  Installed in front of the air suction fan of the heat exchanger of the air conditioner outdoor unit is a net-type filter that receives the water discharged from the drain hose in the tray and sucks up the drain water by capillary action, and sucks the air into the heat exchanger using the heat of vaporization. Air conditioner outdoor unit cooling equipment that does not require power, such as a power source, to lower the temperature of the air and increase heat exchange efficiency and has no moving parts.   If you hold the tray with drain hose insertion holes at the top and bottom of the mesh filter and insert the drain hose into the upper tray, water is transmitted from the upper tray to the lower tray so that the mesh filter soaks into the lower tray. The air conditioner outdoor unit cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a drain hose is inserted, water is transmitted to the entire net filter by capillary action, and excess water is discharged from the lower tray.

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