JP2024052212A - Heat pump equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The present disclosure provides a heat pump device capable of efficiently cooling an electrical box. [Solution] In a heat pump device 1 including a machine chamber 13 in which a compressor 22 and an expansion device 24 are disposed, and a blower chamber 12 in which a heat exchanger 20 and a blower device 21 are disposed within a housing 10, an electrical box 30 is disposed above the machine chamber 13 and the blower chamber 12, and the electrical box 30 includes an electrical box body 32 and a lid member 33, and the height of the upper surface of the lid member 33 is formed lower than the height of the upper end of the heat exchanger 20. [Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a heat pump device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a heat pump device that includes a refrigerant circuit that circulates a flammable refrigerant, a water circuit (heat medium circuit) that circulates water (heat medium), and a water heat exchanger (heat medium heat exchanger) that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and water within a housing. An electrical box that houses a control board and the like is located at the top of the housing.

European Patent Application Publication No. 3312531

This disclosure provides a heat pump device that can efficiently cool an electrical box.

The heat pump device disclosed herein is a heat pump device that includes a machine chamber in which a compressor and an expansion device are disposed, and a blower chamber in which a heat exchanger and a blower device are disposed within a housing, and an electrical box is disposed above the machine chamber and the blower chamber, the electrical box includes an electrical box body and a lid member, and the height of the top surface of the lid member is formed lower than the height of the upper end of the heat exchanger.

This disclosure allows the electrical box to be cooled efficiently.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a heat pump device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a heat pump device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a front panel of a heat pump device according to a first embodiment is removed; A circuit diagram showing a refrigerant circuit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an electrical box according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an electrical box according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an electrical box according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing a partition member according to a first embodiment;

(Knowledge and other information that forms the basis of this disclosure)
At the time when the inventors came up with the idea of the present disclosure, there was a technique for preventing a flammable refrigerant from igniting in a heat pump device.
This heat pump device includes, within a housing, a refrigerant circuit that circulates a flammable refrigerant, a water circuit that circulates water, and a water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the water. The water circuit is provided with a refrigerant release valve, such as a pressure relief valve and an air vent valve, and the refrigerant release valve releases the refrigerant to the outside of the water circuit. In this way, even if a partition wall that separates the refrigerant circuit and the water circuit in the water heat exchanger is destroyed and flammable refrigerant gets mixed into the water circuit, the flammable refrigerant can be discharged to the outside of the water circuit via the pressure relief valve or the air vent valve.
In the heat pump device, an electrical equipment box is disposed above the machine chamber, and moreover, the electrical equipment box is disposed close to the top plate of the housing. The electrical equipment box also houses heat-generating electronic components, and the blower chamber becomes hot due to the heat of the heat exchanger, etc. The inventors discovered a problem that the electrical equipment box needs to be cooled, and have come to form the subject of the present disclosure in order to solve the problem.
In view of the above, the present disclosure provides a heat pump device that efficiently cools an electrical component box and promotes cooling of electronic components.

Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming more redundant than necessary and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.
It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1-1. Configuration]
[1-1-1. Configuration of heat pump device]
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the heat pump device 1 according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the heat pump device 1 according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 3 is a front view showing a state in which a front panel 16 of the heat pump device 1 according to the embodiment 1 is removed.
The heat pump device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an outdoor unit that can be used as a so-called heat pump hot water heater.
1 to 3, the heat pump device 1 includes a box-shaped housing 10. In this embodiment, each part of the housing 10 is formed of a steel plate.

A partition plate 11 extending in the vertical direction is provided inside the housing 10. The partition plate 11 divides the internal space of the housing 10 into a blower chamber 12 and a machine chamber 13.
The housing 10 comprises a bottom plate 14 that forms the bottom surface of the housing 10, a pair of side panels 15 that cover the machine chamber 13 of the housing 10 from the front and rear, a front panel 16 that covers the front surface of the blower chamber 12, and a top plate 17 that covers the top surface of the housing 10.
The front panel 16 is provided with a ventilation section 18 formed in a mesh shape to allow air to pass through.

The blower chamber 12 is provided with a heat exchanger 20 and a blower 21 .
The heat exchanger 20 of this embodiment extends almost to the full height of the housing 10 and is formed in an approximately L-shape when viewed in a plane of the housing 10 so as to face the rear surface 10A and the side surface 10B of the housing 10.
The heat exchanger 20 may be, for example, a fin-tube type heat exchanger.
For example, an axial flow fan having a propeller-shaped impeller is used as the blower 21. The blower 21 is disposed such that the axial flow direction faces the ventilation section 18.

