JP2014208320A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of facilitating dealing with services of a desiccant block.SOLUTION: An air conditioner 1 comprises: a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor 3, a channel switching device 4, a first heat exchanger 5, a decompressor, and a second heat exchanger 7 are mutually connected by a refrigerant pipe; a casing 2 including an air path in which the first heat exchanger 5 and the second heat exchanger 7 are arranged; and a desiccant block 8 detachably provided between the first heat exchanger 5 and the second heat exchanger 7 in the casing 2 and adsorbing/desorbing water. The casing 2 includes an outlet port from which the desiccant block 8 is taken out to an outside of the casing 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner having a dehumidifying function.

  A conventional air conditioner having a dehumidifying function includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and a defrost heater, and a refrigerant is filled in a refrigeration cycle in the air conditioner. ing. In the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant and is sent to the condenser. The refrigerant flowing into the condenser is liquefied by releasing heat to the air. The liquefied refrigerant is decompressed by an expansion valve to become a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and then gasified by absorbing heat from ambient air in an evaporator and flows to the compressor. When this air conditioner is used in a refrigerated or refrigerated warehouse, the evaporation temperature in the evaporator is lower than 0 ° C. because it is necessary to control the air conditioner so as to maintain a temperature range lower than 10 ° C. For this reason, frost is generated in the evaporator, which reduces the refrigeration capacity (dehumidification capacity) of the air conditioner.

  Therefore, the defrosting operation is regularly performed by the defrost heater attached to the evaporator. As a result, extra energy is consumed as much as the defrosting operation is performed, causing a reduction in the efficiency of the air conditioner. Furthermore, after the dehumidifying operation, the temperature in the refrigerated or refrigerated warehouse increased, the load on the air conditioner increased, and the power consumption increased. Also, in the case of an air conditioner that can control the rotation speed of the compressor, the cooling load becomes small in the intermediate period of cooling (rainy season, autumn, etc.), so by reducing the rotation speed of the compressor, the load is reduced. I was following. As a result, the evaporation temperature in the evaporator rises and the sensible heat in the room can be removed, but the latent heat in the room cannot be removed. Increases the discomfort of people

  Therefore, conventionally, a defrosting operation is unnecessary by combining the refrigerant refrigerator and the moisture adsorbing means, and removing the moisture in the air flowing into the evaporator (heat absorber) in advance by the moisture adsorbing means. The technology is disclosed. Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner including a desiccant rotor. This Patent Document 1 supplies air dehumidified by a desiccant rotor, which is a moisture adsorbing means, to an evaporator (heat absorber). In addition, in order to desorb and regenerate the moisture absorbed by the moisture adsorbing means (desiccant rotor), air heated by a condenser (radiator) is supplied to the moisture adsorbing means (desiccant rotor).

  Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 also disclose an air conditioner or a dehumidifier that performs dehumidification with a desiccant roller, as in Patent Document 1.

  Furthermore, in Patent Document 4, the first heat exchanger, the deodorizing unit, and the second heat exchanger are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the air passage, and the deodorizing unit adsorbs the odor component to the deodorizing unit. There has been disclosed a deodorization apparatus that performs switching to a decomposition operation for decomposing an adsorbed odor component by switching heating and cooling of a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger.

JP 2001-241893 A (Claim 1, Claim 6, Pages 6 to 8, FIG. 2) JP 2006-308236 A (Claim 1, paragraph 0015, FIG. 2) JP 2006-150305 A (Claim 1, Claim 7, FIG. 1) JP 2008-148832 A (Claim 1, FIG. 1)

  However, in these Patent Documents 1 to 3, the air flowing through the desiccant rotor flows in both directions rather than in one direction with respect to the desiccant rotor. The air path leading to the evaporator or condenser becomes complicated. For this reason, it is difficult to replace the desiccant rotor.

  In Patent Document 4, the deodorizing unit is housed in the housing. However, since the deodorizing unit is not considered to be taken out of the housing, it is difficult to replace the deodorizing unit.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the above problems, and provides an air conditioner capable of facilitating service support of a desiccant block.

  An air conditioner according to the present invention includes a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a flow path switching device, a first heat exchanger, a decompression device, and a second heat exchanger are connected by a refrigerant pipe, a first heat exchanger, and a second heat exchanger. A housing having an air passage in which a heat exchanger is disposed, a desiccant block that is detachably provided between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in the housing, and performs moisture adsorption and desorption; And the casing has an outlet through which the desiccant block is taken out of the casing.

  According to the present invention, since the outlet is provided in the housing, the desiccant block can be easily serviced by taking out the desiccant block from the outlet.

