JP3313876B2 - Air conditioner using absorption refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner using an absorption refrigerator for a general house or a small building, and more particularly to an appropriate cooling capacity change and efficiency when the cooling capacity is changed. The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of maintaining the air conditioner in a favorable condition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Air conditioners using absorption chillers are currently mainly used for industrial and commercial facilities such as buildings and large stores.

In a cooling system of an air conditioner using an absorption refrigerator, a refrigerant vapor evaporated in a regenerator is condensed in a water-cooled condenser, and the condensed refrigerant is guided to an evaporator to evaporate. The cooling medium (usually water) circulating between the fan coil unit provided in the room to be cooled by the latent heat of evaporation and the refrigerator is cooled. On the other hand, the operation is performed in a cycle in which the evaporated refrigerant vapor is absorbed into a concentrated solution (absorbing liquid) by a water-cooled absorber and returned to the regenerator again.

In an air conditioner using an absorption type refrigerator of this type, the temperature of a cooling medium circulated in an indoor fan coil unit is cooled to about 7 ° C. in an evaporator, and the cooling medium is cooled in a fan coil in the room. To cool the room air and return it to the evaporator at around 12 ° C. When an aqueous solution of lithium bromide is used as the absorbing solution, it is necessary to maintain the temperature of the absorbing solution in the absorber at around 40 ° C. In order to maintain this temperature, a cooling tower is installed on a rooftop or the like to provide a water cooling circuit. The method of cooling with is taken.

[0005] However, the conventional air-conditioning apparatus using a water-cooled absorption chiller has the following problems.

(1) Since the temperature of the absorber is controlled by a water-cooling method, the equipment becomes large and piping is required, which requires a lot of construction cost, and is necessary for general houses and small-scale buildings. Not suitable for cooling.

(2) Since it is necessary to connect the fan coil unit in the room to be cooled and the refrigerator with a pipe for circulating cooling medium, construction costs and equipment costs are high. This is the same for an ammonia absorption refrigerator using ammonia water as the absorbing liquid and the refrigerant.

Therefore, during cooling operation, the present inventors cooled the condenser and the absorber using an air-cooling system instead of a water-cooling system, and sent the refrigerant from the condenser to the evaporator without using a pump. A patent application has already been filed for an air conditioner that has a cooling mode in which the evaporator is located in a passage through which room air to be air-conditioned passes, and the indoor air is cooled by directly touching the outside of the evaporator, while performing pressure difference. (Japanese Patent Application No. 5-2351 / 1993).

FIG. 4 shows a main part of a modification of the air conditioner using the single-effect absorption refrigerator proposed in the above-mentioned application, and FIG.
Indicates the installation state of the air conditioner.

[0010] As shown in FIG.
The outdoor unit 1 is disposed outside the room 5 of the house to be air-conditioned by a configuration as shown in FIG. 4, and the indoor unit 2 has only the cool air outlet and the indoor air inlet. And is disposed inside the chamber 5. The outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 2 are connected by a cooling air blow duct 3 and a room air intake duct 4. A blower fan 11 is provided at a predetermined position in the blower duct 3 or the intake duct 4. Reference numeral 6 denotes a remote controller for starting or stopping the operation of the air conditioner, setting or canceling automatic operation, setting the room temperature, setting the amount of cool air to be blown, and the like.

The interior of the outdoor unit 1 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 4, in which an aqueous solution of lithium bromide is used as an absorbing solution, and water is used as a refrigerant.

The evaporator 10 is installed at a position where the blow duct 3 and the intake duct 4 are connected to each other. The evaporator 10 evaporates the refrigerant by a depressurizing action inside the evaporator 10 and cools it from the inside by the action of latent heat of vaporization (heat of vaporization). receive.

The regenerator 12 has a function of heating the absorbing liquid (dilute solution) having a reduced concentration by absorbing the refrigerant with the burner 13 to generate refrigerant vapor and concentrating the concentration of the absorbing liquid. Fuel supply pipe 1 to burner 13
Fuel gas is supplied from the fuel cell 4, and the degree of combustion is appropriately adjusted by the fuel supply control valve 15 in accordance with the input cooling capacity.

