JP2024027210A - Heating medium circulation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heating medium circulation device that enables a high gas-liquid separation ratio to be expected.

SOLUTION: A heating medium circulation device includes: a refrigerant circuit 10 in which a compressor 11, a utilization side heat exchanger 12, an expansion device 13 and a heat source side heat exchanger 14 are connected and a refrigerant circulates; a heating medium circuit 20 for circulating a heating medium cooled or heated by the utilization side heat exchanger 12 by using the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 to a utilization side terminal 1; and a gas-liquid separation section 30 that separates gas in the heating medium circuit 20 from the heating medium. The gas-liquid separation section 30 is disposed in the heating medium circuit 20 downstream of the utilization side heat exchanger 12. The gas-liquid separation section 30 includes: a gas-liquid separation inflow port 32 for causing the heating medium to flow into a cylindrical inner space 31; and a gas liquid separation outflow port 33 for causing the heating medium to flow out from the cylindrical inner space 31. The gas-liquid separation inflow port 32 is provided on a bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section 30, and the gas liquid separation outflow port 33 is provided on a side surface of the gas-liquid separation part 30.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a heat medium circulation device that circulates a heat medium to a user terminal using a heat medium circuit having a gas-liquid separation section.

Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner that includes a separation section that separates a refrigerant from a heat medium flowing through heat medium piping, and discharges the refrigerant separated by the separation section to the outside of an air-conditioned space.
According to the device of Patent Document 1, even if the refrigerant flows into the heat medium circuit, the refrigerant is suppressed from flowing into the heat medium piping provided indoors in order to discharge the refrigerant to the outside of the air-conditioned space. be able to.

International Publication No. 2018/154628

However, Patent Document 1 does not assume that the gas-liquid separation section is disposed in a limited space such as an outdoor unit.

An object of the present invention is to provide a heat medium circulation device that can be expected to have a high gas-liquid separation rate.

The heat medium circulation device of the present invention according to claim 1 includes a refrigerant circuit 10 to which a compressor 11, a utilization side heat exchanger 12, an expansion device 13, and a heat source side heat exchanger 14 are connected, and in which a refrigerant circulates; A heat medium circuit 20 that circulates the heat medium cooled or heated by the use side heat exchanger 12 to the user side terminal 1 by the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11; , a gas-liquid separation section 30 that separates the heat medium from the heat medium, the gas-liquid separation section 30 is disposed in the heat medium circuit 20 downstream of the utilization-side heat exchanger 12, and the gas-liquid separation section 30 is provided with a has a gas-liquid separation inlet 32 through which the heat medium flows into the cylindrical internal space 31, and a gas-liquid separation outflow port 33 through which the heat medium flows out from the cylindrical internal space 31, and the gas-liquid separation The present invention is characterized in that the inlet 32 is provided on the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section 30, and the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 is provided on the side surface of the gas-liquid separation section 30.
The heat medium circulation device of the present invention according to claim 2 is the heat medium circulation device according to claim 1, in which the gas-liquid separation inlet 32 is located at a position spaced apart from the gas-liquid separation outlet 33. It is characterized by being eccentric from the virtual axis 31x of the shaped internal space 31.
The heat medium circulation device of the present invention according to claim 3 is the heat medium circulation device according to claim 1, in which the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 is set to a height of less than half of the bottle height 31h of the cylindrical internal space 31. It is characterized by being placed in the position.
In the heat medium circulation device of the present invention according to claim 4, in the heat medium circulation device according to claim 1, the bottle diameter 31R of the cylindrical internal space 31 is equal to the inlet diameter 32R of the gas-liquid separation inlet 32. It is characterized by being more than twice as large.
The heat medium circulation device according to the present invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the heat medium circulation device according to claim 4, the outlet diameter 33R of the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 is set to be equal to or larger than the inlet diameter 32R. do.
The heat medium circulation device according to the present invention according to claim 6 is the heat medium circulation device according to claim 1, in which the utilization side heat exchanger 12 has a first heat medium connection port 22x at a lower part of the side surface; It has a second heat medium connection port 22y in the upper part of the side surface, and the heat medium is introduced into the use side heat exchanger 12 from the heat medium first connection port 22x, and the heat medium is introduced into the use side heat exchanger 12. The heat medium is led out from the second heat medium connection port 22y, and the second heat medium connection port 22y and the gas-liquid separation inlet 32 are connected by a gas-liquid separation inflow pipe 35, and the gas-liquid separation flow is It is characterized in that the inlet 32 is located at a higher position than the second heat medium connection port 22y.
The heat medium circulation device of the present invention according to claim 7 is the heat medium circulation device according to claim 6, in which the gas-liquid separation inflow pipe 35 is connected to the second heat medium connection port 22y. It is characterized by having a horizontal inflow pipe part 35a and a gas-liquid separation vertical inflow pipe part 35b connected to the gas-liquid separation inlet 32.