1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a moisture adsorption characteristic diagram of a solid adsorbent used for a desiccant block 8. FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a desiccant block 8 in the first embodiment. 2 is a side view showing a desiccant block 8 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is an air wetness diagram which shows the state change of the air at the time of a 1st operation mode. It is an air wetness diagram which shows the state change of the air at the time of a 2nd operation mode. It is a side view of the air conditioning apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a front view of the air conditioning apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an air-conditioning apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Moreover, in the following drawings including FIG. 1, the relationship of the size of each component may be different from the actual one. Further, in the following description, terms for indicating directions (for example, “up”, “down”, “right”, “left”, “front”, “back”, etc.) are used as appropriate for easy understanding. This is for explanation and these terms do not limit the present invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1A and 1B are schematic views of an air-conditioning apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Among these, FIG. 1A is a front view of the air conditioner 1, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the air conditioner 1. The air conditioner 1 will be described based on FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), an air conditioner 1 includes a housing 3, a compressor 3, a flow path switching device 4, a first heat exchanger 5, and an expansion valve 6 that is a decompression device. The second heat exchanger 7 arranged in parallel with the first heat exchanger 5 is provided, and these are connected in a ring shape with a refrigerant pipe to constitute the refrigerant circuit A. The inside of the housing 2 is partitioned into an air passage chamber 10 and a machine chamber 11 by a drain pan 12 disposed below the first heat exchanger 5 and the second heat exchanger 7. In the machine room 11, the compressor 3 and the flow path switching device 4 are disposed, and the first heat exchanger 5 and the second heat exchanger 7 are disposed in the air passage chamber 10. The drain pan 12 receives water dropped from the first heat exchanger 5 and the second heat exchanger 7.

  The compressor 3 compresses the sucked refrigerant to a high pressure. In addition, the flow path switching device 4 switches the flow path so that the refrigerant flows in the solid line direction or the dotted line direction in FIG. 1A, and is switched to the solid line flow path in FIG. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 flows in the order of the flow path switching device 4, the first heat exchanger 5, the expansion valve 6, the second heat exchanger 7, and the flow path switching device 4 and returns to the compressor 3. Configure. In this configuration, the first heat exchanger 5 operates as a condenser (heat radiator), and the second heat exchanger 7 operates as an evaporator.

  On the other hand, when the flow path of the flow path switching device 4 is switched to the dotted flow path in FIG. 1A, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 is transferred to the compressor 3, the flow path switching device 4, and the second heat. The refrigerating cycle which flows in order of the exchanger 7, the expansion valve 6, the 1st heat exchanger 5, and the flow-path switching apparatus 4 and returns to the compressor 3 is comprised. In this configuration, the second heat exchanger 7 operates as a condenser (heat radiator), and the first heat exchanger 5 operates as an evaporator.

For example, R410A is used as the refrigerant of the air conditioner 1. Note that the refrigerant is not limited to R410A, and other than that, an HFC refrigerant, an HC refrigerant, an HFO refrigerant, or the like can be applied, and a natural refrigerant such as CO ₂ or NH ₃ can be applied. In the case of applying a CO ₂ refrigerant, when the high pressure is an operation at a critical pressure or higher, the condenser operates as a radiator.

  Moreover, the 1st heat exchanger 5 and the 2nd heat exchanger 7 consist of plate fin tube heat exchangers, for example, and are the structure which heat-exchanges the refrigerant | coolant which flows through the inside of a heat exchanger tube, and the air which flows around a fin. . The expansion valve 6 is a valve whose opening degree is fixed, and decompresses and expands the refrigerant passing therethrough. The expansion valve 6 may be an electronic expansion valve whose opening degree is variable.

  On the side of the air passage chamber 10 of the housing 2, a suction port 10 a that introduces air to be dehumidified is formed in the side surface of the housing 2, and the dehumidified air is discharged to the outside on the upper surface of the housing 2. A blower outlet 10b is formed. And the air conveyed by the air blower 9 connected to the blower outlet 10b flows into the blower outlet 10b from the suction inlet 10b in the direction of arrow (alpha) of Fig.1 (a). In the air channel chamber 10, the first heat exchanger 5, the desiccant block 8 that is a desiccant material arranged in parallel with the first heat exchanger 5, and the second heat arranged in parallel with the first heat exchanger 5. The exchanger 7 is arrange | positioned in series, the air blower 9 is arrange | positioned above the 2nd heat exchanger 7, and the air path B is formed.

  In the housing, an air path forming plate 15 having an L-shaped cross section is installed above the first heat exchanger 5, the desiccant block 8, and the second heat exchanger 7. By this air path forming plate 15, the air that has flowed through the first heat exchanger 5, the desiccant block 8, and the second heat exchanger 7 is introduced into the blower 9 that is disposed above the second heat exchanger 7. Thus, the air path B is formed. The vertical portion of the air passage forming plate 15 faces the side portion of the blower 9, and the horizontal portions of the air passage forming plate 15 are the first heat exchanger 5, the desiccant block 8, and the second heat exchanger 7. Opposite the top. Therefore, the air sucked into the air passage B from the suction port 10a flows linearly through the air passage B in the order of the first heat exchanger 5, the desiccant block 8, and the second heat exchanger 7, It flows into the apparatus 9 and is exhausted from the air outlet 10b to the outside of the air conditioning apparatus 1.