The condenser 16 has a function of cooling and liquefying the refrigerant vapor sent from the regenerator 12 by the air cooling fan 17 and sending out the liquefied refrigerant to the evaporator 10.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a refrigerant tank for adjusting the total amount of the refrigerant circulating in the air conditioner and for storing a part of the refrigerant in order to adjust the concentration of the dilute solution supplied to the regenerator 12. And is connected to the condenser 16 via a valve V5.

The absorber 20 stores the absorbing liquid, has a function of absorbing the refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator 10 into the absorbing liquid, and is air-cooled by the same air-cooling fan 17 as the condenser 16. The absorbent whose concentration has been lowered by absorbing the refrigerant is temporarily stored in the dilute solution tank 21.

Reference numeral 22 denotes heat for exchanging heat between the low-concentration low-temperature absorbent flowing from the dilute solution tank 21 to the regenerator 12 and the high-concentration high-temperature absorbent flowing from the regenerator 12 to the absorber 20. An exchanger 23 is a pump that absorbs the refrigerant and sends out the absorbent having a reduced concentration from the dilute solution tank 21 to the regenerator 12. A pump 24 is provided between the upstream side of the evaporator 10 and the downstream side of the condenser 16. It is a capillary or a pressure loss means corresponding to the capillary provided between them.

Each of V1, V2, V3, V4, and V5 is a regulating valve such as a solenoid valve. In particular, V4 is a regulating valve having a check valve function.

The above air conditioner basically controls each vessel by controlling the temperature of each vessel except that a pump 23 is used to send the absorbing solution from the dilute solution tank 21 to the regenerator 12. A pressure difference is created between them, and the refrigerant and the absorbing liquid are sent out and circulated by the pressure difference.

[0020]

In an air conditioner using such an absorption refrigerator, the refrigerant and the absorption liquid are circulated after maintaining the balance of the entire pressure and temperature. When the capacity of the blower fan is changed to change the room temperature, the amount of combustion in the regenerator is changed according to the change in the blower fan, and the required amount of refrigerant in the evaporator and the amount of refrigerant generated in the regenerator are changed. Need to match. However, even if the amount of combustion in the heater is changed, the amount of refrigerant generated in the regenerator does not immediately change to a desired value, and the amount of refrigerant generated in the regenerator changes before the amount of refrigerant to the evaporator changes. Since there is a time delay, the amount of refrigerant generated in the regenerator and the required amount of refrigerant in the evaporator do not match.

For example, even if the capacity of the blower fan is increased in order to lower the room temperature, the amount of the refrigerant sent to the evaporator is not sent in an amount corresponding to the increased air amount, and the amount of the refrigerant immediately after the change is changed. Even if the temperature of the air blown into the room rises due to shortage, or if the capacity of the blower fan is reduced to suppress the cooling temperature, the same amount of refrigerant is generated in the regenerator as in the past, so evaporation The amount of refrigerant in the vessel becomes excessive,
In some cases, invalid refrigerant is generated, which hinders smooth operation of the air conditioner.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a regenerator for heating a dilute solution having absorbed a refrigerant to generate a refrigerant vapor and a concentrated solution; a heater for heating the regenerator;
A condenser for condensing the refrigerant vapor generated in the regenerator,
An evaporator for evaporating the condensed refrigerant, an absorber for storing an absorbing liquid that absorbs the refrigerant and absorbing the refrigerant vapor evaporated by the evaporator to the absorbing liquid, and cooling both the absorber and the condenser. An air-cooling fan, a duct having the evaporator therein, a duct having a suction port and an air outlet in the room, a room air to be cooled provided in the duct, and the room air was directly cooled by the evaporator. Later, in an air conditioner using an absorption refrigerator equipped with a blower fan for blowing the cooled air into the room from the outlet, when changing the cooling capacity, the amount of heat exchange in the evaporator and the evaporator It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the difference with the supply amount of the refrigerant to the compressor and realize an efficient and smooth cooling operation.