According to the present invention, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected by allowing the heat medium to flow in from the bottom of the gas-liquid separation section and to flow out from the side surface of the gas-liquid separation section.

A configuration diagram of a heat medium circulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention A perspective view showing the main parts of the outdoor unit of the heat medium circulation device Side view showing the main parts of the outdoor unit Configuration diagram showing the gas-liquid separation unit used in this example Side view showing the gas-liquid separation unit and pressure relief valve used in this example A perspective view showing the heat medium chamber of the outdoor unit

In the heat medium circulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the gas-liquid separation section includes a gas-liquid separation inlet that allows the heat medium to flow into the cylindrical internal space, and a gas-liquid separation inlet that allows the heat medium to flow out from the cylindrical internal space. The gas-liquid separation inlet is provided on the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section, and the gas-liquid separation outflow port is provided on the side surface of the gas-liquid separation section. According to this embodiment, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected by allowing the heat medium to flow in from the bottom of the gas-liquid separation section and to flow out from the side surface of the gas-liquid separation section.

The second embodiment of the present invention is the heat medium circulation device according to the first embodiment, in which the gas-liquid separation inlet is located at a position spaced apart from the gas-liquid separation outlet, so that the virtual axis of the cylindrical internal space is It is eccentric from the line. According to this embodiment, the time the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet can stay in the cylindrical internal space until flowing out from the gas-liquid separation outlet can be increased, so that a high gas-liquid separation rate can be achieved. You can expect it.

The third embodiment of the present invention is the heat medium circulation device according to the first embodiment, in which the gas-liquid separation outlet is arranged at a position less than half the height of the bottle in the cylindrical internal space. . According to this embodiment, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected because a space where gas stays can be formed at a position higher than the gas-liquid separation outlet of the cylindrical internal space.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is the heat medium circulation device according to the first embodiment, in which the bottle diameter of the cylindrical internal space is set to be at least twice the inlet diameter of the gas-liquid separation inlet. . According to this embodiment, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected because the flow velocity of the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet can be reduced.

A fifth embodiment of the present invention is the heat medium circulation device according to the fourth embodiment, in which the outlet diameter of the gas-liquid separation outlet is equal to or larger than the inlet diameter. According to this embodiment, the flow rate of the heat medium flowing out from the gas-liquid separation outlet can be made lower than the flow rate of the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet, so a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected.

The sixth embodiment of the present invention is the heat medium circulation device according to the first embodiment, in which the user-side heat exchanger has a first heat medium connection port at the bottom of the side surface and a heat medium connection port at the top of the side surface. a second connection port, the heat medium is introduced into the user side heat exchanger from the first heat medium connection port, and the heat medium introduced into the use side heat exchanger is led out from the second heat medium connection port; The second heat medium connection port and the gas-liquid separation inlet are connected by a gas-liquid separation inflow pipe, and the gas-liquid separation inlet is located at a higher position than the second heat medium connection port. According to this embodiment, the gas-liquid separator can be disposed above the user-side heat exchanger, and the space of the heat medium circuit can be saved.

