JP2015025563A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve cooling performance by releasing heat of a heat storage tank during a cooling operation which does not require heat storage in an air conditioner using the heat storage during defrosting.SOLUTION: During a cooling operation, a heat release control valve 17 of a heat pipe 16 is in an open state, and an inner working refrigerant is heated by a portion disposed in a heat storage tank 11 so as to evaporate, is condensed by a heat release portion arranged within an upper air course, and is returned again to the portion disposed in the heat storage tank 11 on the lower side. Therefore, heat of the heat storage tank 11 is released by the heat pipe 16, so as to cool a compressor 5. Due to this configuration, motor efficiency of the compressor 5 is enhanced, and thus a device having excellent operability can be provided.

Description

  The present invention is an air conditioner that uses a refrigerant to form a refrigeration and heat pump cycle for cooling and heating, stores the heat of the compressor in a heat storage material, and uses it during defrosting. It is about the technology to bring.

  In recent years, heating by a heat pump has become widespread, and cases of warming by an air conditioner are increasing even in the winter. When heating is performed with a heat pump, frost adheres to the outdoor heat exchanger, which is an evaporator, because the outside air temperature is low. To remove the attached frost, stop the blower indoors and outdoors, reverse the four-way valve, circulate the refrigerant in the same direction as during cooling, and use the outdoor heat exchanger as a condenser to defrost the frost Do the driving. At this time, although cold air is not blown from the indoor unit, a cold draft in which cold air falls may be generated, which may reduce the feeling of heating.

  In order to solve this, an apparatus has been invented in which a heat storage tank is provided so as to obtain heat by contacting a compressor as in Patent Document 1, and the heat of the heat storage tank is used during the defrosting operation.

  In the latest example of the commercialized invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 1 is provided with an indoor heat exchanger 2 and an indoor blower 3, and the outdoor unit 4 includes a compressor 5, A four-way valve 6, an outdoor heat exchanger 7, an expansion valve 8, an accumulator 9, an outdoor fan 10, a heat storage tank 11, a heat storage heat exchanger 12, and a flow path switching valve 13 are provided. In the heat storage defrosting operation, the four-way valve 6 remains in the heating operation state, and the flow path switching valve 13 provided between the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the four-way valve 6 passes through the fully-opened expansion valve 8 to the outdoor. The refrigerant flowing from the heat exchanger 7 to the flow path switching valve 13 is depressurized and sent to the heat storage heat exchanger 12. As a result, all the liquid refrigerants pass through the heat storage heat exchanger 12 during the heat storage defrosting operation, and liquid return can be suppressed.

  If a compressor sucks a large amount of liquid refrigerant, it may cause liquid compression and reliability may not be ensured. Therefore, in conventional devices, an accumulator is provided to perform gas-liquid separation and mainly suck gas-phase refrigerant. .

  The phenomenon that a large amount of liquid refrigerant returns to the accumulator often occurs not only during defrosting operation, but also at the time of start-up and operation stop, but at the time of restarting immediately after operation or when the heating capacity is suddenly increased.

  Further, in recent years, there has been a strong demand for improving the performance of air conditioners from the social background such as top runners, and heat exchangers and the like have become larger year by year and the amount of enclosed refrigerant tends to increase.

JP 2011-153812 A

  In the conventional air conditioner described above, the heat storage tank does not work during cooling operation, and is a useless long product.

Therefore, the present invention solves such problems, and in the air conditioner that uses the heat of the heat storage tank at the time of the defrost operation, provides the heat storage tank in contact with the compressor, and uses the heat storage tank at the cooling operation that does not require heat storage. Thus, the performance is improved and an apparatus with excellent energy saving is provided.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, an air conditioner of the present invention is an air conditioner that performs heating or cooling / heating by configuring a vapor compression heat pump cycle, and includes a heat storage material, the heat storage material, and a refrigerant. A heat storage tank that includes a heat storage heat exchanger that performs heat exchange, and is configured to contact the compressor and transfer heat to each other; and a refrigerant is sent directly to the compressor inlet or the heat storage heat exchanger It comprises a flow path control means for switching whether to pass or not, and a heat storage discharge means for releasing the heat of the heat storage tank, and radiates heat by the heat storage discharge means during cooling operation, thereby lowering the temperature of the heat storage tank. .

  Thereby, the compressor is cooled, and the motor efficiency of the compressor is improved.

  The air conditioner of the present invention reduces the temperature of the heat storage tank by cooling heat during the cooling operation by the heat storage discharge means during the cooling operation, that is, cooling the compressor and improving the motor efficiency of the compressor. Can be made. Therefore, the performance can be improved by using the heat storage tank during the cooling operation that does not require heat storage, and an apparatus with excellent energy saving can be provided.