  Further, a hole 15 a is provided in the horizontal portion of the air passage forming plate 15. In order to take out the desiccant block 8 taken out from above the air passage forming plate 15 to the outside of the housing 2, an upper opening serving as an outlet is provided on the side surface of the housing 2 above the air passage forming plate 15. A portion 21 is formed. An upper inspection lid 21a is installed in the upper opening 21 so as to close the upper opening 21, and the upper inspection lid 21a can be removed at the time of inspection. Further, the gap between the horizontal portion of the air passage forming plate 15 and the ceiling of the housing 2 is wider than the length in the vertical direction of the desiccant block 8, so that the desiccant block 8 is connected to the air passage forming plate 15. It is possible to take out above.

  Next, the desiccant block 8 will be described. The desiccant block 8 is obtained by molding a desiccant material into a solid and rectangular shape, and is made of a material that absorbs and desorbs moisture. As this material, for example, zeolite, silica gel, mesoporous silica, or a polymeric adsorbent is applied. FIG. 2 is a moisture adsorption characteristic diagram of the solid adsorbent used for the desiccant block 8. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents relative humidity, and the vertical axis represents the equilibrium adsorption rate. C in FIG. 2 is silica gel or zeolite. Further, D in FIG. 2 is a porous silicon material, and the rate of change (inclination) of the equilibrium adsorption rate of moisture relative to the relative humidity when the relative humidity is in the range of about 30% to 40% is less than 30% and 40%. It is larger than the rate of change of the equilibrium adsorption rate of moisture with respect to relative humidity in the range exceeding%. This porous silicon material is, for example, a material (mesoporous silica) having a large number of pores of about 1.5 nm. Furthermore, E in FIG. 2 is a polymer-based adsorbent, and the equilibrium adsorption rate in the range where the relative humidity is high is extremely high.

  As the desiccant material of the desiccant block 8, any of C, D, and E in FIG. 2 may be selected, but D and E in FIG. 2 need to have a lower relative humidity when moisture is desorbed. There is no. For this reason, when the 1st heat exchanger 5 operate | moves as a condenser (at the time of the 1st operation mode mentioned later), the desorption of the moisture contained in the desiccant block 8 is possible with the blowing air. In addition, when C in FIG. 2 is selected as the desiccant material, moisture desorption may be incomplete with only the air blown from the first heat exchanger 5, and a separate auxiliary heater (not shown) is required. It may become.

  The desiccant block 8 is fixed by a desiccant block fixture 16. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the desiccant block 8 in the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a side view showing the desiccant block 8 in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the desiccant block 8 in FIG. 3 as viewed from the second heat exchanger 7 side. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a support 16 a that supports the desiccant block 8 is attached to the desiccant block 8, for example, with an adhesive or the like, on the side facing the second heat exchanger 7. And the upper part of this support body 16a is in contact with the bottom part in the fixing member 16b of U-shaped cross section which connects the support body 16a and the air-path formation board 15 arrange | positioned above the desiccant block 8. FIG. The lower part of the fixing member 16b including the bottom is inserted into the hole 15a of the air passage forming plate 15, and a flange extending horizontally from the upper ends of the two standing parts of the fixing member 16b is used to form the air passage. It is attached to the upper part of the horizontal part of the plate 15. As a result, the fixing member 16 b fixes the desiccant block 8 to the air passage forming plate 15.

  A handle 16c is attached to the upper portion of the fixing member 16b. By holding the handle 16c, the desiccant block 8, the support 16a and the fixing member 16b can be carried simultaneously. A desiccant block fixture 16 is constituted by the support 16a, the fixing member 16b, and the handle 16c. The desiccant block fixture 16 can be removed together with the desiccant block 8 from the upper opening 21 to the outside of the housing 2 by removing the upper inspection lid 21a of the upper opening 21.

  Next, the effect | action of the air conditioning apparatus 1 of this Embodiment 1 is demonstrated. In the present embodiment, as described above, the desiccant block 8 is taken out from above the air passage forming plate 15 together with the desiccant block fixture 16 from the hole 15a of the air passage forming plate 15 provided above the desiccant block 8. be able to. Then, the desiccant block 8 and the desiccant block fixture 16 taken out from above the air path forming plate 15 can be taken out from the upper opening 21 provided in the case 2 to the outside of the case 2. As described above, in the present embodiment, the desiccant block 8 is fixed to the air passage forming plate 15 by the desiccant block fixture 16 and the upper opening 21 is provided in the housing 2. Can be easily taken out of the housing 2. Therefore, the service of the desiccant block 8 can be easily performed.