A seventh embodiment of the present invention is the heat medium circulation device according to the sixth embodiment, in which the gas-liquid separation inflow pipe is connected to the gas-liquid separation lateral inflow pipe section connected to the second heat medium connection port, and The gas-liquid separation vertical inflow pipe section is connected to the liquid separation inlet. According to this embodiment, the flow direction of the heat medium led out from the utilization side heat exchanger is changed before it flows into the gas-liquid separation section, so a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a heat medium circulation device according to this embodiment.
The heat medium circulation device according to this embodiment includes a refrigerant circuit 10 and a heat medium circuit 20.
In the refrigerant circuit 10, a compressor 11, a usage-side heat exchanger 12, an expansion device 13, and a heat source-side heat exchanger 14 are connected by refrigerant piping, and the refrigerant circulates.
The heat medium circuit 20 circulates the heat medium heated by the use-side heat exchanger 12 to the use-side terminal 1 using the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 .
The heat medium circuit 20 includes a gas-liquid separator 30 that separates the gas in the heat medium circuit 20 from the heat medium, and a transfer pump 21 that circulates the heat medium.
The heat medium circuit 20 further includes a pressure relief valve 40. In this embodiment, the pressure relief valve 40 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 30. A discharge device 50 that discharges the gas separated by the gas-liquid separator 30 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 30 .

The transport pump 21 is arranged in the indoor unit 2.
It is preferable that the refrigerant circuit 10 includes a four-way valve 15 for switching the refrigerant flow.
A blower 16 is provided at a position facing the heat source side heat exchanger 14.
The refrigerant used is propane, which is a flammable refrigerant. Note that any one of R1234yf, R1234ze, and R32, which are slightly flammable refrigerants, may be used instead of the flammable refrigerant.
Water or antifreeze is used as the heat medium.
The gas-liquid separation section 30 and the pressure relief valve 40 are arranged in the heat medium circuit 20 downstream of the user-side heat exchanger 12.

The outdoor unit 3 is divided into a heat medium room 3a (see FIG. 2), a machine room 3b, and a ventilation room 3c.
At least a portion of the user-side heat exchanger 12, a gas-liquid separation section 30, a pressure relief valve 40, and a discharge device 50 are arranged in the heat medium chamber 3a. A compressor 11, an expansion device 13, and a four-way valve 15 are arranged in the machine room 3b. A heat source side heat exchanger 14 and a blower 16 are arranged in the ventilation chamber 3c.

The heat medium can be heated or cooled by switching the four-way valve 15.
When heating a heat medium, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 sequentially flows through the user side heat exchanger 12, the expansion device 13, and the heat source side heat exchanger 14, is depressurized by the expansion device 13, and is transferred to the heat source side. The refrigerant that has absorbed heat in the heat exchanger 14 is sucked into the compressor 11. In this way, the heat medium can be heated by flowing the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 to the user-side heat exchanger 12.
When cooling a heat medium, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 flows through the heat source side heat exchanger 14, the expansion device 13, and the usage side heat exchanger 12 in order, and is depressurized by the expansion device 13 and sent to the usage side. The refrigerant that has absorbed heat in the heat exchanger 12 is sucked into the compressor 11. In this way, the heat medium can be cooled by flowing the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 to the heat source side heat exchanger 14.

The heat medium that has been cooled or heated in the user-side heat exchanger 12 is transported to the user-side terminal 1 by the transport pump 21, and the heat medium that has absorbed or radiated heat in the user-side terminal 1 is returned to the user-side heat exchanger 12.