The interior of the machine room 13 accommodates various devices that form a refrigerant circuit, such as a compressor 22, a water heat exchanger (heat medium heat exchanger) 23, and an expansion device 24 (see FIG. 4), as well as refrigerant piping 25 that connects these devices to each other.
The water heat exchanger 23 may be, for example, a plate heat exchanger.
A cutout portion 26 is formed in the upper portion of the partition plate 11, and an electrical equipment box 30 is installed in this cutout portion 26.

[1-1-2. Configuration of the refrigerant circuit]
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the refrigerant circuit according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the compressor 22, the four-way valve 27, the water heat exchanger 23, the expansion device 24 and the heat exchanger 20 are connected in a ring shape via a predetermined refrigerant pipe 25 to form a refrigerant circuit.
A predetermined water supply pipe 28 is connected to the water heat exchanger 23, and heat exchange between the water heat exchanger 23 and the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit is performed in the water heat exchanger 23.
The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 to a high temperature and high pressure flows as shown by the solid arrow in Fig. 4 and is sent to the water heat exchanger 23, where it is cooled and condensed by heat exchange with water flowing through the water supply pipe 28. The water becomes hot water by receiving heat from the refrigerant, and is supplied to, for example, a user device (not shown).
The refrigerant discharged from the water heat exchanger 23 is decompressed and evaporated in the expansion device 24, and undergoes heat exchange in the heat exchanger 20 to become a gas refrigerant, which is then returned to the compressor 22 again.

4, the refrigerant flows, exchanges heat with outside air in the heat exchanger 20, is decompressed in the expansion device 24, and is sent to the water heat exchanger 23, thereby cooling the water flowing through the water supply pipe 28. The cold water is supplied to a user device (not shown).
In this embodiment, a flammable refrigerant is used as the refrigerant. The flammable refrigerant is R32 or a mixed refrigerant containing 70 weight percent or more of R32, or propane or a mixed refrigerant containing propane.
In addition, a non-flammable refrigerant may be used as the refrigerant instead of a flammable refrigerant.

[1-1-3. Configuration of electrical box]
Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the electrical equipment box 30 of the embodiment 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the electrical equipment box 30 of the embodiment 1. Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the electrical equipment box 30 of the embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the electrical equipment box 30 is disposed above the blower chamber 12 and the machine chamber 13, straddling the machine chamber 13 and the blower chamber 12.
The electrical box 30 is installed in the cutout portion 26 at the upper part of the partition plate 11 and is supported by the partition plate 11. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the electrical box 30 includes a box-shaped electrical box body 32 made of sheet metal having an opening 31 with an open top, and a resin lid member 33 formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape that closes the opening 31. The electrical box body 32 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as a metal material. The lid member 33 is attached to the electrical box body 32 via an O-ring 38.

In this embodiment, the entire electrical box body 32 is made of a metal material, but only the portion located in the blower chamber 12 may be made of a metal material.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the electrical box body 32 has a rectangular blower side portion 32A located on the blower room 12 side, and a substantially trapezoidal machine side portion 32B located on the machine room 13 side. The cover member 33 has a rectangular blower side portion 33A located on the blower room 12 side, and a substantially trapezoidal machine side portion 33B located on the machine room 13 side.

A control board 40 consisting of a printed circuit board is installed in the blower side portion 32A of the electrical box body 32.

On the control board 40, electronic components such as semiconductor chips such as a CPU, transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc., which are not shown, are mounted to form electric circuits.
A heat sink 41 having a plurality of fins is attached to the underside of the control board 40, and the control board 40 is installed so as to protrude downward from a bottom opening 35 provided on the bottom of the blower side section 32A. The heat sink 41 is disposed on the bottom of the blower side section 32A close to the machine side section 32B of the electrical box main body 32. In this embodiment, one end of the heat sink 41 is located at the boundary between the machine side section 32B and the blower side section 32A. In other words, it is located at the boundary separated by the partition plate 11.
A sealant 42 is disposed around the periphery of the bottom opening 35 , and the control board 40 is fixed in place with the bottom opening 35 closed via the sealant 42 .