  The air passage chamber 10 is provided with a temperature and humidity sensor 13 for measuring the temperature and humidity of the intake air of the air conditioner 1 (the temperature and humidity around the air conditioner 1). A control device 14 that controls the operation of the air conditioner 1 is provided on the machine room 11 side in the air conditioner 1. The control device 14 includes dehumidifying operation control (switching of the flow path switching device 4 according to the detection signal of the temperature / humidity sensor 13), rotational speed control of the blower 9, rotational speed control of the compressor 3, and expansion valve, which will be described later. Various controls such as opening degree control 6 are performed.

  Next, the dehumidifying operation operation of the air conditioner 1 will be described. In the air conditioning apparatus 1, two operation modes can be realized by switching the flow path of the flow path switching device 4. Hereinafter, it demonstrates in order.

(First operation mode: operation of the refrigeration cycle)
First, the operation in the first operation mode in which the flow path of the flow path switching device 4 is switched to the solid line in FIG. The operation of the refrigeration cycle in the first operation mode is as follows. After the low-pressure gas is sucked by the compressor 3, it is compressed and becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 flows into the first heat exchanger 5 through the flow path switching device 4. The refrigerant flowing into the first heat exchanger 5 dissipates heat to the air flowing through the air passage B, and while the air is heated, the refrigerant itself is cooled and condensed to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. Spill from. The liquid refrigerant flowing out of the first heat exchanger 5 is decompressed by the expansion valve 6 and becomes a low-pressure two-phase refrigerant. Thereafter, the refrigerant flows into the second heat exchanger 7, absorbs heat from the air flowing through the air passage B, and while cooling the air, the refrigerant itself is heated and evaporated to become low-pressure gas. Thereafter, the refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 3 through the flow path switching device 4.

(First operation mode: Air operation)
Next, the operation of air in the first operation mode will be described based on FIG. FIG. 5 is an air wetting diagram showing air state changes in the first operation mode, where the vertical axis represents the absolute humidity of the air and the horizontal axis represents the dry bulb temperature of the air. Moreover, the curve of FIG. 5 shows saturated air, and the relative humidity in saturated air is 100%.

  The air around the air conditioner 1 (point a in FIG. 5) flows into the air conditioner 1 and is then heated by the first heat exchanger 5 so that the temperature increases and the relative humidity decreases (FIG. 5, b). point). Thereafter, air flows into the desiccant block 8, but since the relative humidity of the air is low, the moisture retained in the desiccant block 8 is desorbed (released), and the amount of moisture contained in the air increases. On the other hand, desorption heat associated with desorption is deprived from the air flowing into the desiccant block 8, the temperature of the air is lowered, and the humidity is high (point c in FIG. 5). Thereafter, the air flows into the second heat exchanger 7 and is cooled. The refrigerant circuit A is operated such that the refrigerant temperature in the second heat exchanger 7 is lower than the dew point temperature of air, and the air is cooled and dehumidified by the second heat exchanger 7. The temperature is low and the absolute humidity is low (point d in FIG. 5). Thereafter, the air flows into the blower 9 and is discharged from the air outlet 10b to the outside of the air conditioner 1.

(Second operation mode: operation of the refrigeration cycle)
Next, the operation in the second operation mode in which the flow path of the flow path switching device 4 is switched to the dotted line in FIG. The operation of the refrigeration cycle in the second operation mode is as follows. After the low-pressure gas is sucked by the compressor 3, it is compressed and becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 flows into the second heat exchanger 7 through the flow path switching device 4. The refrigerant flowing into the second heat exchanger 7 dissipates heat to the air flowing through the air passage B, and while the air is heated, the refrigerant itself is cooled and condensed to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant from the second heat exchanger 7. leak. The liquid refrigerant flowing out of the second heat exchanger 7 is decompressed by the expansion valve 6 and becomes a low-pressure two-phase refrigerant. Thereafter, the refrigerant flows into the first heat exchanger 5, absorbs heat from the air flowing through the air passage B, and while cooling the air, the refrigerant itself is heated and evaporated to become a low-pressure gas. Thereafter, the refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 3 through the flow path switching device 4.

(Second operation mode: air operation)
Next, the operation of air in the second operation mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an air wetting diagram showing changes in the air state in the second operation mode, where the vertical axis represents the absolute humidity of the air and the horizontal axis represents the dry bulb temperature of the air. Moreover, the curve of FIG. 6 shows saturated air, and the relative humidity in saturated air is 100%.