In particular, when a plate heat exchanger is used as the user-side heat exchanger 12, there is a possibility that the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 may mix into the heat medium circuit 20 due to damage to the user-side heat exchanger 12.
In this way, the refrigerant leaked into the heat medium circuit 20 can be separated from the liquid phase heat medium in the gas-liquid separation section 30 and thereby released from the release device 50.
Since the gas-liquid separator 30 is arranged in the heat medium circuit 20 downstream of the user-side heat exchanger 12 in the outdoor unit 3, the refrigerant leaked into the heat medium circuit 20 can be led out to the user-side terminal 1. is suppressed.
The gas-liquid separator 30 may be placed downstream of the user-side heat exchanger 12 and upstream of the user-side terminal 1, or upstream of the indoor unit 2 if the indoor unit 2 is provided. , it is preferable to arrange it inside the outdoor unit 3.
The gas-liquid separator 30 can separate air present in the heat medium circuit 20 in addition to separating leaked refrigerant. In particular, it is used to vent air from the heat medium circuit 20 when filling the heat medium circuit 20 with the heat medium when installing a heat medium circulation device.
In this embodiment, the transport pump 21 is arranged in the indoor unit 2, but the transport pump 21 may be arranged in the outdoor unit 3. When the transport pump 21 is disposed in the outdoor unit 3, it is preferably disposed in the heat medium chamber 3a.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the outdoor unit of the heat medium circulation device.
In the outdoor unit 3, a wall material 60 is arranged between the outer periphery 3d of the bottom material and the outer periphery 3e of the top material. The wall material 60 includes a first wall material 61 and a second wall material 62 adjacent to the first wall material 61.
The heat medium chamber 3a and the machine room 3b are partitioned by a first partition plate 71. Note that the first partition plate 71 is provided with an opening to ensure ventilation between the heat medium chamber 3a and the machine chamber 3b. The machine room 3b and the ventilation chamber 3c are partitioned by the second partition plate 72, so that the outdoor unit 3 is divided into a heat medium chamber 3a, a machine room 3b, and a ventilation chamber 3c. The first partition plate 71 prevents the heat medium leaking from the pressure relief valve 40 from scattering to the compressor 11 disposed in the machine room 3b.
One side 71x (see FIG. 3) of the first partition plate 71 is brought into contact with the first wall material 61, and the other side 71y of the first partition plate 71 is brought into contact with the second wall material 62.
The heat medium chamber 3a is formed by a space surrounded by the first partition plate 71, the first wall material 61, and the second wall material 62.
In this way, by forming the heat medium chamber 3a at the corner of the outdoor unit 3 using the adjacent first wall material 61 and second wall material 62, even if the heat medium leaks, The heat medium chamber 3a can be formed at a position where the compressor 11, the expansion device 13, and the heat source side heat exchanger 14 are not affected by the heat medium.
Therefore, since the heat medium chamber 3a in which the user-side heat exchanger 12, gas-liquid separation section 30, and pressure relief valve 40 are arranged is separated from the machine room 3b and the ventilation chamber 3c, even if the heat medium leaks, Even if there is, the compressor 11, the expansion device 13, and the heat source side heat exchanger 14 are not affected by the heat medium.
Note that an opening 80 is formed in the first wall material 61.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the main parts of the outdoor unit.
The first wall member 61 is provided with an opening 80 at a position corresponding to the operating lever 41 of the pressure relief valve 40 . The opening 80 is provided at a position corresponding to the heat medium chamber 3a separated from the machine room 3b by the first partition plate 71. The opening 80 formed in the first wall material 61 is located in the heat medium chamber 3a and does not open into the machine room 3b. By not opening the machine room 3b, even if the heat medium leaks, it is possible to prevent the heat medium from entering the machine room 3b from the heat medium chamber 3a.
A pressure relief valve 40 is arranged at a position facing the opening 80. The pressure relief valve 40 releases the heat medium to the atmosphere when the pressure in the heat medium circuit 20 reaches a predetermined pressure or higher, thereby preventing the heat medium circuit 20 from reaching an abnormal pressure higher than the predetermined pressure.
The pressure relief valve 40 has an operating lever 41 . By manually operating the operating lever 41, the heat medium can be released from the heat medium circuit 20 to the atmosphere.
The operating lever 41 of the pressure relief valve 40 can be operated from the opening 80, and the pressure relief valve 40 is used when sealing the heat medium into the heat medium circuit 20 or discharging the heat medium from the heat medium circuit 20. can do.
Although not shown, when there is no need to operate the operating lever 41, the opening 80 is closed by the lid. Fastening holes are provided above and below the opening 80, and the lid body is attached to the first wall material 61 by attaching fasteners 81 to the fastening holes.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the gas-liquid separation section used in this example, FIG. 4(a) is a partially cutaway perspective view of the gas-liquid separation section, and FIG. 4(b) is a perspective view of the gas-liquid separation section. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a gas-liquid separation inlet and a gas-liquid separation outlet.