The machine side portion 32B of the electrical box body 32 is provided with a main power line relay section 50 located at the front side and a lead wire relay section 53 located at the back side. The main power line relay section 50 is provided with a terminal block 51 for connecting the main power line and a cable gland 52 that draws in and seals the main power line. The cable 45 drawn into the cable gland 52 is connected to a specified device such as the compressor 22. The lead wire relay section 53 is provided with a lead wire relay module 55 for drawing in the lead wire.

A terminal block 51 for connecting the cable (main power line) 45 is arranged in the main power line relay section (space) 50. The main power line relay section 50 in which the terminal block 51 is arranged is partitioned by a partition plate 154, and the main power line relay section 50 is sealed within the electrical box body 32. The terminal block 51 is arranged on the partition plate 154A formed at an angle, and faces a window opening 152 formed on the side of the electrical box body 32. A window cover 155 for sealing the main power line relay section 50 is screwed into the window opening 152 with a sealant (not shown) sandwiched therebetween.

The cover member 33 is fixed to the upper end of the electrical box body 32 by fixing screws 37A to 37F via an O-ring 38. This makes the inside of the electrical box body 32 a sealed space. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a flange 32F is formed by bending a metal plate on the periphery of the upper end of the electrical box body 32. As shown in FIG. 5, an O-ring groove 36 is formed on the periphery of the lower surface of the cover member 33, and an O-ring 38 is fitted into the O-ring groove 36 to fix the cover member 33 to the flange 32F by six fixing screws 37A, 37B, 37C, 37D, 37E, and 37F. The O-ring 38 is made of foam rubber or chloroprene rubber.

The cover member 33 is fixed to the flange 32F of the machine side portion 32B of the electrical box body 32 with four fixing screws 37A to 37D, and is fixed to the flange 32F of the blower side portion 32A of the electrical box body 32 with two fixing screws 37E and 37F.

The electrical box body 32 has a volume occupied by the machine side portion 32B that is smaller than the volume occupied by the blower side portion 32A, and the machine side portion 32B of the electrical box body 32 is formed into a trapezoidal shape by cutting the corners of the machine side portion 32B.
As a result, the length of the seal portion between the electrical box body 32 and the cover member 33 in the machine side portion 32B of the electrical box body 32 (the length of the O-ring 38) is set short.
In addition, pitches P1, P2, and P3 of the fixing screws 37A, 37B, 37C, and 37D that fix the machine side portion 32B are set shorter than pitches P4, P5, and P6 of the fixing screws 37D, 37E, and 37F that fix the blower side portion 32A. Since the machine side portion 32B has a short sealing length and the pitches P1 to P3 of the fixing screws 37A to 37D are set short, the sealing performance between the electrical box main body 32 and the lid member 33 in the machine side portion 32B can be improved.

The heat exchanger 20 is formed in an L-shape facing the rear surface 10A and the side surface 10B of the housing 10. A shielding member 60 is provided between the header pipe of the heat exchanger 20 facing the rear surface 10A of the housing 10 and the machine side portion 32B of the electrical box body 32, as shown in FIG. 7. By providing the shielding member 60 near the seal portion of the machine side portion 32B near the header pipe, even if the refrigerant is ejected from the refrigerant circuit, the phenomenon of the refrigerant directly colliding with the vicinity of the seal portion is suppressed, and the mass transfer rate at which the refrigerant permeates the O-ring 38 can be reduced.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing the partition member 39 according to the first embodiment.
The electrical box 30 is disposed so that the height of the upper surface of the cover member 33 is lower than the height of the upper end of the heat exchanger 20. A space that allows ventilation is formed between the upper surface of the cover member 33 and the lower surface of the top plate 17 of the housing 10.

As shown in Figures 2 and 8, a partition member 39 is provided on the upper surface of the cover member 33. The partition member 39 is arranged at the boundary between the blower side portion 33A and the machine side portion 33B in a manner that closes the above-mentioned space. In other words, the upper surface 39A of the partition member 39 is in contact with the lower surface of the top plate 17. The partition member 39 has a plurality of openings 100 formed at equal intervals, and partial ventilation is possible between the machine room 13 and the blower room 12 through the openings 100. When the blower device 21 is driven, the wind flows between the blower room 12 and the machine room 13 in the direction W1.

During cooling operation, the temperature near the blower side portion 33A of the cover member 33 is higher than the temperature near the machine side portion 33B. Relatively low-temperature air from the machine chamber 13 flows through the opening 100 into the electrical box 30 on the blower chamber 12 side.
When water droplets such as raindrops scatter in the direction W2, the partition member 39 can prevent the water droplets from entering the machine room 13.