  The air around the air conditioner 1 (point a in FIG. 6) flows into the air conditioner 1 and is then cooled by the first heat exchanger 5. The refrigerant circuit A is operated such that the refrigerant temperature in the first heat exchanger 5 is lower than the dew point temperature of the air, and the air is cooled and dehumidified by the first heat exchanger 5, It becomes a state of high relative humidity at a low temperature (FIG. 6, point e). Thereafter, the air flows into the desiccant block 8, but since the relative humidity of the air is high, moisture is adsorbed on the desiccant block 8, the amount of moisture contained in the air is reduced, and further dehumidified. On the other hand, the air that has flowed into the desiccant block 8 is heated by adsorption heat due to adsorption, and its temperature rises to a high temperature and low humidity state (point f in FIG. 6). Thereafter, the air flows into the second heat exchanger 7 and is heated to a high temperature (point g in FIG. 6). Thereafter, the air flows into the blower 9 and is discharged from the air outlet 10b to the outside of the air conditioner 1.

  As described above, in the second operation mode, in addition to dehumidification by cooling with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 5 (FIG. 6: difference in absolute humidity ae), dehumidification by adsorption of the desiccant block 8 (FIG. 6: absolute A difference in humidity ef is also implemented. Therefore, as apparent from a comparison between FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the second operation mode can secure a larger amount of dehumidification than the first operation mode. Therefore, the main dehumidification in the air conditioning apparatus 1 is performed in the second operation mode.

  In the air conditioner 1 of the first embodiment, the first operation mode and the second operation mode are alternately repeated. For example, when the second operation mode is continuously performed, the amount of moisture contained in the desiccant block 8 has an upper limit, and therefore, when the operation is performed for a certain period of time, moisture is not adsorbed on the desiccant block 8 and the dehumidification amount is reduced. Therefore, when the amount of moisture retained in the desiccant block 8 is close to the upper limit, the operation mode is switched to the first operation mode and the operation of releasing moisture from the desiccant block 8 is performed. Thus, by alternately performing the first operation mode and the second operation mode, the adsorption / desorption action of the desiccant block 8 is sequentially performed, and the effect of increasing the dehumidification amount by the adsorption / desorption action of the desiccant block 8 is maintained.

  In addition, when the desiccant block 8 is detached, the second heat exchanger 7 acts as an evaporator, but moisture (condensation water) held between the fins of the evaporator, which is a plate fin tube heat exchanger, is held between the fins. If it does not fall, when the desiccant block 8 is adsorbed, that is, when the second heat exchanger 7 acts as a condenser, the water held between the fins may be re-evaporated and conversely humidify. . In order to avoid this, the second heat exchanger 7 has a structure that improves the sliding property of moisture, and when the second heat exchanger 7 operates as an evaporator, moisture is not retained between the fins. Yes.

  As in the conventional art, in a configuration using a desiccant rotor in an air conditioner, a motor for rotating the desiccant rotor and a fixing structure thereof are required, which complicates the device configuration. Conventionally, it is necessary to divide the air path between the adsorbing part and the desorbing part, and a seal structure that hermetically separates the boundary part between the adsorbing part and the desorbing part is required. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, there is only one air passage B, and the adsorption and desorption of the desiccant block 8 can be switched by switching the flow path switching device 4, so that a conventional seal structure is used. Is not required, the device configuration can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, in the second operation mode of the first embodiment, dehumidification by the first heat exchanger 5 and dehumidification by the desiccant block 8 are performed on the conveyed air. When dehumidification (dehumidification only of the 1st heat exchanger 5) is performed only by a refrigerating cycle like before, if the temperature of the air conveyed becomes about 10 degrees C or less, it will frost on the 1st heat exchanger 5. For this reason, frequent defrosting is required and dehumidification cannot be continued, so that the dehumidifying ability is extremely reduced. On the other hand, in this embodiment, in addition to dehumidification by the first heat exchanger 5, dehumidification by the desiccant block 8 is also performed. For this reason, even if the temperature of the conveyed air is about 10 ° C. or less and the dehumidifying capacity of the first heat exchanger 5 is reduced, the dehumidification by the desiccant block 8 is burdened accordingly. And it can suppress that a dehumidification capability falls extremely.

  In addition, when the dehumidification is performed only in the refrigeration cycle as in the prior art, it is a limit to obtain a relative humidity of about 40%. In contrast, in the second operation mode of the present embodiment, heating by the second heat exchanger 7 is performed in addition to dehumidification by the first heat exchanger 5 and dehumidification by the desiccant block 8. For this reason, the blown air of the air conditioning apparatus 1 is in a state where the amount of moisture is low at high temperatures (FIG. 6, point g), and the relative humidity can be set to a low relative humidity of, for example, 20% or less. Such air having a low relative humidity is air suitable for drying applications. If such air is directly applied to an object to be dried such as laundry, drying of the object to be dried can be promoted. And a higher performance drying function can be realized.

(Operation time in the first operation mode and the second operation mode)
Next, the operation time in the first operation mode and the second operation mode will be described. The operation time in the first operation mode and the second operation mode may be a predetermined time, but the operation time in each operation mode depends on the air condition, the operation state of the air conditioner 1, and the like. There is an appropriate value. Therefore, each operation mode may be determined based on the air condition, the operation state of the air conditioner 1 and the like so that the operation can be performed with the appropriate value.