[0023]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a regenerator for generating a refrigerant vapor and a concentrated solution by heating a dilute solution having absorbed a refrigerant, and a heating device for heating the regenerator. A condenser for condensing refrigerant vapor generated in the regenerator, an evaporator for evaporating the condensed refrigerant, and an absorbent for storing refrigerant-absorbing liquid, and the refrigerant vapor vaporized by the evaporator for the absorbing liquid. An air-cooling fan for cooling the absorber and the condenser together; a duct having the evaporator therein and having a suction port and a blow-off port in the room; and cooling provided in the duct. An air-conditioning system using an absorption refrigerator equipped with a blower fan for introducing target room air and directly cooling the room air by the evaporator, and then blowing the cooled air from the outlet to the room. Changes in the amount of combustion of the heater First storage means for storing the time, a second storage means for storing a predetermined time difference t, a measuring means for measuring the elapsed time from the combustion of the heater is changed,
Control for changing the amount of combustion in the heater when changing the cooling capacity, and changing the capacity of the blower fan in accordance with the cooling capacity after the time difference t has elapsed from the time when the amount of combustion in the heater is changed. Thus, an air conditioner using an absorption refrigerator is provided.

[0024]

For example, even if a change in the cooling capacity is input by a changeover switch or the like, the capacity of the blower fan is not immediately switched.
First, the combustion amount of the heater is changed in accordance with the desired cooling capacity input. Thereafter, the elapsed time from the point of change of the combustion amount in the heater is measured by the measuring means, and when a predetermined time difference t has elapsed, the capacity of the blower fan is changed according to the input cooling capacity. Therefore, after the time difference t elapses after the combustion amount of the regenerator is changed, the capacity of the cool air fan is changed, and during that time, the supply amount of the refrigerant to the evaporator is equal to the required amount of the refrigerant in the evaporator. In other words, even when the cooling capacity is changed, only the amount of refrigerant suitable for the amount of heat exchange in the evaporator can be supplied to the evaporator.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an air conditioner using a single-effect absorption refrigerator according to the present invention.

Since the mechanical construction of the air conditioner according to the present invention is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 4, the description of the same parts will be omitted, and different parts and electric circuits required for controlling the air conditioner will be described. .

In FIG. 2, T1 is a sensor for detecting the room temperature provided on the upstream side of the evaporator 10, T2 is a sensor for detecting the blast temperature, T3 is a sensor for detecting the liquid level of the regenerator 12, and T4. Is a sensor for detecting the temperature of the condenser 16.

Further, a setting signal from the controller 30 including a CPU, a memory, and a driving circuit, and a setting signal from the remote controller 6 (see FIG. 5) are received by the receiving section 2a of the indoor unit 2, and the receiving section 2a
The controller 30 receives a signal from the sensors T1, T2 and the like and a signal from the communication controller 31, and receives signals from the communication controller 31.
1. The operation of the air-cooling fan 17, the burner 13, the pump 23 and the like is controlled.

Further, the controller 30 is provided with a first storage means 7, a second storage means 8, a measuring means 9, and a control means 40 as shown in FIG. The first storage means 7 stores the regenerator 1
The second storage means 8 is a storage means for storing the time at which the combustion amount of the second burner 13 was changed, and the second storage means 8 stores the time difference t. The time difference t is determined in advance from the configuration of the air conditioner, such as the length of the piping of the air conditioner, the capacity of the regenerator 12, the amount of heat of the burner 13, and the like. Further, the time difference t may be changed according to the degree of change in the cooling capacity. For example, if the cooling capacity is significantly changed, set it longer.
If the change in cooling capacity is small, shorten it accordingly. The measuring means 9 is a time measuring device, and measures the time after the combustion amount of the burner 13 is changed.