The gas-liquid separation section 30 includes a gas-liquid separation inlet 32 that allows the heat medium to flow into the cylindrical internal space 31, a gas-liquid separation outflow port 33 that allows the heat medium to flow out from the cylindrical internal space 31, and a pressure relief valve 40. It has a pressure relief valve connection port 34 for connecting to the pressure relief valve connection port 34.
The gas-liquid separation inlet 32 is provided on the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section 30, and the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 and the pressure relief valve connection port 34 are provided on the side surface of the gas-liquid separation section 30.
In this way, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected by allowing the heat medium to flow in from the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section 30 and to flow out from the side surface of the gas-liquid separation section 30.
The gas-liquid separation inlet 32 is offset from the virtual axis 31x of the cylindrical internal space 31 at a position spaced apart from the gas-liquid separation outlet 33. Therefore, the time that the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet 32 stays in the cylindrical internal space 31 before flowing out from the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 can be increased, and a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected.
The bottle diameter 31R of the cylindrical internal space 31 is set to be more than twice the inlet diameter 32R of the gas-liquid separation inlet 32. Therefore, the flow velocity of the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet 32 can be reduced, and a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected.
The outlet diameter 33R of the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 is greater than or equal to the inlet diameter 32R. Therefore, the flow rate of the heat medium flowing out from the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 can be lowered than the flow rate of the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet 32, and a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected.
The discharge device 50 has a float 51 inside, and the gas separated by the gas-liquid separation section 30 moves to the upper part of the float 51. When no gas is present in the discharge device 50, the float 51 is located at the upper end of the discharge device 50.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the gas-liquid separation unit and pressure relief valve used in this example.
The gas-liquid separation outlet 33 is arranged at a height 33h that is less than half of the bottle height 31h of the cylindrical internal space 31. It is more preferable that the height 33h of the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 is 1/3 or less of the bottle height 31h of the cylindrical internal space 31. Therefore, since a space where gas stays can be formed at a position 34h higher than the height 33h of the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 of the cylindrical internal space 31, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected. Here, the height 33h of the gas-liquid separation outlet 33 is the height from the bottom of the cylindrical internal space 31 to the center of the outlet diameter 33R of the gas-liquid separation outlet 33.
The pressure relief valve connection port 34 is arranged at a position 34h higher than the height 33h of the gas-liquid separation outlet 33. Therefore, even if a malfunction occurs in the operation of the gas-liquid separator 30, the gas can be discharged by the pressure relief valve 40, and safety can be improved.
The pressure relief valve 40 and the pressure relief valve connection port 34 are connected by a pressure relief valve connection pipe 42.
The pressure relief valve connection pipe 42 has a horizontal connection pipe portion 42 a connected to the pressure relief valve connection port 34 and a vertical connection pipe portion 42 b connected to the pressure relief valve 40 . Note that the pressure relief valve 40 may be directly connected to the gas-liquid separation section 30 without using the pressure relief valve piping 42.
The gas introduced into the release device 50 is released from the release port 52, and when the gas is released from the release port 52, the float 51 (see FIG. 4) is positioned at the upper end of the release device 50, so that the gas is released from the release port 52. occlude.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the heat medium chamber of the outdoor unit.
The user side heat exchanger 12 has a shape in which a height 12h is larger than a width 12w and a depth 12b.
The utilization side heat exchanger 12 has a first heat medium connection port 22x at the lower side of the side surface and a second heat medium connection port 22y at the upper side of the side surface.
Further, the user-side heat exchanger 12 has a first refrigerant connection port 17x at the lower part of the side surface and a second refrigerant connection port 17y at the upper part of the side surface.
The heat medium is introduced into the user-side heat exchanger 12 from the first heat-medium connection port 22x, and the heat medium introduced into the use-side heat exchanger 12 is led out from the second heat-medium connection port 22y.
When heating a heat medium, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 is introduced into the user-side heat exchanger 12 from the second refrigerant connection port 17y, and the refrigerant introduced into the user-side heat exchanger 12 is 1 from the connection port 17x.