  In the first operation mode, an appropriate amount of moisture is released from the desiccant block 8, and the time required for the amount of moisture remaining in the desiccant block 8 to be an appropriate amount becomes an appropriate value. When the first operation mode is ended and the second operation mode is switched to the desiccant block 8 in a state where a larger amount of moisture remains in the desiccant block 8, the amount of water adsorbed by the desiccant block 8 in the second operation mode is suppressed. Therefore, the amount of dehumidification in the second operation mode is reduced. On the other hand, if the first operation mode is made too long, in the latter half of the first operation mode, a state in which moisture can hardly be desorbed from the desiccant block 8 will continue, and the second dehumidifying amount is achieved higher than in the first operation mode. Switching to operation mode is slow. Therefore, also in this case, the total dehumidification amount is reduced.

  In the second operation mode, moisture is adsorbed on the desiccant block 8, so that the time during which the amount of moisture adsorbed on the desiccant block 8 is an appropriate amount is an appropriate value. When the operation is switched to the first operation mode even though there is room to be adsorbed by the desiccant block 8, the operation time of the second operation mode with the high dehumidification amount is shorter than that of the first operation mode, and the total is seen. Sometimes dehumidification is reduced. On the other hand, if the second operation mode is made too long, the desiccant block 8 cannot continue to be adsorbed in the second half of the second operation mode, and the dehumidification amount is reduced in this case as well.

  The change in the amount of moisture retained in the desiccant block 8 is determined by the relative humidity of the air flowing into the desiccant block 8. When air with a high relative humidity flows in, the moisture in the desiccant block 8 is difficult to be released, and conversely the amount of moisture adsorbed Will be more. In addition, when air having a low relative humidity flows into the desiccant block 8, moisture in the desiccant block 8 is easily released, and conversely, the moisture adsorption amount decreases.

  Next, the operation time of the first operation mode and the second operation mode is determined based on the state of the intake air detected by the state detection device that detects the state of the intake air sucked into the air passage from the dehumidification target space. The case where it does is demonstrated. This state detection device is, for example, a temperature / humidity sensor 13 provided in the air passage chamber 10. The temperature / humidity sensor 13 detects the relative humidity of the intake air, and the operation mode is set according to the relative humidity. Each driving time is determined.

  The relative humidity (hereinafter referred to as “reference relative humidity”) serving as a reference for the intake air is determined in advance, and the reference operation time of each operation mode that provides a high dehumidification amount when the intake air of the reference relative humidity passes through the air passage B, Each is obtained in advance by experiments or simulations. Then, according to the magnitude relationship between the actual relative humidity of the intake air and the reference relative humidity, the operation time for each operation mode is determined by appropriately increasing or decreasing the reference operation time for each operation mode.

  The actual relative humidity of the intake air is obtained from the state of the intake air obtained by the temperature / humidity sensor 13 at the start of the dehumidifying operation. When the relative humidity is higher than the preset relative humidity, the amount of moisture released from the desiccant block 8 in the first operation mode is less than the amount of moisture released when the relative humidity is the reference relative humidity, and the second The moisture adsorption amount of the desiccant block 8 in the operation mode is larger than the moisture adsorption amount when the relative humidity is the reference relative humidity. Therefore, when the actual relative humidity of the intake air is higher than the reference relative humidity, the operation time in the first operation mode is set longer than the reference operation time corresponding to the first operation mode, and conversely, the operation in the second operation mode is performed. The time is made shorter than the reference operation time corresponding to the second operation mode. On the other hand, when the relative humidity of the actual intake air is lower than the reference relative humidity, the control device 14 shortens the operation time of the first operation mode from the reference operation time corresponding to the first operation mode, and conversely, The operation time of the second operation mode time is set longer than the reference operation time corresponding to the second operation mode.