[1-2. motion]
Next, the operation of the heat pump device 1 configured as above will be described.
When the heat pump device 1 is driven, the compressor 22 and the blower device 21 are operated, and the axial flow fan also starts to operate.
As a result, when hot water is used, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 to a high temperature and pressure flows as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 4 and is sent to the water heat exchanger 23. The water is cooled by heat exchange with water flowing through a water supply pipe 28 by the refrigerant 23, and the water is heated by the heat of the refrigerant and is supplied to a predetermined location.
The refrigerant discharged from the water heat exchanger 23 is decompressed in the expansion device 24, undergoes heat exchange in the heat exchanger 20, and becomes a gas refrigerant, which is returned to the compressor 22 again.

In addition, when cold water is used, by switching the four-way valve 27, the refrigerant flows as shown by the dashed arrows in Figure 4, exchanges heat with the outside air in the heat exchanger 20, is reduced in pressure in the expansion device 24, and is sent to the water heat exchanger 23, thereby cooling the water flowing through the water supply pipe 28.
During these operations, the blower device 21 is operated, so that air flows toward the electrical equipment box 30 located in the blower chamber 12 .

In addition, air flows through the heat sink 41 due to the operation of the blower 21. This allows the heat sink 41 to be cooled, and the control board 40 to be cooled through the heat sink 41.

The water heat exchanger 23 is disposed in the machine room 13, and when the heat pump device 1 generates cold water, the water heat exchanger 23 functions as an evaporator, so the ambient temperature around the water heat exchanger 23 becomes low. In this case in particular, the temperature of the air flowing from the machine room 13 to the blower room 12 becomes low, and the cover member 33 is efficiently cooled by this air. Although rainwater is allowed to enter the interior of the blower room 12, it is blocked by the partition member 39, and there is almost no rainwater entering the machine room 13.

The electrical box 30 includes an electrical box body 32 and a cover member 33 , and the height of the upper surface of the cover member 33 is set lower than the height of the upper end of the heat exchanger 20 .
Further, a heat sink 41 that protrudes into the blower chamber 12 is disposed on the electrical box body 32. Therefore, air from the blower 21 and air from the machine chamber 13, which is at a lower temperature than the air from the blower 21, flow against the heat sink 41, thereby cooling the control board 40. Since the electrical box 30 is cooled from both the top and bottom, a rise in temperature inside the electrical box 30 can be suppressed. The electrical box 30 and the configuration of the electrical box 30 correspond to an example of an "electrical component".

[1-3. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in this embodiment, in a heat pump device 1 which includes a machine chamber 13 in which a compressor 22 and an expansion device 24 are arranged, and a blower chamber 12 in which a heat exchanger 20 and a blower device 21 are arranged within a housing 10, an electrical box 30 is arranged on top of the machine chamber 13 and the blower chamber 12, and the electrical box 30 includes an electrical box main body 32 and a cover member 33, and the height of the upper surface of the cover member 33 is formed lower than the height of the upper end of the heat exchanger 20.
This allows the electrical box 30 to be cooled efficiently.

In addition, in this embodiment, a space that allows ventilation between the machine chamber 13 and the blower chamber 12 is formed between the underside of the top plate 17 of the housing 10 and the upper surface of the cover member 33, and a partition member 39 having an opening 100 in one portion is disposed on the upper surface of the cover member 33, positioned within the space.
This allows the electrical box 30 to be cooled efficiently and also prevents water droplets from entering the machine chamber 13 .

In addition, in this embodiment, the cover member 33 has a blower side portion 33A located on the side of the blower chamber 12 and a machine side portion 33B located on the side of the machine chamber 13, and the partition member 39 is positioned on the upper surface of the cover member 33 at the boundary between the blower side portion 33A and the machine side portion 33B.
This allows the electrical box 30 to be cooled efficiently and prevents water droplets from entering the machine side portion 33B of the electrical box 30.

In addition, in this embodiment, the electrical box main body 32 has a blower side portion 32A located on the side of the blower chamber 12 and a machine side portion 32B located on the side of the machine chamber 13, and a heat sink 41 that dissipates heat generated by the electrical components is arranged in the blower side portion 32A close to the machine side portion 32B.
As a result, the air in the machine chamber 13 , which has a lower temperature than the air in the blower chamber 12 , also flows to the electrical box 30 and the heat sink 41 , so that the temperature rise of the electrical box 30 can be suppressed.