The second heat medium connection port 22y and the gas-liquid separation inlet 32 are connected through a gas-liquid separation inflow pipe 35.
The gas-liquid separation inflow pipe 35 includes a gas-liquid separation horizontal inflow pipe part 35a connected to the second heat medium connection port 22y, and a gas-liquid separation vertical inflow pipe part 35b connected to the gas-liquid separation inflow port 32. ing.
The gas-liquid separation inlet 32 is located at a higher position than the second heat medium connection port 22y.

In this way, by providing the gas-liquid separation inlet 32 on the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section 30 and placing the gas-liquid separation inlet 32 at a higher position than the second heat medium connection port 22y, the inside of the heat medium circuit 20 is It is easy to arrange the gas-liquid separation section 30, which needs to be installed at a high position, and the gas-liquid separation section 30 can be arranged above the user-side heat exchanger 12, thereby saving space in the heat medium circuit 20. be able to.
In particular, by arranging the gas-liquid separator 30 at a higher position than the user-side heat exchanger 12 and by arranging the pressure relief valve 40 on the side of the gas-liquid separator 30, the position above the user-side heat exchanger 12 is The gas-liquid separator 30 and the pressure relief valve 40 are disposed in the heating medium chamber 3a, thereby making it possible to save space in the heat medium chamber 3a.
In addition, since the gas-liquid separation inflow pipe 35 has a gas-liquid separation horizontal inflow pipe section 35a and a gas-liquid separation vertical inflow pipe section 35b, the heat medium led out from the utilization side heat exchanger 12 can be separated into Since the flow direction is changed before flowing into the section 30, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected.
Further, by connecting the pressure relief valve 40 to the gas-liquid separation section 30, the space of the heat medium circuit 20 can be saved.
In particular, by locating the pressure relief valve 40 at a higher position than the user-side heat exchanger 12 and arranging the pressure relief valve 40 in the space above the user-side heat exchanger 12, the space above the user-side heat exchanger 12 can be effectively used. Therefore, the space of the heat medium circuit 20 can be saved.
In addition, by arranging the horizontal connection pipe section 42a connected to the pressure relief valve connection port 34 above the gas-liquid separation horizontal inflow pipe section 35a, the gas-liquid separation section 30 and the pressure The relief valve 40 can be arranged, and the space of the heat medium circuit 20 can be saved.
In particular, by arranging the lateral connection pipe section 42a in parallel with the gas-liquid separation lateral inflow pipe section 35a, the user-side heat exchanger 12, the gas-liquid separation section 30, and the pressure relief valve 40 are arranged within a limited space. can do.