When there is an input operation for changing the set temperature, the control means 40 first operates the fuel supply control valve 15 to change the combustion amount of the burner 13 in accordance with the set temperature. For example, if a drop in set temperature is entered,
When there is an input to increase the combustion amount and increase the set temperature accordingly, the combustion amount is decreased. Further, after the combustion amount of the burner 13 is changed, the time T at which the change was made is stored in the first storage means 7, and the measuring means 9 measures the elapsed time from that time. When it is determined that the time difference t stored in the second storage means 8 has elapsed, the capacity of the blower fan 11 is changed in accordance with the input set temperature.

Next, the operation of the cooling cycle will be described with reference to FIG.

Before the start of operation, the valves V1, V3 and V5 are closed and the valves V2 and V4 are open. The regenerator 12 is empty, and the absorbent and the refrigerant are stored in the dilute solution tank 21 in the form of a mixed dilute solution.

When the operation button of the remote controller 6 is turned on,
Setting desired temperature, the valve V1, V3, V5 valve V2, V4 are closed with open (F-1), dilute solution from a dilute solution tank 21 by the motor M ₂ is driven pump 23 sends the regenerator 12 (F-2). Controller 30
Determines whether the liquid level of the regenerator 12 has reached a specified level by referring to a signal from the sensor T3 (F-3). If the liquid level has reached the specified level, the fuel supply The control valve 15 is opened to supply fuel gas from the fuel supply pipe 14, and the burner 13 is ignited (F-4).

When the regenerator 12 is heated, refrigerant vapor is generated from the dilute solution. The refrigerant vapor is sent to the condenser 16 and the concentrated solution (absorbent) from which the refrigerant has been separated is passed through the valve V1 through the absorber 20. Sent to The temperature of the condenser 16 gradually rises due to the inflow of the refrigerant vapor.
Determines whether the temperature of the condenser 16 has reached a predetermined value based on a signal from the sensor T4 (F-5), and when the temperature has reached the predetermined value, rotates the air-cooling fan 17 (F-6). As a result, in the condenser 16, the refrigerant vapor sent from the regenerator 12 is liquefied, and the liquefied refrigerant flows into the refrigerant tank 18 via the valve V5. Next, it is determined whether or not the refrigerant amount in the refrigerant tank 18 has reached a predetermined value (F-7). When the refrigerant amount has reached the predetermined value, the valve V5 is closed (F-8), and the blower fan 11 is rotated (F-7). -9).

At this time, the refrigerant from the condenser 16 flows into the evaporator 10 through the capillary 24, the refrigerant evaporates (vaporizes) inside the evaporator 10, and a cooling action by the heat of vaporization occurs. As a result, the intake duct 4 is
The air sent from the room through the air passage is cooled by directly contacting the outer surface of the evaporator 10. The cooled air is sent to the indoor unit 2 through the air duct 3 and is blown out as cold air into the room 5 to cool the room 5 (F-1).
0).

The refrigerant evaporated and vaporized in the evaporator 10 flows into the absorber 20, where it is absorbed by the absorbing liquid. The absorbent whose concentration has been reduced by absorbing the refrigerant once enters the dilute solution tank 21, passes through the valve V3 by the pump 23, and is discharged from the regenerator 12 by the heat exchanger 22 at a high concentration. It is exchanged and sent to the regenerator 12. This is the steady mode of the cooling operation. During this time, the valve V5 is repeatedly opened and closed as needed.

Next, the temperature and pressure of the container, the absorbing liquid, and the refrigerant in each part of the system during the cooling operation will be described.

When the user operates the remote controller 6 to further lower the room temperature, the control means 40 first opens the fuel supply control valve 15 and increases the burner 13 to increase the amount of generated refrigerant. Increase the amount of combustion. The time T when the combustion amount of the burner 13 is changed is determined by the first storage unit 7.
And the measuring unit 9 measures the elapsed time from the change. If it is determined that the elapsed time from the change in the combustion amount has reached the time difference t stored in the second storage means 8, the control means 40 changes the capacity of the blower fan 11 to the newly input set temperature. Increase to a suitable value.