The block diagram of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention Configuration diagram of conventional air conditioner

  A first invention is a vapor compression heat pump cycle in which a refrigerant is circulated by connecting an outdoor unit having an compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, an outdoor fan, and an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger. And an air conditioner that performs air conditioning, including a heat storage material, a heat storage heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the heat storage material and the refrigerant, and contacts the compressor to transfer heat to each other A heat storage tank configured as described above, a flow path control valve that switches the flow of the refrigerant to flow directly to the suction port of the compressor or through the heat storage heat exchanger, and to release the heat of the heat storage tank The heat storage discharge means is provided, and the heat of the heat storage tank is discharged during the cooling operation.

  Thereby, the temperature of the compressor can be lowered during the cooling operation. Therefore, the driving efficiency of the motor can be increased and a device with excellent performance can be provided.

  According to a second invention, in the first invention, the heat storage and discharge means includes a heat absorption part provided inside the heat storage tank and a heat radiation part that radiates heat to the outside of the heat storage tank, and the inside is accompanied with a state change. It comprises a heat pipe enclosing a moving second refrigerant.

  Thereby, the second refrigerant can be circulated without using a pump or the like. Therefore, the apparatus can be configured compactly and can be operated efficiently.

  According to a third invention, in the second invention, the heat radiating portion of the heat storage and release means radiates heat into the airflow after passing through the outdoor heat exchanger blown out by the outdoor blower.

  Thus, heat can be radiated without affecting the heat radiated from the outdoor heat exchanger. Therefore, an apparatus having excellent performance can be realized.

  In a fourth aspect based on the third aspect, the heat storage and release means has a heat radiating fin in the heat radiating portion.

  Thereby, the heat dissipation capability of the heat dissipation part can be improved. Therefore, an apparatus having excellent performance can be realized.

  According to a fifth invention, in the third invention, the heat storage and release means includes a heat release control means for controlling the presence or absence of heat release.

  Thereby, the presence or absence of heat dissipation can be controlled effectively, and efficient operation of heat storage and heat dissipation can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a device with excellent performance without adversely affecting the use of heat storage during heating.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the air conditioner of the first embodiment, the indoor unit 1 is provided with an indoor heat exchanger 2 and an indoor fan 3, and the outdoor unit 4 includes a compressor 5, A four-way valve 6, an outdoor heat exchanger 7, an expansion valve 8, an accumulator 9, an outdoor fan 10, a heat storage tank 11 including a heat storage material 15 and a heat storage heat exchanger 12 and in contact with the compressor 5, and a flow path control valve 14 Has been deployed.

  The accumulator 9 introduces the refrigerant into a container having a cylindrical body, slows down the flow rate of the refrigerant, stores the liquid refrigerant in the lower part of the container by the effect of gravity, and selectively sucks the gas-phase refrigerant in the upper part. A refrigerant outlet pipe to be sent to the compressor 5 or the like is provided. In order to return the refrigeration oil discharged and returned during the cycle to the compressor, a small hole is provided in the lower part of the refrigerant outlet pipe, and is mixed with the gas-phase refrigerant and sent to the compressor. At this time, if the liquid refrigerant is accumulated, the liquid refrigerant is also sent to the compressor 5 little by little.

  Examples of the heat storage material 15 include various materials such as paraffin materials, hydrates such as calcium chloride hydrate, sodium sulfate hydrate, sodium acetate hydrate, and water-based sensible heat storage materials. It is easy to use a water-based sensible heat storage material that is inexpensive, can secure a heat storage amount in a wide temperature range, and does not easily cause problems such as corrosion.

  Furthermore, a heat pipe 16 in which a working refrigerant that is a second refrigerant is enclosed is provided as a heat storage release means from the heat storage tank 11 to the air path between the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the outdoor blower 10.

  One end side of the heat pipe 16 is provided with a heat absorption part 19 thermally connected to the heat storage tank 11, and the other end side is provided with a heat radiation part 20, and the movement of the internal working refrigerant is controlled at a substantially central part. A heat dissipation control valve 17 is provided.

  The heat radiating unit 20 is disposed in the air path between the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the outdoor fan 10. And in the thermal radiation part 20, the thermal radiation fin 18 is provided in order to accelerate the thermal radiation to air.

During normal cooling operation or heating operation, the flow path control valve 14 is in a state where the four-way valve 6 and the accumulator 9 are connected as shown by the solid line in FIG. In the heat storage defrosting operation, the four-way valve 6 is in a heating operation state (a state in which the discharge port of the compressor 5 and the indoor heat exchanger 2 are connected, and the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the flow path control valve 14 are connected). In this state, the flow path control valve 14 provided between the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and the four-way valve 6 allows the refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger 7 to the flow path control valve 14 via the fully-opened expansion valve 8. The pressure is reduced and sent to the heat storage heat exchanger 12. Thereafter, the refrigerant flows into the accumulator 9 while evaporating in the heat storage heat exchanger 12. As a result, all the liquid refrigerants pass through the heat storage heat exchanger 12 during the heat storage defrosting operation, and liquid return can be suppressed.