An outlet joint 36 is connected to the gas-liquid separation outlet 33, and a first heat medium connection pipe 23 is connected to the first heat medium connection port 22x. An inlet joint 37 is connected to the first heat medium connecting pipe 23 .
The outlet joint 36 and the inlet joint 37 are made to protrude outward from the second wall material 62 located in the heat medium chamber 3a.
Since the heat medium chamber 3a is formed at the corner of the outdoor unit 3 by using the adjacent first wall material 61 and second wall material 62, the outlet joint 36 and the inlet joint 37 protrude from the outdoor unit 3. Easy to do.

[Configurations supported by the above embodiments]
The above embodiment supports the following configurations.

(Configuration 1)
A refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a user-side heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a heat source-side heat exchanger are connected, and in which refrigerant circulates, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor cools or cools the user-side heat exchanger. A heat medium circuit that circulates a heated heat medium to the user terminal; and a gas-liquid separation section that separates gas in the heat medium circuit from the heat medium, and the gas-liquid separation section is used to Disposed in the heat medium circuit downstream of the side heat exchanger, the gas-liquid separation section includes a gas-liquid separation inlet for flowing the heat medium into the cylindrical internal space, and a gas-liquid separation inlet for flowing the heat medium into the cylindrical internal space. and a gas-liquid separation outlet for outflowing the air, the gas-liquid separation inlet is provided on the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section, and the gas-liquid separation outflow port is provided on the side surface of the gas-liquid separation section. Heat medium circulation device.
According to this configuration, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected by allowing the heat medium to flow in from the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section and to flow out from the side surface of the gas-liquid separation section.

(Configuration 2)
The heat medium circulation device according to configuration 1, wherein the gas-liquid separation inlet is eccentrically located from the virtual axis of the cylindrical internal space at a position spaced apart from the gas-liquid separation outlet.
According to this configuration, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected because the time the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet can stay in the cylindrical internal space for a longer time until it flows out from the gas-liquid separation outlet. .

(Configuration 3)
The heat medium circulation device according to configuration 1 or configuration 2, wherein the gas-liquid separation outlet is disposed at a position of the cylindrical internal space at a position less than half the height of the bottle.
According to this configuration, a space where gas stays can be formed at a position higher than the gas-liquid separation outlet of the cylindrical internal space, so a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected.

(Configuration 4)
The heat medium circulation device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the bottle diameter of the cylindrical internal space is at least twice the inlet diameter of the gas-liquid separation inlet.
According to this configuration, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected because the flow velocity of the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet can be reduced.

(Configuration 5)
4. The heat medium circulation device according to configuration 4, wherein the outlet diameter of the gas-liquid separation outlet is greater than or equal to the inlet diameter.
According to this configuration, the flow rate of the heat medium flowing out from the gas-liquid separation outlet can be made lower than the flow rate of the heat medium flowing in from the gas-liquid separation inlet, so that a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected.

(Configuration 6)
The user side heat exchanger has a first heat medium connection port at the lower part of the side surface and a second heat medium connection port at the upper part of the side surface, and the heat exchanger from the first heat medium connection port to the user side heat exchanger. The heat medium is introduced into the heat exchanger, the heat medium introduced into the utilization side heat exchanger is led out from the second heat medium connection port, and the second heat medium connection port and the gas-liquid separation inlet are connected. The heating medium according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the heating medium is connected by a gas-liquid separation inflow pipe, and the gas-liquid separation inlet is located at a higher position than the second heating medium connection port. Circulation device.
According to this configuration, the gas-liquid separator can be disposed above the user-side heat exchanger, and the space of the heat medium circuit can be saved.

(Configuration 7)
The gas-liquid separation inflow pipe has a gas-liquid separation horizontal inflow pipe section connected to the second heat medium connection port, and a gas-liquid separation vertical inflow pipe section connected to the gas-liquid separation inflow port. The heat medium circulation device according to configuration 6.
According to this configuration, a high gas-liquid separation rate can be expected because the flow direction of the heat medium led out from the utilization-side heat exchanger is changed before it flows into the gas-liquid separation section.