  Thus, by adjusting the operation time of the first operation mode and the second operation mode, the moisture retention amount of the desiccant block 8 can be appropriately maintained, and therefore the dehumidification amount of the air conditioner 1 is improved. Can do.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, the air conditioning apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 2 will be described. FIG. 7 is a side view of the air-conditioning apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 2. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that side opening portions 22 and 23 are provided on both side surfaces of the casing 2 in the air conditioner 1, respectively. In the second embodiment, the description of the parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, side opening portions 22 and 23 are provided on both side surfaces of the housing 2, respectively. The side opening portions 22 and 23 are provided in a horizontal position with the desiccant block 8, and the side surface opening portions 22 and 23 are provided with side surface inspection lids 22 a and 23 a so as to close the side opening portions 22 and 23, respectively. Has been. Then, by opening the side surface inspection lids 22a and 23a, the desiccant block 8 can be taken out from the side surface openings 22 and 23 and service can be performed. Further, not only the desiccant block 8 but also the first heat exchanger 5 and the second heat exchanger 7 installed on both sides of the desiccant block 8 can be taken out from the side openings 22 and 23 to perform service correspondence. it can. In the present embodiment, the side opening portions 22 and 23 and the side surface inspection lids 22a and 23a are provided on both side surfaces of the housing 2, but the side surface opening portion and the side surface inspection are provided only on one side surface of the housing 2. A lid may be provided.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Next, the air conditioning apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 3 will be described. FIG. 8 is a front view of the air-conditioning apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 3. In the present embodiment, the compressor 3 and the flow path switching device 4 are housed in a machine room unit 11a installed outside the housing, and the ceiling-suspended housing 2a in which the housing 2 is suspended from the ceiling. This is different from the first embodiment in that the upper opening 21 is not provided in the housing 2 and the air passage forming plate 15 is not installed. In the third embodiment, description of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and description will be made focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the compressor 3 and the flow path switching device 4 which is a flow path switching device are housed in a machine room unit 11a separately installed outside the casing. . The casing is a ceiling-suspended casing 2a suspended from a ceiling. Within the ceiling-suspended casing 2a, a third heat exchanger 5a, an expansion valve 6 that is a decompression device, a third heat exchanger 5a, The 4th heat exchanger 7a arrange | positioned in parallel is provided. And the compressor 3, the flow-path switching apparatus 4, the 3rd heat exchanger 5a, the expansion valve 6, and the 4th heat exchanger 7a are cyclically connected by refrigerant | coolant piping, and comprise the refrigerant circuit F. FIG. In addition, a drain pan for receiving water dropped from the third heat exchanger 5a and the fourth heat exchanger 7a below the third heat exchanger 5a and the fourth heat exchanger 7a in the ceiling-suspended housing 2a. 12a is arranged.

  The compressor 3 compresses the sucked refrigerant to a high pressure. The flow path switching device 4 can switch the flow path so that the refrigerant flows in the solid line direction or the dotted line direction in FIG. 8. When the flow path switching apparatus 4 is switched to the solid line flow path in FIG. The refrigeration cycle which the flowed refrigerant | coolant flows in order of the flow-path switching apparatus 4, the 3rd heat exchanger 5a, the expansion valve 6, the 4th heat exchanger 7a, and the flow-path switching apparatus 4 returns to the compressor 3 is comprised. In this configuration, the third heat exchanger 5a operates as a condenser (heat radiator), and the fourth heat exchanger 7a operates as an evaporator.

  On the other hand, when the flow path of the flow path switching device 4 is switched to the dotted flow path of FIG. 8, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 is transferred to the compressor 3, the flow path switching device 4, and the fourth heat exchanger 7a. The refrigerating cycle which flows in order of the expansion valve 6, the 3rd heat exchanger 5a, and the flow-path switching apparatus 4 and returns to the compressor 3 is comprised. In this configuration, the fourth heat exchanger 7a operates as a condenser (heat radiator), and the third heat exchanger 5a operates as an evaporator.

  On the side of the air passage chamber 18 of the housing 2, a suction port 18 a that introduces air to be dehumidified is formed on the side surface of the housing 2, and the dehumidified air is discharged to the outside on the upper surface of the housing 2. A blower outlet 18b is formed. And the air conveyed by the air blower 9 connected to the blower outlet 18b flows from the suction inlet 18a to the blower outlet 18b in the direction of arrow (beta) of FIG. In the air channel chamber 18, the third heat exchanger 5a, the desiccant block 8 which is a desiccant material arranged in parallel with the third heat exchanger 5a, and the fourth heat arranged in parallel with the third heat exchanger 5a. An air path G in which the exchanger 7a and the blower 9 are arranged in series is formed. Therefore, the air sucked into the air path G from the suction port 18a linearly flows in the air path G in the order of the third heat exchanger 5a, the desiccant block 8, the fourth heat exchanger 7a, and the blower 9. After that, the air is exhausted from the air outlet 18b to the outside of the air conditioner 1. Further, a temperature / humidity sensor 13 for measuring the temperature and humidity of the intake air of the air conditioner 1 (temperature and humidity around the ceiling suspension housing 2a) is provided in the air passage chamber 18 of the ceiling suspension housing 2a.

  A drain pan 12a installed below the third heat exchanger 5a, the desiccant block 8 and the fourth heat exchanger 7a is openable and closable, and the ceiling housing 2a has a drain pan 12a below the drain pan 12a. A lower opening 24 is provided. The desiccant block 8 can be taken out from the lower opening 24 by opening the drain pan 12a downward and taking out part of the drain pan 12a to the outside of the lower opening 24.

  In addition, the desiccant block 8 has a support 17a that supports the desiccant block 8 attached to the side facing the fourth heat exchanger 7a by, for example, an adhesive. And the lower part of this support body 17a contact | abuts the upper part of the connection member 17b which connects the lower part of the support body 17a, and the bottom part of the tube plate of the 3rd heat exchanger 5a and the 4th heat exchanger 7a. . The desiccant block 8 is fixed to the third heat exchanger 5a and the fourth heat exchanger 7a by the support 17a and the connecting member 17b. As described above, the desiccant block fixture 17 is constituted by the support 17a and the connecting member 17b.