Therefore, when changing the cooling capacity such as changing the set temperature in the room, the burner 13 of the regenerator 12 is used.
After the elapse of a predetermined time difference t after changing the combustion amount, the blowing capacity of the blower fan 11 is changed in conformity with the set temperature, so that the amount of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 10 and the amount of air to the evaporator 10 are reduced. Thus, the relationship between the amount of refrigerant and the amount of heat exchange can be appropriately maintained.

Similarly, when the set temperature in the room is increased, the combustion amount of the burner 13 is limited, and after a lapse of time t, the capacity of the blower fan 11 is reduced.
Excess refrigerant is not sent to the evaporator 10, and generation of ineffective refrigerant can be prevented.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 3, when the operation button of the remote controller 6 is turned off (F-11), a stop process is performed (F-12), and the process ends. In the stop processing, first, the burner 13 is extinguished, the valves V2 and V4 are opened, and the valve V1 is closed. Next, after a while, the pump 23
Is stopped, the valve V3 is closed, and the blowing fan 11 and the air cooling fan 17 are stopped. By doing so, the refrigerant in the refrigerant tank 18 and the absorbing liquid in the regenerator 12 all flow into the dilute solution tank 21. This is to prevent the refrigerant tank 18 and the regenerator 12 from being corroded by the absorbing liquid while the apparatus is stopped, and to dilute the concentrated solution to prevent crystallization.

In the above embodiment, water is used as the refrigerant and lithium bromide is used as the absorbing liquid as in the conventional example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other similar functional substances may be used.

[0044]

According to the present invention, in an air conditioner using an absorption refrigerator, when changing the cooling capacity to a desired value,
Since the capacity of the blower fan is changed to a predetermined value after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the combustion amount of the heater for heating the regenerator has been changed to a predetermined value, the supply amount of the refrigerant to the evaporator and the evaporation The required amount of refrigerant in the evaporator can be matched, and the amount of refrigerant and the amount of heat exchange in the evaporator can be appropriately maintained. Thus, the air conditioner can be smoothly and efficiently operated without generating invalid refrigerant or blowing air different from the set value.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of an embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a main part of an embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a conventional air conditioner.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an installation state of an air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 outdoor unit 2 indoor unit 3 ventilation duct 4 air intake duct 5 room 6 remote control operation device 7 first storage means 8 second storage means 9 measuring means 10 evaporator 11 blower fan 12 regenerator 13 burner 16 condenser 17 air cooling fan 18 refrigerant Tank 20 Absorber 21 Dilute solution tank 23 Pump 30 Controller 31 Communication controller 40 Control means T1, T2, T3, T4 Sensor V1, V2, V3, V4, V5 Valve

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-344028 (JP, A) JP-A-1-230964 (JP, A) JP-A-1-19664 (JP, A) JP-A-63- 279065 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 59-175938 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F24F 11/02 102

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A regenerator that heats a dilute solution that has absorbed a refrigerant to generate a refrigerant vapor and a concentrated solution, a heater that heats the regenerator, and a condenser that condenses the refrigerant vapor generated by the regenerator. A device, an evaporator for vaporizing the condensed refrigerant, an absorber for storing an absorbing liquid that absorbs the refrigerant and absorbing the refrigerant vapor vaporized by the evaporator to the absorbing liquid, and the absorber and the condenser. An air-cooling fan for cooling together, a duct having an evaporator therein, and having a suction port and an air outlet in the room, introducing room air to be cooled provided in the duct, and evaporating the room air by the evaporator In an air conditioner using an absorption refrigerator equipped with a blower fan that blows the cooled air into the room from the outlet after directly cooling, a first time that stores a change time of a combustion amount of the heater. Storage means for storing a predetermined time difference t A second storage means, a measuring means for measuring an elapsed time after a change in the amount of combustion of the heater, and a change in the amount of combustion in the heater when the cooling capacity is changed. And a control means for changing the capacity of the blower fan in accordance with the cooling capacity after the time difference t has elapsed from the time when the air conditioner is changed.