The present invention is particularly suitable for a heat medium circulation device using a flammable refrigerant.

1 User side terminal 2 Indoor unit 3 Outdoor unit 3a Heat medium room 3b Machine room 3c Air blowing room 3d Bottom material outer periphery 3e Top material outer periphery 10 Refrigerant circuit 11 Compressor 12 User side heat exchanger 12b Depth 12h Height 12w Width 13 Expansion Device 14 Heat source side heat exchanger 15 Four-way valve 16 Air blower 17x First refrigerant connection port 17y Second refrigerant connection port 20 Heat medium circuit 21 Transfer pump 22x First heat medium connection port 22y Second heat medium connection port 23 First heat medium connection port Connecting pipe 30 Gas-liquid separation part 31 Cylindrical internal space 31h Bottle height 31R Bottle diameter 31x Virtual axis 32 Gas-liquid separation inlet 32R Inlet diameter 33 Gas-liquid separation outlet 33h Height 33R Outlet diameter 34 Pressure relief valve connection Port 34h Position 35 Gas-liquid separation inflow pipe 35a Gas-liquid separation horizontal inflow pipe section 35b Gas-liquid separation vertical inflow pipe section 36 Outlet joint 37 Inlet joint 40 Pressure relief valve 41 Operation lever 42 Pressure relief valve connection pipe 42a Horizontal connection pipe section 42b Vertical Connection pipe section 50 Discharge device 51 Float 52 Discharge port 60 Wall material 61 First wall material 62 Second wall material 71 First partition plate 71x One side 71y Other side 72 Second partition plate 80 Opening 81 Fastener

Claims (7)

a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a user-side heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a heat source-side heat exchanger are connected, and in which refrigerant circulates;
a heat medium circuit that circulates a heat medium cooled or heated in the user-side heat exchanger to a user-side terminal by the refrigerant discharged from the compressor;
a gas-liquid separation unit that separates the gas in the heat medium circuit from the heat medium;
Equipped with
disposing the gas-liquid separation section in the heat medium circuit downstream from the user-side heat exchanger,
The gas-liquid separation section has a gas-liquid separation inlet for flowing the heat medium into the cylindrical internal space, and a gas-liquid separation outlet for flowing the heat medium from the cylindrical internal space,
A heat medium circulation device characterized in that the gas-liquid separation inlet is provided on a bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation section, and the gas-liquid separation outlet is provided on a side surface of the gas-liquid separation section. 2. The heat medium circulation device according to claim 1, wherein the gas-liquid separation inlet is offset from the virtual axis of the cylindrical internal space at a position separated from the gas-liquid separation outlet. 2. The heat medium circulation device according to claim 1, wherein the gas-liquid separation outlet is disposed at a position less than half the height of the bottle in the cylindrical internal space. 2. The heat medium circulation device according to claim 1, wherein the bottle diameter of the cylindrical internal space is at least twice the inlet diameter of the gas-liquid separation inlet. 5. The heat medium circulation device according to claim 4, wherein the outlet diameter of the gas-liquid separation outlet is greater than or equal to the inlet diameter. The use-side heat exchanger has a first heat medium connection port at the bottom of the side surface and a second heat medium connection port at the top of the side surface,
The heat medium is introduced into the usage side heat exchanger from the heat medium first connection port, and the heat medium introduced into the usage side heat exchanger is led out from the heat medium second connection port,
connecting the second heat medium connection port and the gas-liquid separation inlet with a gas-liquid separation inflow pipe;
The heat medium circulation device according to claim 1, wherein the gas-liquid separation inlet is located at a higher position than the second heat medium connection port. The gas-liquid separation inflow pipe has a gas-liquid separation horizontal inflow pipe section connected to the second heat medium connection port, and a gas-liquid separation vertical inflow pipe section connected to the gas-liquid separation inflow port. The heat medium circulation device according to claim 6.