  The desiccant block fixture 17 can be taken out of the ceiling suspension housing 2a from the lower opening 24 together with the desiccant block 8. Thereby, not only the desiccant block 8 but the 3rd heat exchanger 5a and the 4th heat exchanger 7a can also be taken out of the ceiling-suspended housing 2a. Further, a side opening may be provided on the side surface of the ceiling-suspended housing 2a, and the desiccant block 8, the third heat exchanger 5a, and the fourth heat exchanger 7a may be taken out from the side opening. .

  Moreover, although the operation mode of this Embodiment is the same as that of Embodiment 1, the air conditioning apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 is a floor-standing type, whereas the air conditioning which concerns on this Embodiment 3 The apparatus 1 is different in that it is a ceiling suspension type. When the air conditioner 1 is a ceiling suspension type, it is difficult to install the compressor 3 having a high mass in the ceiling suspension housing 2a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the compressor 3 and the flow path switching device 4 are Although housed in the machine room unit 11a, the present invention is not limited to this, and the compressor 3 and the flow path switching device 4 may be housed in the ceiling suspension housing 2a. It is also possible to place the machine room unit 11a outside the room.

  Next, the effect | action of the air conditioning apparatus 1 of this Embodiment 3 is demonstrated. In the present embodiment, as described above, by opening the drain pan 12a, the desiccant block 8 together with the desiccant block fixture 17 can be taken out of the ceiling suspended housing 2a. At the same time, the third heat exchanger 5a and the fourth heat exchanger 7a can also be taken out of the suspended housing 2a. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the service of the desiccant block 8 can be easily performed, and the service of the third heat exchanger 5a and the fourth heat exchanger 7a can be easily performed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning apparatus, 2 housing | casing, 2a Ceiling suspension housing | casing, 3 compressor, 4 flow-path switching apparatus, 5 1st heat exchanger, 5a 3rd heat exchanger, 6 expansion valve, 7 2nd heat exchanger, 7a 4th heat exchanger, 8 desiccant block, 9 air blower, 10 air passage chamber, 10a air inlet, 10b air outlet, 11 machine room, 11a machine room unit, 12, 12a drain pan, 13 temperature / humidity sensor, 14 control device 15 air channel forming plate, 15a hole, 16 desiccant block fixture, 16a support, 16b fixing member, 16c handle, 17 desiccant block fixture, 17a support, 17b connecting member, 18 air channel chamber, 18a suction port, 18b Air outlet, 21 Upper opening, 21a Upper inspection lid, 22 Side opening, 22a Side inspection lid, 23 Side opening, 23a Side inspection lid, 24 Lower opening.

Claims (7)

A refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a flow path switching device, a first heat exchanger, a decompression device, and a second heat exchanger are connected by a refrigerant pipe;
A housing having an air passage in which the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are disposed;
A desiccant block that is detachably provided between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in the housing, and that adsorbs and desorbs moisture;
The case has an outlet from which the desiccant block is taken out of the case. An air conditioner. A blower provided in the housing and for flowing air into the air passage;
An air path forming plate that is provided above the desiccant block and introduces air flowing through the desiccant block into the blower;
A support for supporting the desiccant block;
A fixing member that connects the support and the air passage forming plate, and fixes the desiccant block to the air passage forming plate;
The outlet has an upper opening provided above the air passage forming plate in the housing,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the desiccant block, the support body, and the fixing member are taken out of the casing from the upper opening. A support for supporting the desiccant block;
A connecting member that connects the support to the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and fixes the desiccant block to the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein The outlet has a side opening provided in a horizontal position with the desiccant block on the side surface of the housing,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the desiccant block is taken out of the casing from the side opening. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a machine room unit in which the compressor and the flow path switching device are installed. A drain pan provided below the first heat exchanger, the desiccant block and the second heat exchanger, which receives water dripped from the first heat exchanger or the second heat exchanger, and is openable and closable; ,
The case is a ceiling case suspended from a ceiling,
The outlet has a lower opening provided below the drain pan in the ceiling-suspended housing,
The drain pan is opened, and the desiccant block above the drain pan is taken out of the ceiling-suspended casing from the lower opening. The air conditioning apparatus described. A control device for controlling the flow path switching device;
The controller is
A first operation mode in which the first heat exchanger operates as a condenser or a radiator, the second heat exchanger operates as an evaporator, and desorbs moisture held in the desiccant block; A second operation mode in which one heat exchanger operates as an evaporator and the second heat exchanger operates as a condenser or a radiator, and the desiccant block adsorbs moisture from the air passing through the air passage; The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the air conditioner is alternately switched by flow path switching of the flow path switching device.

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