  Here, the accumulator 9 has nothing to do with the essence of the invention, and the fact that the liquid return to the accumulator 9 is reduced essentially means that the liquid return to the compressor 5 is reduced. Is synonymous.

  The operation during the cooling operation will be described with reference to FIG. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant exiting the compressor 5 of the outdoor unit 4 reaches the outdoor heat exchanger 7 from the four-way valve 6 and condenses into a liquid refrigerant. After being reduced in pressure by the expansion valve 8 to become two-phase and evaporated in the indoor heat exchanger 2 of the indoor unit 1, it is guided from the four-way valve 6 to the accumulator 9 through the flow path control valve 14 and returned to the suction port of the compressor 5. .

  At this time, the heat release control valve 17 of the heat pipe 16 is in an open state, and the internal working refrigerant is heated and evaporated by the heat absorbing portion 19 disposed in the heat storage tank 11 and is disposed in the upper air passage. It is condensed in the heat radiating part 20 and returned to the part arranged in the lower heat storage tank 11 again.

  Therefore, the heat of the heat storage tank 11 is radiated by the heat pipe 16 and the compressor 5 is cooled. When the compressor 5 is cooled, the motor efficiency of the compressor 5 increases, and a device with excellent driving performance can be provided.

  Furthermore, since the enclosed working refrigerant circulates naturally as long as there is a temperature difference, the heat pipe 16 does not require a pump, and the apparatus can be configured compactly and does not require power, so it operates efficiently. be able to.

  Furthermore, since the heat radiation of the heat pipe 16 is performed in the air after passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 7, there is no adverse effect on the refrigeration cycle and the like, and a device having stable and excellent performance can be realized.

  Further, since the heat radiating fins 18 are provided in the heat radiating portion 20 of the heat pipe 16, the heat radiating performance is greatly improved, and a compact and excellent device can be realized.

  Next, operation during heating operation will be described. At the time of heating operation, the four-way valve 6 is reversed, and the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 reaches the indoor heat exchanger 2 of the indoor unit 1 from the four-way valve 6 and condenses to become liquid refrigerant. When returning to the outdoor unit 4, the expansion valve 8 decompresses and expands, evaporates in the outdoor heat exchanger 7, and returns from the four-way valve 6 to the accumulator 9 and the suction port of the compressor 5. The heat of the compressor 5 is transmitted to the heat storage material 15, and when the working refrigerant of the heat pipe 16 moves, the heat is thrown away into the air. During heating, the heat of the compressor 5 is converted into heating capacity, and the heat storage tank 11 needs to store heat for the defrosting operation. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary heat dissipation, the heat dissipation control valve 17 is closed to stop the movement of the working refrigerant.

  Accordingly, it is possible to effectively control the presence / absence of heat dissipation to efficiently operate heat storage and heat dissipation, and to provide an apparatus having excellent heating and defrosting performance without adversely affecting the use of heat storage during heating.

  Here, the refrigerant to be used is not particularly mentioned, but the present invention functions effectively regardless of the type.

  As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention provides an air conditioner that suppresses liquid return to the compressor and can be used with high reliability without increasing the size of the apparatus. Not only the harmony machine, it can be widely applied to separate-type showcases, refrigerators, etc., and brings about effects.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 2 Indoor heat exchanger 3 Indoor fan 4 Outdoor unit 5 Compressor 6 Four-way valve 7 Outdoor heat exchanger 8 Expansion valve 9 Accumulator 10 Outdoor fan 11 Heat storage tank 12 Heat storage heat exchanger 14 Flow control valve 15 Heat storage material 16 Heat pipe 17 Heat radiation control valve 18 Heat radiation fin 19 Heat absorption part 20 Heat radiation part

Claims (5)

A refrigerant, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, an outdoor unit having an outdoor blower, and an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger are circulated to circulate refrigerant to form a vapor compression heat pump cycle. An air conditioner that performs heat transfer between the heat storage material and the heat storage heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the heat storage material and the refrigerant during defrosting operation, and makes heat transfer to each other in contact with the compressor Dissipates heat from the heat storage tank, a flow path control valve that switches the flow of the refrigerant to flow the refrigerant directly to the suction port of the compressor or through the heat storage heat exchanger, and An air conditioner comprising heat storage discharge means and discharging heat from the heat storage tank by the heat storage discharge means during cooling operation. The heat storage discharge means is a heat pipe that includes a heat absorption part provided inside the heat storage tank and a heat radiation part that radiates heat to the outside of the heat storage tank, and includes a second refrigerant that moves inside while changing the state. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is provided. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the heat radiating unit of the heat storage and release unit radiates heat into the airflow after passing through the outdoor heat exchanger blown out by the outdoor blower. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the heat storage and release means has a heat radiating fin in the heat radiating portion. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the heat storage / release means includes a heat release control means for switching presence / absence of heat release.

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