Other Embodiments
As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. In addition, it is also possible to combine the components described in the above embodiment to create a new embodiment.

In the above-described first embodiment, the heat pump device 1 is an outdoor unit that can be used for a so-called heat pump hot water heater. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the heat pump device 1 can be applied to various devices equipped with a refrigerant circuit, such as a water heater or an air conditioner.

The above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology disclosed herein, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

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

(Additional Note)
(Technique 1)
A heat pump device having a machine chamber in which a compressor and an expansion device are arranged, and a blower chamber in which a heat exchanger and a blower device are arranged within a housing, wherein an electrical box is arranged above the machine chamber and the blower chamber, the electrical box includes an electrical box main body and a cover member, and the height of an upper surface of the cover member is formed lower than the height of an upper end of the heat exchanger.
According to this configuration, the electrical equipment box is cooled from both the top and bottom surfaces, so that the electrical equipment box can be cooled efficiently.

(Technique 2)
A heat pump device as described in Technology 1, wherein a space allowing ventilation between the machine chamber and the blower chamber is formed between the underside of the top plate of the housing and the upper surface of the lid member, and a partition member having an opening in one portion is disposed on the upper surface of the lid member and positioned within the space.
According to this configuration, the electrical equipment box can be cooled efficiently, and the partition member can prevent water droplets from entering the machine compartment.

(Technique 3)
The heat pump apparatus described in Technology 2, wherein the cover member has a blower side portion located on the blower chamber side and a machine side portion located on the machine chamber side, and the partition member is arranged at the boundary between the blower side portion and the machine side portion on the upper surface of the cover member.
According to this configuration, the electrical box can be cooled efficiently and water droplets can be prevented from entering the machine side portion of the electrical box.

(Technique 4)
The heat pump device according to any one of Techniques 1 to 3, wherein the electrical box main body has a blower side portion located on the blower room side and a machine side portion located on the machine room side, and a heat sink that dissipates heat generated by electrical components is disposed in the blower side portion close to the machine side portion.
According to this configuration, the air in the machine compartment, which is at a lower temperature than the air in the blower compartment, also flows to the electrical equipment box and the heat sink, thereby suppressing an increase in temperature of the electrical equipment box.

This disclosure is suitable for use in heat pump devices that can suppress an increase in refrigerant concentration around electrical components housed in an electrical box in the event of a refrigerant leak.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 heat pump device 10 housing 10A rear surface 10B side surface 11 partition plate 12 blower room 13 machine room 14 bottom plate 15 side panel 16 front panel 17 top plate 18 ventilation section 20 heat exchanger 21 blower device 22 compressor 23 water heat exchanger (heat medium heat exchanger)
24 Expansion device 25 Refrigerant piping 27 Four-way valve 28 Water supply piping 30 Electrical box 31 Opening 32 Electrical box body 32A Fan side portion 32B Machine side portion 32F Flange 33 Lid member 33A Fan side portion 33B Machine side portion 35 Bottom opening 36 O-ring groove 38 O-ring 39 Partition member 39A Top surface 40 Control board 41 Heat sink 42 Sealing material 45 Cable (main power line)
50 Main power line relay section (space)
51 Terminal block 52 Cable gland 53 Lead wire relay section 60 Shielding member 100 Opening 154 Partition plate 154A Partition plate W1 direction W2 direction

Claims (4)

A heat pump apparatus including a machine chamber in which a compressor and an expansion device are disposed, and a blower chamber in which a heat exchanger and a blower device are disposed,
An electrical equipment box is disposed above the machine chamber and the blower chamber, and the electrical equipment box includes an electrical equipment box body and a cover member.
The height of the upper surface of the cover member is formed lower than the height of the upper end of the heat exchanger.
Heat pump equipment. A space allowing ventilation between the machine chamber and the blower chamber is formed between the lower surface of the top plate of the housing and the upper surface of the lid member, and a partition member having an opening in a portion thereof is disposed on the upper surface of the lid member and positioned within the space.
The heat pump apparatus according to claim 1 . The cover member includes a blower side portion located on the blower chamber side and a machine side portion located on the machine chamber side,
The partition member is disposed at the boundary between the blower side portion and the machine side portion of the upper surface of the lid member.
The heat pump apparatus according to claim 2 . The electrical equipment box body includes a blower side portion located on the blower room side and a machine side portion located on the machine room side, and a heat sink for dissipating heat generated by electrical components is disposed in the blower side portion close to the machine side portion.
The heat pump apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

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